SHERMAN OAKS : Board Will Decide Fate of Coffeehouse

Top city zoning officials are expected to hand down a decision today on the fate of an embattled Sherman Oaks coffeehouse.

The Board of Zoning Appeals is expected to either uphold or reject a set of restrictions placed on the Insomnia Cafe in March after it was deemed a “public nuisance,” by a city zoning administrator.

Twelve restrictions were imposed on the cafe at 13718 Ventura Blvd., including an order to cut back its late-night hours and provide security guards after 5 p.m.

The board delayed its decision after a hearing last month to determine whether the city could legally place restrictions on the cafe, which does not conform to local zoning ordinances and is operating without a necessary city permit. The city attorney has since ruled that the city has the right to place the restrictions on the business.

Neighbors’ complaints about Insomnia’s allegedly loud and unruly patrons have been the subject of at least two public hearings since the establishment opened more than a year ago.

But cafe co-owner John Dunn, who was not available for comment Monday, has said that those problems have been solved and that his cafe is being singled out by homeowners bent on driving him out of business.

But one neighbor leading the fight against the cafe said the problems have only increased.

“The problems have worsened lately and we have hope that the Board of Zoning Appeals will recognize that,” said Ann Douglas of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., which has led the fight. “He (the cafe owner) has done nothing to solve the problems.”