ENCINO : Drive-Through for Restaurant Opposed

In the latest maneuver designed to block construction of a Burger King restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Encino, a homeowners group Monday appealed to the Los Angeles City Council to eliminate the restaurant’s drive-through window.

“We can kill it by winning on this appeal,” said Gerald Silver, president of the Homeowners of Encino, the group that has spearheaded opposition to the proposed fast-food restaurant.

Silver said the Burger King, proposed for Gloria Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, would lead to “a parking nightmare that would be nothing but bad news for the community.”

Ralph Cimmarusti, co-owner of Cimm’s Inc., the company behind the bid to bring Burger King to Encino, denied that losing the drive-through would kill the project. He painted a different picture of the restaurant.

“We’re investing $2 million in a fast-food site that is going to look like a park,” Cimmarusti said, referring to plans for special landscaping and a play area for children.

Specifically, the homeowners group is appealing a conditional use permit already approved by the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Administrators allowing the restaurant to use a portion of its property zoned residential as parking lot, and to operate a drive-through window.