BEVERLY HILLS—In 2023, real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov, who owns the development company, 9300 Wilshire LLC, applied to the city of Beverly Hills, informing the city council members that he intended to build a residential property at 125-129 S. Linden Drive. The city blocked this plan. After appealing the decision, Leo Pustilnikov sued the city, and on August 12, L.A. Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin ruled in favor of Pustilnikov. His company can now continue the development project.
At the center of the case was Pustilnikov’s claim that the Beverly Hills City Council illegally blocked his development project. Furthermore, he claimed that in doing so, the city council violated the California Housing Affordability Act, which was passed to alleviate the housing crisis in California by making it easier to construct affordable housing, and that when he applied to the city council, the city was not in compliance with the state housing laws. Pustilnikov’s lawyer based his argument on the builder’s remedy. This is part of the California Housing Affordability Act, which allows developers to bypass local zoning requirements in California cities if their governments are not complying with the state’s housing laws.
If this project is completed the building will be 19 stories tall. In it will be 165 units that are available to be rented, and of them 33 will be reserved to be rented by low-income residents of Beverly Hills. That is not all. This residential development will also feature a hotel, which will include a restaurant and 75 rooms, as well as two levels that are reserved to be turned into an underground parking area.
By Daniel Diquinzio
L.A. Judge Rules In Favor Of Developer In Lawsuit
