Rolling Hills is a distinctive community of rural estates on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. With fewer than 2,000 residents, no commercial zoning, and a median home price exceeding $4 million, the City faced significant challenges in responding to evolving State housing mandates. In 2020, Rolling Hills did not have a compliant Housing Element; they turned to Barry Miller for assistance.

The Housing Element demonstrates how even highly constrained jurisdictions can achieve compliance through a thoughtful, transparent, and locally grounded approach. Barry worked closely with City staff, elected officials, and State housing officials to identify realistic strategies aligned with Rolling Hills’ physical, environmental, and market limitations. These included leveraging recent State legislation—such as accessory dwelling unit (ADU) provisions and opportunities on public lands—while avoiding fundamental and potentially hazardous changes to the City’s long-standing development pattern.

The Element clearly documents Rolling Hills’ limited housing capacity, analyzes regulatory and environmental constraints, and establishes a framework for meeting the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation. Throughout the process, Barry emphasized clarity, legal defensibility, and responsiveness to both State requirements and community concerns. The City’s fifth-cycle (2013–2021) Housing Element was deemed compliant by the State in March 2021. Barry then prepared the sixth-cycle (2021–2029) Element, which was found compliant in 2022—ahead of nearby communities.