Selfish Destruction of Studio City Landmarks

Just when you think your village neighborhood is protected from the profit greed of “upscale” developers, the prospect of demolishing another community-supported commercial landmark becomes an immediate reality.

The wants of single-minded, maximum-profit-driven developers that excludes the wants of the community and existing market forces must stop. If a business is profitable, is supported by the community and meets the needs of its consumers, don’t destroy it.

The new owner of the land underneath Studio City’s Unocal service station and Tiny Naylor’s restaurant at Ventura and Laurel Canyon boulevards wants to demolish the entire corner and build another “upscale” retail complex. The last completed retail complex two blocks away remains only partially occupied.

Most of us want to continue to frequent the “downscale” but 1950s-period design, full-service automobile facility that has been meeting the travel needs of this community since 1929. And what about our Tiny Naylor’s? It too is a historical landmark in its own time.

Some may argue that the owner has his right to redevelop. That is true. However, in the past, commercial land owners have redeveloped to upgrade and improve thriving businesses. Today, property owners couldn’t care less of what drives the marketplace or the needs of the community.

These owners only want what they want for themselves. They do not care about the denial of services that this community needs and continues to support. They do not care about the environmental impacts that are caused by increasing the number of automobiles that add to the congestion of our streets and intersections.

I call upon Councilman Joel Wachs to immediately request that our city impose a moratorium in order for us to protect this property from immediate destruction. The moratorium is important because it will allow us time to meet and discuss the alternatives to total destruction for the corner site, to consider its current historical contribution and allow the forthcoming Ventura Boulevard Plan to become a factor in the matter.

WALTER M. McINTYRE

Studio City

McIntyre is president of the Briarcliff Improvement Assn. and a member of the Ventura Boulevard Citizens Action Committee.