ENCINO : Hearing on Proposed Burger King Scheduled

The Los Angeles Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday to decide on a hotly contested proposal to build a Burger King restaurant with a drive-through service window at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Gloria Avenue.

At issue is whether the restaurant should be granted an exemption to the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, which governs development along the 17-mile strip.

Having drive-through service at the restaurant requires a special permit because of the restaurant’s proposed location. Developers want to build the Burger King in one of five neighborhoods that carry development restrictions to protect pedestrian activity.

The restaurant’s critics and supporters are also expected to square off on the more general question of whether the restaurant should be built at all.

Local homeowners and some businesses have argued that the Burger King is not needed and that it would lower property values by creating noise and traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

“This would mean a traffic nightmare for Encino,� said Gerald A. Silver, president of the Homeowners of Encino, the group opposing the restaurant. “And that’s the last thing we need.�

But developers argue that the restaurant, which would be landscaped and include a play area for children, represents a $2-million investment in the community that would create an estimated 60 jobs.

The hearing will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Sherman Oaks Women’s Club, 4808 Kester Ave. The decision of the Planning Commission can be appealed to the City Council.