Fight Against Mini-Mall at Carwash Site Dropped

Studio City residents have found something they like even less than the proposed mini-mall that inspired a nationally hooted-at campaign to declare a carwash a cultural monument:

The big hole in the ground where the carwash used to be.

The Studio City Residents Assn. voted Tuesday night to stop fighting the mini-mall development at the corner of Ventura and Laurel Canyon boulevards.

That appeared to free developer Ira Smedra to build the $15-million, 53,000-square-foot Laurel Promenade, which will contain three restaurants that are spinoffs of trendy Westside eateries.

The residents group could have taken the fight another step by appealing to the Los Angeles City Council on the issue of liquor licenses for the restaurants. The association’s decision to abandon the battle came after Councilman Joel Wachs, who had supported the group’s earlier efforts against the mini-mall, told association leaders he would not back them this time.

Smedra, who did not attend the meeting, could not be reached for comment.

The lot was once the site of a carwash and coffee shop in classic 1950s architectural style, including an abstract steel sculpture vaguely resembling three giant boomerangs. When mini-mall opponents tried to block the development by having the carwash declared a cultural monument for its architectural value--”The Gateway to Studio City”--the campaign became the stuff of news stories and jokes nationwide.

The “save the carwash” campaign ended when the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission declared in July, 1989, that the carwash looked too common to be a landmark.

The lot in the Studio City business district has been empty since January, 1990, when Smedra tore down the structure. Left behind was an excavation where weeds grew and litter accumulated.

Many residents have grown weary of looking at the hole and of the battle against the shopping center--which had been waged through the courts, City Council and liquor and zoning boards for almost two years.

“The hole in the ground was getting worse and worse as time went on,” said Polly Ward, vice president of the association and a leader of the fight against the development. “We had many, many phone calls from people who wanted something done about it.”

Others liked the idea of the three popular restaurants--the Daily Grill, Louise’s Trattoria and Kaktus--coming into the area. “We got calls from people who said they would be a good thing for the neighborhood,” said Tony Lucente, president of the association.

In the most recent skirmish, the association lost an appeal to zoning officials to block the three restaurants on grounds that the area already has enough establishments that serve alcohol. The group decided not to appeal to the City Council.

Unwilling to carry on the fight without the support of Wachs, the association had to settle for small victories, such as forcing Smedra to pay for improvements to the intersection to accommodate the expected increase in traffic, and winning prohibitions against entertainment at restaurants in the mini-mall.

“There comes a time when you have to make some compromises and let it go,” Ward said.