Torrance : Restaurant Gets Approval

The City Council unanimously approved the transformation of the former Sepulveda Boulevard nightclub Ichabod Crane’s, which went out of business recently, into what is billed as a family-oriented King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant.

The approval came with limitations on hours of operations and traffic intended to mitigate the operation’s impact on the neighborhood of single-family homes south of Sepulveda.

Neighbors complained at the council meeting on Tuesday that plans to keep the restaurant open 24 hours would create a nuisance by attracting late-night patrons coming from bars. In addition, they said that cars would avoid traffic on Sepulveda by exiting the restaurant parking lot onto Hickory Avenue, which runs through the neighborhood.

In approving a conditional-use permit, the council insisted that the restaurant stay closed from 1 to 5 a.m. and that the access from Hickory Avenue be used only as an entrance.