Starbucks, the world's largest coffee specialist, is aggressively expanding in Los Angeles in the one area it has yet to conquer: your car.

The Seattle-based company's green-trimmed stores are found in every corner of Los Angeles. But in the last six months, Starbucks has rolled out plans for a half-dozen new stores that are car-centric and devoid of the leather chairs, wood paneling and hipster music so common in its traditional shops.

Drive-through restaurants are more complicated projects in the city than a traditional walk-in coffee store since they require discretionary Conditional Use Permits and may have additional requirements such as Site Plan Reviews, Specific Plan compliance requirements and/or deviations from the Zoning Code. And of course, that assumes that an applicant can find a suitable location for a drive-through restaurant. There aren't a lot of failing drive-through restaurants in Los Angeles to be taken over or vacant commercial land.

Probably the most interesting of Starbucks' current projects is a proposal to convert the Gilmore Gasoline Service Station at the southwest corner of Highland and Willoughby avenues. The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council's Land Use Committee last week heard the proposal, which is still in draft form and has yet to be formally submitted to the city.

The gas station was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1992 by the city but has sat vacant for more than 20 years. Starbucks' current plan is to retain most of the building's unique architecture while also providing drive-through and walk-up service (draft elevation provided by GWNC LUC).

Greg Wittmann, secretary of the GWNC LUC, told LandUseLA.com that his committee "was receptive to the idea of a drive-through Starbucks because the Gilmore Gas Station is a designated historic structure in serious disrepair which has sat vacant for 25 years."

The committee did have two areas of concern, asking Starbucks' architect to consider using the alley behind the parcel for automobile access instead of Willoughby and to improve the visibility of pedestrian access from Highland.  Architect Elizabeth Valerio told the committee that her firm still needs to meet with city officials, including the Planning Department's Office of Historic Resources.

Starbucks submitted applications in the last several months with the Planning Department for drive-through outlets in San Pedro, Northeast Los Angeles, Granada Hills and Valley Village.  The San Pedro location was approved in September and the Northeast LA location was OK'd in August. The Granada Hills application has a public hearing set for next Tuesday (Nov. 5).

A case was filed in August for a drive-through restaurant in Valley Village* at the southwest corner of Burbank and Laurel Canyon boulevards. The original application requested an exception from the Valley Village Specific Plan to allow a drive-through restaurant. But the case was terminated earlier this month because Starbucks would need to amend the specific plan to allow for drive-through restaurants, according to the Planning Department. An amendment is a much more expensive and time-consuming application than the exception and much less frequently approved.

The termination of the Valley Village project speaks to the difficulties a company like Starbucks faces as it tries to expand its drive-through operations in more neighborhoods throughout the city. Large portions of south Los Angeles are under an Interim Control Ordinance that prohibits new fast-food restaurants to be permitted, and other specific plans in Los Angeles also prevent or severely limit fast-food and/or drive-through restaurants.

Starbucks has nine drive-through outlets in the Valley already, plus single outlets in Venice, Arlington Heights and South Los Angeles. If the Gilmore gas station site is approved, it'll be the first Starbucks drive-through between the 405 and downtown Los Angeles that is north of Washington.

Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee Agenda
http://www.greaterwilshire.org/site/?q=node/547

Gilmore Gasoline Service Station Historic-Cultural Designation (#508)
http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Hollywood

Approval Letter for Proposed San Pedro Drive-Through Starbucks (1690 W. Lomita Blvd.)
http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/viewPDF.aspx?Query=;Doc=200A9

Approval Letter for Proposed Northeast LA Drive-Through Starbucks (6240 E. York Blvd.)
http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/viewPDF.aspx?Query=;Doc=20083

CUP for Proposed Granada Hills Drive-Through Starbucks (17901 Chatsworth Blvd.)
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192731&caseNumber=ZA-2013-2389-CU&fuseaction=case.summary

Terminated Valley Village Drive-Through Starbucks (12106 Burbank Blvd.)
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192834&caseNumber=APCSV-2013-2476-SPE-SPP-ZV-CU&fuseaction=case.summary

* DISCLOSURE: My firm, Pacific Crest Consultants, was one of several firms asked to provide a contract proposal to provide entitlement services for the Valley Village project prior to the case submittal. We were not selected.

The nation's first Wienerschnitzel hot dog stand may soon be designated a Historic-Cultural Monument, which would make it the first drive-thru restaurant to be honored as a "significant and cherished historic resource" by the city of Los Angeles.

The city's Cultural Heritage Commission will tour the hot dog stand at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Gulf Drive in Wilmington on Thursday in preparation for a likely vote next month. If the CHC approves the request, the recommendation will go to the City Council for final approval.

Wienerschnitzel, which was known as Der Wienerschnitzel from its founding in 1961 until it dropped the "Der" in 1977, is the world's largest chain of hot dog restaurants. Its 350 restaurants in 10 states (plus Guam) sell  120 million hot dogs a year, according to the company.

The request to have the first Der Wienerschnitzel designated a Historic-Cultural Monument came from the family of company founder, John Galardi, who passed away earlier this summer. Councilman Joe Buscaino's staff initiated the nomination through a Council motion, and the Planning Department's Office of Historic Resources is preparing the nomination, according to OHR manager Ken Bernstein.

Buscaino's planning deputy, Alison Becker, told LandUseLA.com that the council office was happy to help with the request because Der Wienterschnitzel's origins are "a big deal here in Wilmington. ... We were really glad when the Planning Department staff agreed that it is a location that is worthy of a nomination."

Bernstein said the company's global reach has a lot to do with the nomination. "The significance cited in the motion is largely tied to this site's status as the first location of a significant large chain," Bernstein told LandUseLA.com.

The City currently has more than 1,000 Historic-Cultural Monuments, providing official recognition and protection for Los Angeles’ "most significant and cherished historic resources," according to the Cultural Heritage Commission. If approved, this would be the 11th HCM in the Wilmington-Harbor City area.

Among the restaurants that have received the HCM designation in LA: the Original Pantry in downtown Los Angeles, the Brown Derby in Los Feliz, Yamashiro in Hollywood and the Munch Box in Chatsworth. But Der Wienerschnitzel would be the first honored restaurant with a drive-thru, which was a unique feature when the hot dog stand opened 53 years ago but has become ubiquitous with fast-food restaurants in recent decades.

Cultural Heritage Commission agenda for Sept. 12:
http://cityplanning.lacity.org/MeetingsNHearings/dsp_viewFileDetail.cfm?filename=44283

Planning Department Case:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192843&caseNumber=CHC-2013-2484-HCM&fuseaction=case.summary

Historic-Cultural Monuments in Wilmington-Harbor City area:
http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Wilmington%20-%20Harbor%20City

John Galardi dies at 75; founder of Der Wienerschnitzel
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/14/local/la-me-ln-john-galardi-obit-20130414

The Cultural Heritage Commission votes today on a whether to designate another West Adams home as a City Historic-Cultural Monument.

The Herman Kerckhoff Residence (1325 W. Adams Blvd.) is "an architectural treasure and cultural landmark," according to the West Adams Heritage Association. The 114-year-old home "exhibits character-defining features of Shingle-style" architecture, was the home of a prominent Los Angeles family in the early 20th century and was designed by a significant architectural firm, according to the staff report prepared by the Office of Historic Resources.

WAHA credits councilman Bernard Parks and his staff for fast-tracking the motion through the City Council so that the CHC can vote today on whether to designate the home a HCM. The WAHA expressed concern in its own report that the home's interior built-ins and fixtures could be sold off without this designation.

"While the freestanding contents of the house can be sold without objection, the fixtures and built-ins that are intrinsic to the historic character of the house, if stripped and sold, would cause serious and irreparable damage," the WAHA said in its report on the house.

The CHC votes today on the motion at its regular meeting, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at City Hall (Room 1010). The CHC has already designated 11 other sites on West Adams Boulevard as Historic-Cultural

West Adams Historic Association report:
http://www.westadamsheritage.org/read/1263


Office of Historic Resources staff report:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192470&caseNumber=CHC-2013-2174-HCM&fuseaction=case.summary

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission will decide Thursday whether Johnie's Coffee Shop is worth being considered a Historic-Cultural Monument.

Planning Department's Office of Historic Resources thinks the 57-year-old restaurant deserves the consideration and if the commission agrees on Thursday, the OHR staff will move forward on the proposal.

Built in 1956 and located at the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, the one-story restaurant exhibits "character-defining" features of Googie-style architecture, according to the staff report.

Johnie's (originally "Romeo's") opened in 1956. It was designed by Armet & Davis, the architectural firm that was "extremely influential" in the development of the Googie style and the California Coffee Shop. Beginning with their first coffee shop design in 1951, Armet & Davis designed several notable Googie coffee shops for chains such as Norm’s, Pann’s, Ship’s, as well as Denny’s and Big Boy.

Johnie's closed in 2000 but has been the setting for countless movies and TV shows, probably most notably The Big Lebowski and American History X. The coffee shop is owned by the company that owns the neighboring 99-Cent store, which uses it as an overflow parking lot.

The Cultural Heritage Commission has approved several restaurants and several Googie-style structures for Cultural-Heritage designation. It is scheduled to vote on the proposal Thursday. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 1010.

The designation is being sought by the LA Conservancy. Johnie's still needs several rounds of hearings and approvals (including ultimately City Council approval) before it can achieve the Historic-Cultural Monument designation.

Los Angeles Planning Department Case Tracking:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=191704&caseNumber=CHC-2013-1538-HCM&fuseaction=case.summary

Office of Historic Resources staff report.

LA Conservancy "Important Issues" website: Johnie's Coffee Shop:
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/johnies-coffee-shop

Wikipedia entry on Johnie's Coffee Shop:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnie%27s_Coffee_Shop