STUDIO CITY : Residents’ Group Opposes Eatery Plan

A proposal for a fast-food restaurant on Cahuenga Boulevard has drawn opposition from Studio City residents.

Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn., said he fears the In-N-Out Burger proposed for the corner of Cahuenga and Regal Place could lead to a degradation of the shopping strip’s character to “fast-food row.”

He added that such an eatery would only exacerbate traffic problems at the location.

“It’s an intersection that is very dangerous,” Lucente said. “There was a fatal accident there just weeks ago.”

Lucente is also concerned, he said, because he heard that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s office had interceded on the burger chain’s behalf to speed its applications through the city approvals process.

“That gave us zero opportunity to provide any kind of input,” Lucente said.

Jane Galbraith, the mayor’s deputy press secretary, said a staff member in Riordan’s office had made calls to city departments to get information for In-N-Out regarding the status of its permit applications.

However, Galbraith said, the staff member, Jaime de la Vega, did not try to expedite the processing of the applications.

The mayor’s office was not aware of any community opposition to the project, Galbraith said, and is open to comment from the community.

“We’re here to listen to Angelenos’ concerns regarding planning issues and encourage them to follow through in writing with our office,” Galbraith said.

Lucente said City Council President John Ferraro’s office also has doubts about the proposal, but the planning deputy in charge of the project could not be reached Thursday.