Beverly Hills could soon see a sculptural infill building a block south of Santa Monica Boulevard. A staff report headed to the Beverly Hills Planning Commission outlines a proposal to replace three small apartment building with a six-story, 29-unit development at 9945 Durant Drive.
LOHA (Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects) is leading the design.
9945 Durant Drive Aerial View via LOHA (Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects)
The application is filed by YK 9441 Durant Drive LLC, seeking Density Bonus incentives. In exchange, three apartments would be reserved for very-low-income households. Plans call for a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, plus 54 on-site parking spaces. Parking is not required but would be provided.
Concept drawings show an H-shaped massing with rounded corners and generous glazing, organized around a pair of landscaped courtyards. Private balconies step along the street wall, while an activated rooftop deck caps the building with resident open space.
9945 Durant Drive via LOHA (Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects)
The site sits in a low-rise pocket of multifamily buildings, but it’s a short walk from the larger commercial corridor along Santa Monica Boulevard—and not far south of the under-construction One Beverly Hills district. The Durant project would add new rent-restricted housing while updating an aging trio of buildings with a contemporary, pedestrian-oriented frontage.
The project is scheduled for Commission review; if approved, the applicant can proceed to building permits under the Density Bonus program.
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So what happens to the people that live in the existing apartments. How are they being helped to secure an affordable apartment? Wow, three low income apartments! Are these 3 apartments renting for $1500@ month, while the rest of the Tennants are paying eye poping amounts like 8k-10k a month. Better yet, those 3 apartments will go to the contractor’s relatives. Or maybe the builder will build under a rental permit and 3/4s of the way through construction switch to making the building separate condos like on our block. Affordable housing for the children of the wealthy who then turn their unit into an Airbnb!
This is beautiful. Those old dilapidated apartments need to be replaced with something larger and modern like this. Great work.