Westside : Beverly Hills Imposes Limits on Hillside Mansions

Limiting the size of mansions in a city renowned for them might seem a bit odd, but that’s just what Beverly Hills did this week.

A new law, just passed by the City Council, requires homeowners in hillside areas to win special approval for all new homes larger than 15,000 square feet. (That’s already 10 times larger than the average Los Angeles County bungalow).

How big is too big?

The city turned down London financier Robert Manoukian’s 46,000-square-foot “cottage” three years ago after celebrity neighbors like Jack Lemmon and Jay Leno said it was a monstrosity.

The outcry over Manoukian’s proposed 25-room house fueled a citywide revolt against “mansionization” that culminated in the new law.

Manoukian, in turn, sued Beverly Hills. That lawsuit is pending.

What it all boiled down to, as Leno said at the time, was “millionaires fighting billionaires.” . . .