Snappy Lube Drops Plan to Build Store

Facing strong opposition from neighbors and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer, developers of a proposed auto lube shop withdrew plans Monday to build the business in Sherman Oaks.

Snappy Lube, which operates 14 lube shops in Northern California, had proposed a shop on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Lemona Avenue, where a used-car lot now sits.

As proposed, the shop would have operated behind several small retail stores, with access to the lube shop provided by two side streets, said Fred Gaines, an attorney for Snappy Lube.

Gaines said Snappy Lube representatives decided to withdraw the plans during a hearing before the city’s zoning administrator and a Planning Commission hearing examiner. About 20 residents were prepared to speak out against the project.

“It had to do with opposition from residents and that the council office had said it would oppose the project,” he said.

The Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, a blueprint for development along the 17-mile thoroughfare, prohibits automotive business along a one-mile stretch around the site of the proposed lube shop.

To open the business, the city would have had to grant Snappy Lube an exception to the plan and a special permit.

Gaines said the Snappy Lube company simply felt that the project was not worth the cost and effort.

“We will move on and look for another site,” he said.