The growth of mansions in Bel Air and other hillsides of Los Angeles has sparked new city rules over the past decade aimed at curbing overdevelopment.

Now the city is poised to re-crack down on housing construction in the hills in the name of protecting wildlife habitat.

The proposed ordinance covers the Santa Monica Mountains between Highways 405 and 101. This mountainous region is an iconic neighborhood packed with celebrity mansions, modest ranches, public parks and winding roads.

This rule makes it difficult to build mansions, extensions and even large homes on steep hillsides. It would add regulations to limit development near the plaza, protect soil and trees, and consider entry routes for wildlife such as deer, bobcats and mountain lions.

Supporters include city councilors Nithya Raman and Katie Yaroslavski, who represent Hill Country. Several neighborhood groups and environmentalists.

Proponents cite climate change, loss of animal species and degradation of hills. Proponents say the rolling hills estate wildfires and recent landslides are just one example of why the city needs to do more scrutiny of developments in the hills.

Opponents, including realtors and some homeowners, predict the rule will hurt property values, claiming the hillside has already been built. Last fall, actor and wellness executive Gwyneth Paltrow signed a letter to the Planning Office saying the ordinance “imposes unnecessary development regulation burdens on homeowners.”

At the same time, some environmental advocates argue that the final version of the ordinance was watered down. For example, the previous requirement to have wildlife-friendly fences to allow deer to move between properties was scrapped after homeowners filed safety complaints.

The proposed law, called the “Wildlife Ordinance,” would apply to new home construction, extensions, and major renovations. The bill passed a key committee at City Hall last month and could be debated across the city council by the end of the year.

Paul Edelman, deputy director of natural resources and planning for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservation Group, described the ordinance as a compromise between the competing interests of homeowners, environmentalists and politicians. Conservation groups consulted on the law.

Edelman said it is important that wildlife and habitat are considered by the planning department. “Previously, the city would turn a blind eye to all this,” he says.

Then-City Councilman Paul Koretz proposed the ordinance in 2014, envisioning a rule that would allow animals to pass through a stretch of land next to his home.

Environmental groups say deer numbers, in particular, are declining in some hilly areas displaced by construction and traffic. Video of LA firefighters The act of rescuing a deer trapped in a fence speaks to the dangers that wildlife faces.

Other recent high-profile wildlife initiatives include the installation of an animal bridge on Highway 101 in Agoura Hills; Ventura County Wildlife Corridor Regulations Attempts to concentrate development away from habitat.

As the Koretz Ordinance has evolved, it is now in its third edition, and the proposal incorporates other Hillside construction elements being discussed by the city’s planning department.

Under the proposed law, new homes over 6,000 square feet would require an additional review by the city’s planning department. Today, homes over 17,500 square feet are triggering such a review.

Planned developments within 25 meters of vacant lots will also require additional review.

The goal is for builders to work with city planners to arrange homes, pools and garages in ways that are less harmful to the environment and animals.

The ordinance would also close a loophole in existing hillside building regulations for single-family homes that were recently passed. For example, we will no longer waive basement space based on lot size as part of efforts to limit hillside clearance. The exemption has prompted some homeowners to build large basements, the city said.

The draft ordinance also stipulates that no more than 50% of the site can be covered by buildings or other structures. By law, tennis courts, pools, and patios also count toward your lot size. Parcels in R1 or R2 zones are exempt from this rule.

A puma statue outside a residence in the Hollywood Hills. Important wildlife corridors are threatened by development.

(Brian van der Brugg/Los Angeles Times)

In Laurel Canyon on a recent afternoon, machines could be heard scraping the ground near Woodstock Road, where nightclub mogul and film producer Victor Dry has his mansion.

Larger homes are now the norm. The median size of new major structures in 2020 in the proposed wildlife ordinance area was 8,854 square feet, according to the city.

“We’re getting giant homes that take away wildlife habitat,” said Jamie Hall, president of the Laurel Canyon Land Trust, which supports the ordinance. “There is really no regulation for books that are easy to understand about wildlife and habitats.”

The total area covered by the Wildlife Ordinance is about 23,000 acres. About 98 percent of the land parcels in the area are designated for low-density residential use, comprising 21,000 acres of residential land, according to the Planning Department.

Environmental activists have failed to win partial habitat protection through ordinances. They wanted a small home, no less than 3,000 square feet, to trigger a redesign. Also removed in the final version were provisions prohibiting development near rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands.

At a public hearing on the ordinance last year, city environmental officer Amanda Amaral urged city planners to re-add some of the wildlife-friendly provisions.

She told commissioners that scientists estimate that one million species will become extinct in the next few decades.

“The city’s biodiversity team believes that the revised ordinance was diluted more than the original draft as a result of the weakened requirements,” Amaral said.

At another hearing, lawmakers opposing the proposal called city councilors “communists” and accused them of penalizing taxpayers. “Work in Russia!” he said.

Allison McCracken, a real estate agent, said the ordinance would hurt property values ​​even in mid-sized homes. She owns one such home in upper Belair, but because her lot is on a slope, ordinances will limit how much she can add, she said.

“These are very strict regulations on top of other development regulations,” McCracken said.

Lawyer Ben Reznik, who represents some of the opposition, including Mr. McCracken, last month told Planning, Land Use and Management Committee Chairman Marquese Harris-Dawson and other city representatives that the wildlife sent a letter requesting a formal environmental analysis of the ordinance.

“In reality, the city uses wild animals as mascots for its stricter Hillland Regulations ordinance, making it appear as though the ordinance does, even though the ordinance does not regulate wildlife. It’s pretending,” Resnik wrote. “This is misleading the public and a clear violation of due process.”

Meanwhile, in other parts of the city, the ordinance has drawn attention from those who see it as a means of regulating hill country development.

Elba Yanez The director of Save Elephant Hill, a conservation group on the city’s east side, wants to extend the ordinance to all wildlife-rich areas.

“Given the climate emergency we are facing, we should scale up these kinds of policies wherever possible,” Yáñez said.