Builder Sues L.A. Over Mini-Mall Report - Development: Ira Smedra says that the city’s demand for an environmental review of his Studio City carwash property is illegal, unwarranted and unjust.

The developer of a proposed mini-mall that is slated to replace Studio City’s “cultural monument” carwash filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles on Friday, claiming that the City Council illegally ordered him to draft a detailed environmental impact report on his project.

Developer Ira Smedra said that the council’s action was “unwarranted and unjust,” and that the shopping center met zoning standards. In addition to delaying his project for between nine months and a year, the report would be “extremely costly and serves no legitimate purpose,” he said. The report would cost him between $750,000 and $1 million, he said.

The council voted 10 to 3 Aug. 1 to require the report on the project at Ventura and Laurel Canyon boulevards after Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents the area, argued that the $15-million, 53,000-square-foot mall could “dramatically change the character of the neighborhood by causing a serious negative impact. . . .”

The suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, asks that the council’s order be withdrawn and that the city Department of Building and Safety be required to issue all demolition and building permits for the project. The suit also asked for unspecified damages.

Smedra, who had given the carwash and adjoining gasoline station until Wednesday to vacate the property, also said Friday that he had granted the businesses a 30-day extension as an expression of good will.

However, Pat Galati, who operates the carwash and gas station for Unocal, said he still planned to shut down the car wash at the end of business today. He said the gas station would close at the end of business Sunday.

“I don’t know anything about this,” Galati said. “It sounds like last-minute baloney to me. I don’t have the staff to keep this open. Who does he think is going to operate this place?”

A group of Studio City residents staged a spirited campaign to save the carwash, gas station and adjoining Tiny Naylor’s coffee shop, which closed two weeks ago.

They unsuccessfully lobbied the city to preserve the businesses as cultural landmarks. They argued that the carwash, which they called the “Gateway to Studio City,” should be preserved for its architectural value because it is topped by a 55-foot-tall tower, a 1950s-style decoration shaped like three boomerangs.