Studio City : Residents Protest Sidewalk Dining Area

The Studio City Residents Assn. is complaining about an outdoor dining area that a local restaurant recently built on Ventura Boulevard.

Tony Lucente, president of the residents group, said that city rules prohibit the permanent fencing that encloses the patio dining area of Art’s Deli on Ventura Boulevard west of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The fenced-off area narrows the sidewalk and obstructs pedestrians, Lucente said.

City Councilman Michael Feuer’s office is supporting Art’s Deli’s effort to keep its fence, saying that the city had led the restaurant to believe that it would approve the deli’s construction plans.

According to Sharon Mayer, Feuer’s chief field deputy, the Bureau of Engineering failed to inform the restaurant until recently that the permanent fence violates bureau policy, and also failed to inform the council office of that. Lacking this information, Feuer’s office wrote a letter supporting the project, she said.

Mayer added that the owners of Art’s--who had submitted their plans for approval about a year ago--should have waited until the city approved their plans before building the fence.

Mayer said she believes that the bureau is now going to ask the Board of Public Works to approve a revocable permit for the railing.

Bureau policy allows movable barriers to create an outdoor dining area, but generally prohibits permanent fences.

Some restaurants may have installed permanent railings without obtaining a city permit, while others have been allowed to do so with a permit if the sidewalk is wide enough to permit easy passage, according to Ralph Kennedy, deputy city engineer.