Sherman Oaks : Council to Consider Galleria Expansion

The fate of the Sherman Oaks Galleria’s proposed $30-million expansion, adding eight alcohol-serving restaurants and 13 movie theaters to the downtrodden mall, rests with the City Council on Wednesday.

But two recent concessions limiting alcohol sales and securing aesthetic improvements, sought by City Councilman Mike Feuer, seem to make the expansion a certainty.

Last week the three-member Planning and Land Use Management Committee denied homeowner appeals of the project. This cleared the way for the full council to consider the project, which Galleria owners Dai-Ichi Life (USA) and Prudential Insurance Co. of America hope will revitalize the mall, a national symbol of all things Valley.

The Galleria volunteered at the meeting to cap alcohol sales to 30% of total food and beverage sales, despite fears that it might hamper leasing efforts. The state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control only limits sales to 40%.

The Galleria also agreed that tree-planting, landscaping and improvements--including construction of 10,000 square feet of a pedestrian plaza on the southwest corner of Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards--will take place in the first phase of the two-phase construction.

Still, the concessions aren’t enough for some homeowners who fear that the mall will be entertainment-driven instead of retail-driven and will lead to increased drunken driving and crime. The 13 new movie theaters would bring the total at the mall to 18.

The City Council meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in council chambers, Room 340, City Hall, 200 N. Spring St.