ENCINO : Residents Appeal OK on Restaurant

The president of an Encino homeowner group said Friday he hopes the Los Angeles City Council will overturn a ruling by the city Planning Commission that would allow a Burger King drive-through restaurant to open at Ventura Boulevard and Gloria Avenue in Encino.

In what is the homeowners’ last chance to block construction of the restaurant that they contend will increase traffic congestion and noise in the neighborhood, Gerald Silver appealed this week to the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee to reverse the decision.

Last month, the Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 to grant the restaurant an exception to the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, which governs development along the 17-mile strip.

The restaurant’s drive-through service requires a special permit because of its proposed location in a neighborhood that carries development restrictions to protect pedestrian activity.

Developers Ralph and Larry Cimmarusti, who are behind the bid to bring the Burger King to Encino, said the restaurant will mean a $2-million investment in the community that will create an estimated 60 jobs. No date has been set for the hearing before the council panel.