Wal-Mart Gets Nod for Larger Arcade

Los Angeles’ first Wal-Mart is poised to add some new diversions for kids.

A city zoning administrator Monday approved plans for the Panorama City location to almost double the size of its penny arcade.

Within a month, Wal-Mart representatives said they will add about 12 games, including five video games, targeted for the under-10 crowd.

The arcade is next to the store’s second-floor fast-food restaurant.

At a zoning hearing in Sherman Oaks, Associate Zoning Administrator Emily J. Gabel-Luddy said she expected to grant a conditional use permit for a total of 25 games at the store.

Formal approval is expected in three to four weeks.

Before reaching a decision, Gabel-Luddy asked questions about security and the type of crowd the store intended to attract.

Wal-Mart, located on Van Nuys Boulevard in the Panorama Mall, employees six undercover security guards and a uniformed guard in the parking lot, store manager Bernie Seaman said.

A police substation is located within 50 yards of the store.

“We just have a large space we’re trying to fill up,” Seaman said. “It’s more of a convenience, so that when families come in and shop, they will have a place for the kids to go.”

The games target children under 10, said Oliver Mulcahy, general manager of Pachinko Palace in Northridge, the company that will install, maintain and operate the games.

The video games will include Maximum Force, Blitz, Lost World and Cruising World and be placed next to other attractions, such as a small merry-go-round, Foosball, and Top Skater.

Although Wal-Mart will be allowed to replace the games with new ones, substitute games must be aimed at the same age group. Otherwise, a zoning plan amendment would have to be adopted, Gabel-Luddy said.

The arcade will operate during the same hours as the store, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.