SHERMAN OAKS : Amusement Center Seeks to Expand

The owners of an interactive laser arena, in which opponents attempt to “blast” one another with high-powered light beams to earn points on a scoreboard, have sought the approval of a Sherman Oaks homeowners association in expanding their operation.

The owners of Lazersport Amusement Center, which is housed in La Reina Fashion Mall at 14622 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, want to install 30 arcade games in their facility.

The addition of the games requires a conditional use permit from the Los Angeles Planning Commission--a permit easier to obtain if the business has the blessing of its neighbors.

“If the homeowners don’t object, it gives (the Planning Commission) less reason to reject us,” said Frank Pearlstein, co-owner of Lazersport, which opened three months ago.

But the prospect of arcade games puts some Sherman Oaks homeowners on edge. “What we’re trying to do here, of course, is avoid an Insomnia Cafe situation,” said Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., referring to the allegedly raucous Ventura Boulevard coffeehouse.

Pearlstein, who stressed that he and his brother, Howard, are striving for a family atmosphere in the facility, said the majority of the games that they would like to add would appeal to children too young to play “lazersport.”