Large Houses Realm of 'Tear-Down King'

"Since Columbia Residential Development was formed under his leadership five years ago, it has built and sold more than $100 million in residential properties. By Khaderi's count, this represents about 40 homes, 25 of them in Beverly Hills, most on razed-home sites. Khaderi probably has demolished more houses in Beverly Hills than anybody else."

"He said he doesn't want the houses he develops to stand out because of unusual size or style but, instead, wants them to look as if they were always part of the neighborhood. He considers it a compliment when a new Columbia house is mistaken for a home that has been remodeled. He uses mature trees to give an impression that the trees have been there for awhile."

"But he blames 'other people who tried to copy our houses and overdid them or built big boxes with little landscaping' for the City Council's action to restrict the size of homes on bigger lots in the north part of the city."

Alan Khaderi leads Columbia Residential Development, the residential arm of Columbia Savings, which has built and sold over $100 million in residential properties in five years, including approximately 40 homes with 25 in Beverly Hills. Most of these properties were constructed on sites where existing homes were demolished. Khaderi pioneered the practice of tearing down houses to build larger replacements on speculation. While he acknowledges his company's significant role in the tear-down trend, he attributes recent zoning law changes restricting home sizes to other developers who copied his approach but overdid it with oversized structures and minimal landscaping. Khaderi maintains that his designs intentionally blend into neighborhoods rather than stand out, using mature trees and aged finishes to make new homes appear established.

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