SHERMAN OAKS : Parking Charges Cut at Temporary Lot

A parking nightmare-in-the-making has been nipped in the bud.

La Reina Fashion Plaza had agreed to provide replacement parking for a public lot that closed on July 11. But a week later, La Reina started charging for its parking.

One merchant complained to Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky’s office, and by July 21 the problem had disappeared.

“This is the first time I have had such swift response from the city councilman’s office,” said David Montes, manager of Tower Records, on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Cedros Avenue. “Miss Rescalvo really came to our aid.”

According to Montes, Yaroslavsky aide Vivian Rescalvo seemed very concerned when he informed her that the La Reina Fashion Plaza began charging parking rates of 75 cents per half-hour and $2 per day. Parking at the old lot behind Tower Records cost 25 cents an hour and $1 for 10 hours.

A parking shortage in the area concerns retailers, who say it is hurting their business. Sherman Oaks Services Corp. is building a senior housing project over the public parking lot, preventing its use until June, 1995. The developer arranged for replacement parking at La Reina until Nov. 23.

The store manager said that on July 18, some customers said a La Reina parking attendant told them they should not be parking at the shopping center, while others were upset when they discovered that Tower Records could not validate their parking tickets.

“My customers were livid because there was nowhere to park,” Montes said.

Yaroslavsky’s office contacted Trans-Pacific Partners Co., the asset-management company that represents La Reina’s owner, and by the afternoon of July 21, the shopping center was allowing motorists one hour free parking in its subterranean parking lot. Drivers are being charged 75 cents for every additional half-hour.

Stephen Hlebasco of Trans-Pacific said that under his company’s agreement with Sherman Oaks Services, La Reina was allowed to charge market rates for parking. But after considering the council office’s concerns, the company decided to offer below-market parking rates, Hlebasco said.

“We’re good citizens,” the asset manager said. “Vivian (Rescalvo) had indicated that some people in the community were disappointed. We try to do our best to balance my interest as a landlord at La Reina and the interests of my tenants and their shoppers with what everybody considers to be a valuable community asset--which is a senior citizens home.”