Beverly Hills : Estate Will Be Appealed

A controversial hillside estate approved by the Planning Commission will face an appeal before the City Council.

The council agreed Tuesday to hear an appeal filed by a group of residents opposed to the estate and set a hearing Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

London financier Robert Manoukian had proposed building a mansion and other structures totaling 59,000 square feet on the nearly four-acre property he owns at 1146 Tower Road. Widespread community opposition caused it to be scaled back to 36,000 square feet after six public meetings by the commission this year and two hearings by another board last year. (The plans also include a 10,718-square-foot basement that is not counted in final measurements under city code.)

Actor Jack Lemmon, MCA President Sidney Sheinberg and developer Stuart Ketchum, who live in the exclusive neighborhood in the northwest corner of Beverly Hills, filed the joint appeal through an attorney last month. The appeal contends that the project is still too large for a neighborhood where most homes are 5,000 to 10,000 square feet and that the construction and traffic should be evaluated in a comprehensive environmental impact report.

The Planning Commission gave its final approval to the project April 12 after imposing 81 conditions, regulating such things as landscaping, parking, construction schedules and the number of parties that can be held at the estate each year. Commissioners also extended the 26-month construction period originally proposed by the owner’s representatives to a 2 1/2-year construction limit, arguing that the original estimate was unrealistic.