Politics & Government

Should Eagle Rock Get Another 7-Eleven?

The Land Use Committee of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council will discuss the matter, among a host of others, on Thursday.

The Land Use Committee of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council is scheduled this coming Thursday to discuss the pros and cons of green lighting a 7-Eleven convenience store proposed as the centerpiece of a mini-mall designed to replace an empty storefront along York Boulevard.

The meeting, which will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Eagle Rock City Hall on Jan. 24, is especially intended for those who live within a 500-foot radius of the proposed project not far from the Highland Park border.

The 7-Eleven would be located at 4527 E. York Blvd., in the premises of the former Casa Princesa café, which doubled as a Sign-A-Rama store. The mini-mall would be located at 4515-4527 E. York Blvd. and 1507 N. Tonawanda Ave, in a property that has its own parking lot in the front and is considerably set back from the street as a result. (See photo.)

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If eventually approved, it would be the second 7-Eleven store in Eagle Rock—and the third in the Eagle Rock area—that would be allowed to sell beer and wine until 2 a.m. while remaining open 24 hours a day. (There is currently a 7-Eleven on 1910 Colorado Blvd., and another one on Eagle Rock Boulevard and El Paso, directly opposite Fresh & Easy in Glassell Park.) A CVS store—also the second in the neighborhood—is located a few blocks east of the proposed project, near Eagle Rock Boulevard.

The architect and owners of the proposed development are expected to attend the meeting to answer questions or address any concerns by members of the public. The developers sought to impress on the ERNC board during its most recent meeting Jan. 8 that the 7-Eleven project would be a boon for development and property values in an area that has never seen any long-term commercial stability. Without a beer and wine license, they added, the proposed 7-Eleven would not be a viable venture.

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The 7-Eleven proposal is scheduled to come before the Los Angeles City Zoning Administrator on Jan. 30. The public can speak at the hearing as well as send comments to Vanessa Soto (vanessa.soto@lacity.org) in the Department of City Planning.

But because there hasn’t been enough community outreach about the 7-Eleven project, the ERNC has requested the city’s Zoning Administrator to delay the office’s decision until the full board of the neighborhood council can vote on the project at the next ERNC meeting on Feb. 5.

The ERNC has received no feedback about the proposed project from stakeholders, even though the project’s owners and architects have been to three previous ERNC meetings—two of them when the ERNC board did not have a quorum.

“The City listens to Neighborhood Councils and Stakeholders on developments such as these,” the ERNC said in a recent newsletter e-mailed to community members. “If you care about this issue, pro or con, show up and be heard!”

The ERNC Land Use Committee will also discuss and take action on a range of other issues, including:
• Amending the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan to extend the operating hours of businesses along the boulevard from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Creating pocket parks on Colorado Boulevard and Eagle Rock Boulevard.

• Designing and installing sculptures on medians along Colorado Boulevard.

• Whether or not to permit the recently built JP Morgan Chase Bank branch at 2175 Colorado Blvd., opposite Swork, to install four illuminated signs.

• Development of a Land Use Committee project template and guidelines for submitting projects through the ERNC Land Use Committee.

Contact Land Use Committee co-chairs Oren Bitan (SubDistrict3@EagleRockCouncil.org) or Michelle Frier (SubDistrict4@EagleRockCouncil.org) for further details about the meeting.


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