L.A. Council OKs Disputed Bistro Garden for Studio City

The San Fernando Valley will get a version of the posh Beverly Hills restaurant Bistro Garden.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday granted the luxury dining establishment a liquor license to open at a shopping center under construction at Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, despite objections from some residents.

The unanimous vote came after Councilman Mike Woo, whose district includes the restaurant site, spoke out in support of the project. Council members customarily grant the wishes of a colleague on a project in his district.

The Bistro Garden in Beverly Hills is a favorite of some council members and former President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan.

Ends 2-Year Dispute

The action ended an often acrimonious two-year dispute pitting the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. against a usual ally, the Studio City Residents Assn.

Sherman Oaks homeowners claimed that the restaurant would add to parking and traffic woes.

“Each step our association has taken has been only to protect the surrounding neighborhood,” said Rose Elmassian, representing the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

She said the association did not oppose the restaurant’s opening, but sought to require the developer to take greater steps to reduce parking and traffic problems.

Supporters of the restaurant, including the Studio City Residents Assn., argued that most of the residents who live close to the proposed restaurant support it.

Criticisms Questioned

They scoffed at suggestions by some opponents that wealthy diners would leave behind litter and urinate on lawns. They said a Bistro Garden is preferable to a McDonald’s restaurant on the site.

“Why anyone doesn’t want it is beyond me,” said Herb Piken, shopping center developer. The restaurant is expected to open in July.

Woo said he was satisfied that the restrictions imposed on the project would protect the surrounding neighborhood. These include requiring city approval for additional food establishments in the center and requiring the developer to pay for $300,000 in traffic improvements. The developer is also required to maintain graffiti-free walls.

“We have succeeded through a combination of reducing the size of the project, requiring significant traffic mitigations and adopting conditions on the use of the restaurant, which I think adequately protect the surrounding neighborhood,” Woo said.