Larchmont Chronicle
presort standard u.s. postage
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south gate ca. permit no. 294
SEPTEMBER 2009
vol. 46, no. 9 • delivered to the 76,439 readers in hancock park • windsor square • fremont place • park labrea • larchmont village • miracle mile
SECTION ONE B ack T o S chool Larchmont chronicLe • 2009
Wilshire/La Brea project okayed by Commission Vote was 9 - 0
Front row: Katie and Alex Andrade, Tommy Golin and Shane Blacklock; back row: Hazel Drymon and Mimi Golin
BACK TO SCHOOL special section. 15 - 30 SIDEWALK sale sneak peek. 7 75 YEARS of Vine American. 9 FILM, art, music at Tar Fest. 10 BUNNY hops red carpet at Chevalier's. 12
VACATION photos of local kids. 22 OLD TIME radio show at Ebell. 43
SECTION TWO Real Estate Home & Garden
ART DECO building shows off its historic side. 3 VINTAGE postcards in new book. 7
For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11
By Suzan Filipek BRE Properties’ proposed mixed-use development at the southeast corner of Wilshire Blvd. and La Brea Ave. was unanimously approved by the city Planning Commission last month. In a 9-0 vote, the Commission okayed the sixstory residential-and-retail development. It next goes to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and the City Council. The developer agreed to slash a few penthouses on the top floors that could be seen from homes on Sycamore Ave., tapering the development to a total of 482 units. “At its tallest point, the building is six stories in height, stepping down to three stories along Sycamore Ave.,” said company spokesman Tom Mierzwiński. The apartment development had originally stood 22 stories, but was cut back following input from neighborhood meetings,” said Renee Weitzer, chief of staff for Councilman Tom LaBonge. Features include 20-foot wide sidewalks, double rows of trees to protect against traffic See Wilshire/LaBrea, p. 13
T-Mobile denied cell towers in St. Andrews Square Sets a 'precedent' By Suzan Filipek A city zoning administrator denied T-Mobile a new cell tower base station in St. Andrews Square in a 22-page report released last month. "The overwhelming number of letters and e-mails bear testimony to the pervasive sense that T-Mobile's proposed structure would not be beneficial, but on the contrary, detrimental to the character of the community," wrote city Associate Zoning Administrator Maya Zaitzevsky. Upon hearing the Aug. 12 decision, Patricia Carroll, a See Cell towers, p. 35
TaSTE OF LaRCHMONT went Hawaiian its 17th annual year. The crowd sampled food, wine and desserts. Clockwise, Councilman Tom LaBonge congratulates Hope Net director Douglas Ferraro and Larchmont Chronicle’s Pam Rudy and Jane Gilman, sponsors; at balloon arch, Tim Wood, Hope-Net president, John Wagner and Walt Engler; the Byrnes family; Cub and Boy Scouts helping out, ukulele player serenades baby. See page 6.
New business seeking to open as restaurant 'do we really want Larchmont Blvd. to be a food court?' Takeout or sitdown? That’s the question concerning a new eating place planning to open at 107 N. Larchmont Blvd. If it’s a sitdown restaurant, it would violate the city’s Q condition, which limits the number of restaurants to 10 on Larchmont Blvd. between Beverly Blvd. and First St. The building owner had requested a permit for a takeout, but has now submitted a request to the city Building and Safety Dept. to open a res-
taurant instead. What the owner would need is a zoning change, said Cindy Chvatal, president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Assoc., adding she is against adding an illegal 11th restaurant on the boulevard. “Do we really want Larchmont Blvd. to be a food court?,” said Chvatal. “Don’t we want to encourage a mix of shops needed to serve the neighborhood?” She has asked Councilman
'Subway to sea' traffic on agenda Crenshaw stop on purple Line opposed By Jane Gilman
Residents expressed concerns about traffic impacts and lack of parking at stations during Metro’s newest series of hearings in August on the Westside Subway Extension Project, also known as the “subway to the sea.” The meetings covered the information compiled from public scoping meetings held earlier this year and solicited new testimony. The information will help to shape the
BROOKSidE Neighborhood Assoc. president Owen Smith.
Draft Environmental Impact Report. Station locations are being considered along the 17-mile See Subway, p. 35
Tom LaBonge to issue a stop work order to halt construction. “All too often people build what they want without a permit and later ask the city for forgiveness,” she added. The restriction on number of restaurants has forced others to locate elsewhere. Katie See New business, p. 39
On the Boulevard Glimpses by Jane School is back in session, and Larchmontians now have schedules and carpooling duties after enjoying a leisurely summer vacation. *** Muirfield Road’s David statues received jackets in honor of Michael Jackson’s birthday. It was also Norwood Young’s birthday, so he threw a party to celebrate and invited a slew of celebrities. *** We talked with Ann Mehren at La Bottega Marino. She is enjoying down time after the wedding of her son Edward in See BLVD., p. 37
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