Beverly Hills Rejects Oversize Mansion Plan

The Beverly Hills City Council voted 4 to 1 late Tuesday night to reject a 46,000-square-foot mansion proposed for the city’s exclusive hillside district.

The vote came about 11 p.m. after a parade of speakers opposed the project, including actor Jack Lemmon and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno.

Mayor Maxwell Salter cast the only vote in favor of the project.

Robert Manoukian, a low-profile London financier who bought the three parcels of land for the estate in 1988, made his first appearance before the council but did not speak.

Manoukian, a part-time resident of Beverly Hills who owns a house there, got his neighbor’s attention last year when he proposed the 25-bedroom retreat with five kitchens, a cinema, two pools and a ballroom.

The 59,000-square-foot estate, which was to be built on nearly four acres, roused the ire of residents because they said plans were inappropriate in a neighborhood where homes are typically 5,000 to 8,000 square feet.

Manoukian scaled back the project to 46,000 square feet, but the City Council rejected the revised proposal. Manoukian’s attorney said no next steps have been considered but he expressed disappointment.

Lemmon, along with MCA President Sidney J. Sheinberg, Ticketmaster Chairman Fred Rosen and others, had fought the project. They gathered nearly 12,000 signatures on petitions, hired a political consultant and mailed out campaign flyers to registered voters urging opposition.