‘Remodeling’ From Ground Up : Eatery’s Tale Called Hard to Swallow

Sherman Oaks residents thought they were getting a raw deal when a Japanese company began remodeling a defunct Italian restaurant near their homes to convert it into a slick new sushi eatery.

Workers didn’t just spiff up the old vinyl grapevine decor with new lights, fresh paint and new floor tiles.

Instead, they tore out the ceiling, knocked down the walls and ripped up the floor. When the workers pulled up the foundation of the defunct Stromboli’s Restaurant and started to pour new concrete footings, homeowners complained.

“It didn’t look like a remodeling project,” said Fred Kramer, a director of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. “It looked like a construction project.”

The distinction was important to Los Angeles City building officials.

For a remodeling project, the developer, Kamadoya USA, was allowed to continue using the five parking spaces behind the former Italian restaurant at 14670 Ventura Blvd.

But for new construction, city regulations require that 33 parking spaces be provided for diners.

With the Japanese restaurant coming up 28 spaces short, city building inspectors ordered a halt to construction. The Building and Safety Commission has scheduled a hearing Feb. 2 to determine whether construction should be prohibited.

The developer and his workers have variously attributed the demolition to an infestation of termites, earthquake damage from the Oct. 1 temblor, flooding and an overzealous building contractor who went overboard trying to do “good workmanship.”

Controls Tightened

Homeowners have charged that the developer was trying to sidestep tough city building rules that recently have tightened controls over height, density and parking along busy Ventura Boulevard.

On Monday, Kamadoya representatives were talking to Building and Safety officials and looking for ways out of their dilemma, including off-site parking. Sherman Oaks leaders, meantime, were demanding that the city’s planning department become involved before any new permit is issued.

“If the city allows them to go ahead, we set a terrible precedent for Ventura Boulevard,” Kramer said. “To have a guy sneak through like that isn’t proper.”

The city’s restaurant crackdown was prompted by a complaint from Richard Close, president of Sherman Oaks Homeowners, to City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky’s office.

Said Tim Taylor, head of Building and Safety in the San Fernando Valley: “The project kind of got out of hand, for whatever reason.

“I don’t think an experienced builder who knew what he was involved with would do what they did,” Taylor said. “I think they went ahead almost in ignorance of the zoning provisions.”

Bruce Miller, a consultant representing Kamadoya USA, said the demolition was an innocent blunder.

“This was the company’s first investment in the U. S.” Miller said. “They were relying on the professionalism of people they hired. There was no intent to circumvent the laws, just to be good neighbors.”

Although few other Valley buildings were damaged by the Oct. 1 earthquake, the restaurant suffered cracks to its walls because the roof was off, Miller said. A roof probably would have provided more structural support.

The company is now exploring the use of a valet parking system that would put cars in a parking lot nearby.

If a suitable arrangement is not worked out, “it could be a fatal setback for the project,” Miller said.