Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

A Busy Night for Area’s Land Use Committee

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The volunteers who serve on the Land Use Committee of our Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, had a busy agenda on Tuesday night March 26th, hearing from applicants of three restaurants seeking liquor licenses. An update on Flywheel operating as a retail store and testing room at 147 N. Larchmont was also on the agenda.

The Land Use Committee (LUC) reviews and evaluates applications from entities requesting special permits or zoning changes for their business or property. The committee makes recommendations to the GWNC, which then votes on the applications, either supporting or opposing the request in their recommendation to City Hall decision makers (including the City Council, Planning, Zoning etc.)

In Tuesday’s March 26th meeting, there were three requests for full liquor permits for restaurants in the greater Wilshire area: at the new Chipotle at Beverly and Larchmont, for La Brea Bakery in their new location at 6th and La Brea, and for a yet-to-be named high- end restaurant at 706 N. Citrus (at Melrose). The Land Use Committee is concerned about issues that impact the surrounding community including parking, size and square footage, safety, hours of operation, and impact on and/or benefit to residents and other businesses in the area. The committee expressed opposition to the full liquor license for Chipotle, and advised the two other operations to contact and communicate with the neighborhood associations in their areas, and then return to the LUC with more information and written conditions by which they will abide.

Flywheel Larchmont, a “retail store and equipment testing room” is expected to open its doors mid April on Larchmont where Blockbuster once stood. Concerned that the zoning and Q conditions on Larchmont don’t allow for gyms or fitness facilities, the Land Use Committee queried Flywheel spokesperson David Seldin about whether Flywheel’s intention to operate as a ‘testing facility’ that also sells bikes is a transparent use of the space, or whether the terminology simply skirts the Q conditions which don’t allow for a gymnasium at street level. Seldin responsded that Flywheel had worked with Building & Safety, Planning and the Councilman’s office to define the use. Several members of the committee suggested that if Flywheel will indeed be offering classes at the location, it should proceed to get a zoning variance and operate as a legal spinning studio.

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Julie Grist
Julie Grist
Julie co-founded the Larchmont Buzz with fellow buzzer Mary Hawley in 2011 and served as Editor, Publisher and writer for the hive for many years until the sale of the Buzz in August 2015. She is still circling the hive as an occasional writer.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Flywheel should be welcomed. We need a nearby place to work off all those calories being consumed at the restaurants on Larchmont.

  2. What’s the problem with a gym at street level? That makes no sense to me? I can see that traffic on the Boulevard and parking might be impacted around the classes, but we need more business on the Boulevard and certainly a gym-type business would be a welcome addition.

  3. Interesting about Flywheel.

    Geesh, that store front’s been empty for how many years now? And why would a biz bother setting up shop in a location with a zoning issue.

    Their “equipment testing room” plan sounds like something the Bungalow would try. Yep, that crazy busy, popular restaurant is another biz on the ‘mont with zoning probs. Their zoning woes have gone on for a number of years now.

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