BEVERLY HILLS : Residents Oppose Plan for Restaurant

Preparing to square off against some of the biggest stars in Tinseltown, Beverly Hills homeowners plan to appear at a public hearing Tuesday to oppose the opening of a Planet Hollywood restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard.

Concerned that the 19,000-square-foot restaurant would increase traffic, cause parking shortages and appear garish, the powerful Southwest Homeowners Assn. and former Planning Commissioner Rose Norton will ask the Beverly Hills City Council to overturn the city Architectural Commission’s approval of the project.

Planet Hollywood, whose owners include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, is scheduled to open this summer at 9560 Wilshire Blvd. The site, a building that housed the Gumps department store, is next to single-family homes.

In written appeals to be heard at Tuesday’s council meeting, the residents say the restaurant’s boldly colored awnings and large sign would be an eyesore. They also worry that celebrity handprints planned for a concrete wall outside the restaurant will attract crowds.