A 15-story residential tower is headed to 140 S. Camden Drive after the Beverly Hills Planning Commission voted unanimously on Thursday, July 23 to approve developer Max Netty's Builder's Remedy project, capping a legal fight that forced the city to reverse its earlier denial.

The vote was unanimous.

The 194-foot tower, designed by CARA Architecture, will replace an existing two-story, eight-unit apartment building just off Wilshire Boulevard. It will contain 27 units, including 21 market-rate condominiums and six affordable, above four levels of subterranean parking accessed through an automated lift system, according to Urbanize Los Angeles and the Beverly Press.

The approval marks Netty's second Builder's Remedy win in Beverly Hills. The Planning Commission approved his separate 19-story, 30-unit tower at 145 Rodeo Drive in October 2025. Both projects were designed by CARA Architecture, and both came only after attorneys for Netty's firm, Soundview Investment Partners, threatened litigation.

How the city lost control

Netty filed his Camden Drive application in 2024, when Beverly Hills lacked a state-certified housing element. Under California's Builder's Remedy provision, developers can bypass local height and density limits if they reserve a percentage of units for lower-income residents.

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously denied Netty's appeal in March 2025. Netty then sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, arguing the city violated the Housing Accountability Act. A settlement reached in late 2025 required the city to rescind its denial and process the application. The City Council formally rescinded on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and staff determined the project qualified for Builder's Remedy protections.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Gary Ross acknowledged the tension at the July 23 hearing: "It is beautiful, this project. It is oversized and over-scaled, but you have the right to build it."

Residents push back

Camden Drive resident Kate Hovan wrote to the commission ahead of the vote, saying she was "deeply concerned that this project does not adequately address the existing public safety and traffic issues already affecting our block."

City staff acknowledged the tower exceeds Beverly Hills' normal development standards for height, density, setbacks, and neighborhood compatibility. But the staff report concluded state law limits the city's ability to deny the project because no evidence demonstrates a specific adverse impact to public health or safety.

A pattern across the city

The Camden Drive vote came two days after the Beverly Hills City Council on Tuesday, July 21 upheld approval of a 55-unit Builder's Remedy apartment building at 232 S. Tower Drive, rejecting an appeal from the Carthay Beverly Hills Neighbors.

Beverly Hills received applications for roughly 14 to 16 Builder's Remedy projects while its housing element was out of compliance, according to the Beverly Hills Courier. At least six developers have filed lawsuits against the city. Under its now-certified housing element, Beverly Hills must plan for 3,104 new housing units by 2029, with more than half affordable.

City Attorney Laurence Wiener told the Beverly Hills Courier in August 2025, responding to a separate Builder's Remedy court ruling against the city: "It is unfortunate that the state has seen fit to take a good deal of local zoning out of the hands of cities and mandated higher density in order to promote more affordable housing."

No construction timeline, appeal window, or permit filing deadline has been publicly announced for the Camden Drive project.