Planning Commission Begins Jim Falk Lexus Hearings

With the departure of Beverly Hills BMW set for next year, Jim Falk Lexus and the sales taxes the dealership generates will become even more important to the city. So it was with particular focus Thursday that the Beverly Hills Planning Commission took up consideration of the dealership's proposed $14-million project to bring all units of its business together under one roof at 9230 Wilshire Blvd.

The project would allow Jim Falk Lexus to offer all of its services at the same building on the corner of South Maple Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, which currently houses only the showroom. The dealership's service area and inventory are at a different location. The current Wilshire building is two stories, and a proposed replacement facility would be four stories with one level of subterranean parking.

If approved in its current form, the new dealership would be 103,746 square feet and exceed the density standards applicable to commercial properties within Beverly Hills.

Additionally, a portion of the new building, as proposed, would span across an alley and extend into a residential zone abutting an alley to the south, according to a Planning Commission report.

"The project would require changes to the development standards and land use patterns identified in the city's zoning code and general plan," a report prepared by the city's principal planner, David Reyes, stated.

On Thursday, the planning commission questioned the draft Environmental Impact Report's traffic data and asked for more information about the effect on residential streets, including studying a partial street closure of Maple Drive. The five-member commission, lead by Chairwoman Lilie Bosse, also expressed concern regarding signs prohibiting right turns out of the project site and restricted left turns on Wilshire Boulevard from Maple Drive.

The commission also asked for project alternatives and further studies to examine whether mitigation measures can be established to address residents' concerns about the effects of ground vibration on their homes during construction.

The panel also wants more information about "loading, internal parking use, number of employees and deliveries" at the dealership. At this point, commissioners expressed concern over approving an overlay zone for the residential property currently used by the dealership.

The residential area located south of the current dealership building was zoned for limited commercial use, such as a customer parking lot, according to city staff.

Commissioners also wanted more information about the dealership's existing sales operations, compared with the proposed sales from a newly configured dealership and how that would benefit the city.

The Jim Falk Lexus dealership is one of the top five revenue producing businesses in Beverly Hills. If the new facility is approved, the construction permit fees are estimated at $1.6 million, with a $33,840 school development fee and a $756,000 Recreation and Parks construction tax.

The draft EIR for the project, which was released this month, was favorable toward allowing the company to build a new dealership. The EIR's biggest concern was ground vibrations during construction and traffic noise.

The public comment period for the draft EIR ends Oct. 18. The next hearing date on the Jim Falk Lexus project has not been set.