Celeb Doctor Pitches Multifamily Project in Beverly Hills

A small residential building between the Beverly Center and the heart of Beverly Hills could be demolished in favor of a taller multifamily structure.

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission is reviewing a project from Oakhurst Development Group LLC to erect a seven-story building at 349 North Oakhurst Avenue in Beverly Hills, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. Oakhurst Development Group is linked in state business records to local physician Simon Ourian, known for celebrity clients like the Kardashian-Jenner family.

The site currently houses a fourplex, which would be razed to make way for the new housing. The seven-story building would consist of 14 one- and two-bedroom units with parking for 30 vehicles. The surrounding neighborhood contains a mix of single-family and low-rise multifamily buildings. In order to move forward with the seven-story building, the developer is seeking density bonus incentives to build larger than what zoning regulations typically allow in exchange for designating two apartments for very-low-income residents, usually defined in Los Angeles County as a maximum income of $50,000 annually for one person or $75,750 for a household of four.

This northeast portion of Beverly Hills, near the city limits of Los Angeles and West Hollywood, is slated to receive several new housing developments in the coming years. One block to the north at 412 North Oakhurst Drive, an affiliate of developer Wilshire Skyline is looking to demolish an existing three-story, 15-unit apartment building and replace it with an eight-story edifice with 52 residential units above a 66-car garage, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. That proposal, like Ourian’s, would include some affordable units in exchange for permission to build taller than what would normally be allowed.

Beverly Hills, like cities across California, is mandated by the state to plan for a certain number of units as part of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation. Under the current plan, the city must prepare to build 3,104 new units of housing by the end of the decade.

— Chris Malone Méndez