Commissioners stall on BMW

The Calabasas Planning Commission once again postponed a decision on a proposed BMW dealership after protests and disagreements about the design of the building during its regular meeting last Thursday night.

The project, which first came before the commission earlier this month, was continued to the commission’s Oct. 12 meeting.

The proposal, submitted by Tim Smith of Bob Smith BMW (currently located in Canoga Park) seeks construction of a 51,469 square-foot BMW dealership and removal of two oak trees on land at 24486 Calabasas Road. It also requests a change in the current zoning and General Plan land use designation from Commercial Limited to Commercial Retail.

Early in the meeting, architect Erik Marcussen described the genesis of the building’s architecture. It started as a stark white, very modernistic building, in accordance with BMW’s specifications.

Marcussen showed the commission a series of drawings depicting a softening of the building’s facade to accommodate suggestions made by the city staff, planning commission and area homeowner associations.

The latest rendition featured warm tones in plaster and a more rounded design, with square columns to give it a Mediterranean flair, Marcussen said.

"We really feel we’ve developed a professional …handsome building … with a lot of style and character," said Marcussen.

But representatives of the Calabasas Park Homeowners Association (CPHA) and several commissioners didn’t agree.

Mike Fichera, a past president and corresponding secretary for the association, spoke vehemently against the building.

"This has to be called a high-tech building. They tried to change it into something it cannot be," said Fichera.

"It looks like an supermarket front or airline terminal. It’s not attractive. It doesn’t warrant a position in Calabasas," he said.

"I implore the planning commission to come up with a viable alternative designs," he said, adding that the building as proposed "is inappropriate and doesn’t belong here."

Planning Commissioner Michael Harrison agreed, later saying that the building "looks like an airport hangar."

"As far as the architecture is concerned, it’s just unacceptable for the location. It is a massive design of glass and plaster, with no style at all," he said.

The commissioners disagreed over their role in determining the architecture of buildings that come before them.

"There is an aspect of subjectiveness to it," said Commission Vice Chairman David Brown. "To what extent do we have to say it must be this way?" asked Brown.

Commissioner James Leewong felt that the commission shouldn’t "micro-manage an applicant’s project" and spoke passionately about it.

"My fellow commissioners have respectfully missed the boat," he said.

"We need to look at what it is we have discretion (over). Nowhere does it say that we dictate architectural style, nor does it say that other citizens get to do that."

Commission Chair Mike Tingus agreed.

"It’s not our job to design—it’s our job to implement," he said.

Tingus asked that the CPHA’s representatives meet with Smith’s architectural team as well as a member of the city staff to try to work out their disagreements by the Oct. 12 meeting.

But Flynn said there was "a philosophical difference" and added that such a meeting might be futile.

After the meeting, Jim Ryan, BMW General Manager for the Western United States, told The Acorn that if the building design strays much more from the original corporate specifications, that BMW might not accept it.

"This project is probably as far away from our desired look from any facility in the world," he said.

"We’ve never gone this far to work with a city or homeowners association. If the design goes too far, it won’t pass our own specifications."