If you own or are buying property near Wilshire/La Cienega or Wilshire/Reeves, the proposal to rescind Beverly Hills’ SB 79 alternative plan concerns which development rules apply. Beverly Hills staff recommends dropping the city’s alternative plan so the standard SB 79 provisions apply. The October 20, 2026 study session was a discussion seeking council direction and did not adopt an ordinance. As of October 21, 2026, the city had not posted the outcome of the October 20 study session.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
What does SB 79 do near these stations?
According to the City of Beverly Hills staff report, SB 79 increases allowable housing density, floor area ratio and height on qualifying residential, mixed use or commercial parcels near certain transit stops.
The report says the law became effective on July 1, 2026. Beverly Hills treats its two planned Metro Purple Line (D Line) stations, at Wilshire Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard and at Wilshire Boulevard and Reeves Drive, as Tier 1 transit-oriented development stops.
The Century City station is in the City of Los Angeles. The report found no Beverly Hills sites with the relevant zoning within one quarter mile of that stop, so it says SB 79 will not apply to Beverly Hills properties within that distance of it.
What was the alternative plan meant to change?
The alternative plan moved zoning capacity from single-family sites near the stations to mixed use sites near La Cienega, while lowering the allowed height on the single-family sites.
As the report explains, Government Code 65912.161(a) allows a city to redistribute capacity within the one-half mile radius around transit stations, provided net zoned capacity for units and floor area is maintained.
The council chose Scenario Three, the “La Cienega Focused / Gateway Scenario.” It shifted capacity from single-family residential sites within the one-quarter mile radius of the Beverly Hills stations to Mixed Use Overlay Zone sites within the one-quarter mile radius of La Cienega Station.
On the single-family “export” sites, density fell by half, from 120 to 60 dwelling units per acre. The June 9, 2026 version reduced their allowed height from 75 feet to 44 feet. The La Cienega “import” sites, called Area D, received 201 dwelling units per acre, FAR 8.5 and a maximum height of 132 feet.
Why did HCD object?
The California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, said the plan failed to maintain net zoned capacity and that state density bonus law applies separately.
Its September 3, 2026 letter found the plan out of compliance. Staff disputes the capacity finding and says HCD reversed several determinations.
The height issue matters to anyone relying on the alternative plan’s lower single-family height figure. As the report describes HCD’s position, a qualifying SB 79 project’s request for a height waiver, incentive or concession must be granted on top of the additional height provided in the alternative plan.
Staff therefore says there is ultimately no certainty about the maximum height allowed on any property in the SB 79 area under HCD’s reading of the plan.
The report also says HCD considers the baseline provisions in Government Code 65912.157 applicable until HCD deems the alternative plan compliant.
What does staff recommend, and what happens next?
Staff recommends rescinding the alternative plan, which would result in the standard SB 79 provisions applying.
The October 20, 2026 item was a study session discussion seeking direction. No ordinance was adopted at that meeting.
The city must respond to HCD by November 2, 2026. If there is council consensus, staff would tell HCD by that deadline and prepare the repeal documents.
Those documents would include an ordinance repealing the June 9, 2026 interim urgency ordinance and the alternative plan provisions in Article 51 of Title 10, Chapter 3 of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code. A resolution would rescind the General Plan amendment, including Land Use Policy 3.3. Planning Commission review and recommendation would come before City Council adoption.
What baseline numbers does the city list?
The city’s reports list Area A at 120 dwelling units per acre, FAR 3.5 and 75 feet, and Area C at 160 dwelling units per acre, FAR 4.5 and 95 feet.
Area A covers parcels within a quarter mile of the stops in a residential, mixed use or commercial zone. Area C covers parcels within a 200-foot radius of the stops.
These are the baseline SB 79 figures in the city’s table.
The report also says an SB 79 housing project must comply with the city’s Objective Design Standards unless a standard physically precludes construction at the density SB 79 allows. Those standards were adopted September 30, 2025, under Resolution No. 25-R-13565.
What about rent-stabilized housing?
The report says an SB 79 project may not result in demolition of more than two units of rent-stabilized housing.
HCD said sites with two or more units subject to the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance should be counted as eligible. Staff identifies a practical limit: the demolition restriction largely prohibits such properties from being used for SB 79 projects unless the units have been vacant for at least seven years before demolition.
Eligibility for the capacity count and the ability to carry out a project are separate questions in this discussion. If you own or are considering a building with rent-stabilized units, the headline density figure alone doesn’t answer the demolition question.
Say a buyer considers a building with more than two rent-stabilized units and sketches an SB 79 project that would require demolishing all of them. Seeing the site counted as eligible would not settle whether that project could proceed. Under the restriction described by staff, the buyer would need to consider whether the units have been vacant for at least seven years before demolition. The buyer’s next question would concern the units and their vacancy history, alongside the site’s allowable density.
How can you check a specific parcel?
Check your parcel on the official SCAG map and the city’s Long Range Planning page, or contact the Community Development Department.
The Southern California Association of Governments, or SCAG, creates the official SB 79 map. Staff flagged an inconsistency involving the Beverly-Reeves Drive/Wilshire stop. SCAG said a corrected map would be available towards the end of October.
Use the city’s Long Range Planning page to follow the planning materials.
SB 79 is a separate question from what an owner can add under ADU rules.
If you are selling, the California seller disclosure guide and NHD reports guide cover the separate disclosure paperwork.
The short version
Beverly Hills staff recommends dropping the alternative plan. The October 20, 2026 study session was a discussion seeking council direction and did not adopt an ordinance.
The proposal would end the city’s redistribution of capacity toward La Cienega. HCD’s position, as reported by staff, is that baseline SB 79 provisions already apply until the alternative plan is deemed compliant.
For a separate look at your property’s value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Has Beverly Hills rescinded its SB 79 alternative plan?
The October 20, 2026 study session report recommends rescission. The study session was a discussion seeking council direction and did not adopt an ordinance. As of October 21, 2026, the city had not posted the outcome of the October 20 study session.
What baseline density and height does the city list?
The city's reports list Area A at 120 dwelling units per acre, FAR 3.5 and 75 feet, and Area C at 160 dwelling units per acre, FAR 4.5 and 95 feet.
Why did HCD object to the alternative plan?
HCD said net zoned capacity was not maintained and that state density bonus law applies separately. Staff disputes the capacity finding.
How can you check whether your parcel is covered?
Check the official SCAG map and the city's Long Range Planning page or contact the Community Development Department. Staff reported that a corrected map was expected towards the end of October.
