Galleria Renovation Plan Modified to Win Approval
Despite opposition from some local homeowners, the Los Angeles City Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead Tuesday to a massive renovation of the Valley’s signature shopping center--the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
After nearly 90 minutes of testimony, the three-member Planning and Land Use Management committee signed off on the proposed $30-million renovation that would decrease overall retail space while adding 13 movie theaters to the mall, for a total of 18. The panel also accepted two changes to the plan at the request of City Councilman Mike Feuer, who represents the area.
The proposed renovation to the struggling mall also includes the addition of eight alcohol-serving restaurants, something homeowner activist Gerald A. Silver has repeatedly deemed excessive. In a key concession, however, Galleria owners Prudential Insurance Co. of America and Dai-Ichi Life (USA) voluntarily agreed to limit alcohol sales at the restaurants to 30% of the total food and beverage sales, as Feuer has long requested. Until the committee meeting, the mall had held firm at 35%, fearing that a further voluntary cap would hamper leasing efforts.
Feuer also requested and obtained a condition that ensures that landscaping and other aesthetic improvements to the mall will take place in the first phase of the two-phase renovation before a certificate of occupancy is issued for the theaters.
“The conditions that have been placed on the Galleria assure that it is going to be a source of revitalization and a real benefit to the community,” Feuer said after the vote.
A coalition of the Homeowners of Encino and the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. came to the meeting, appealing previous Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission decisions that granted to the Galleria eight conditional-use permits for alcohol sales and allowed the mall to have 1,200 fewer parking spaces than called for by the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan. The committee rejected those appeals, much to Silver’s chagrin.
The alcohol permits will “change this from a retail center to an entertainment center,” Silver said.
The committee meeting is the final step before the full council votes on the renovation at its April 24 meeting. In general, the council yields to the decisions of its committees.
