Walker's Cafe City Planning Hearing THIS THURSDAY, 10/30. We Need You!
Dear Friends of Walker’s Cafe,
First of all: We’re so grateful for your ongoing support for this San Pedro gem.
It’s been a while. If you’re out of the loop, here’s where we’re at: A group of property developers from Burbank bought Walker’s Cafe off-market almost four years ago for just $650,000. Now, they’re trying to build THIS right behind the landmarked, historic cafe:
A 3,500+ sf, two-story luxury ocean-view mansion with an ADU and garage, leaving less than fourteen feet behind the cafe.
It’s been almost four years since they bought the property. It’s been two years since they filed for development permits. Despite widespread concerns, the plans for the residential development have only GROWN, while the seating for the cafe has DECREASED.
Meanwhile, we keep hearing from potential operators, successful foodies who wanted to rent the cafe and were stonewalled. They couldn’t even get a walkthrough. It’s not adding up.
We want Walker’s Cafe to succeed. We want its owners to succeed. But this ain’t it. All this will achieve is a GIANT, PRICY HOUSE, while the cafe is painted into a corner.
THIS THURSDAY, October 30th, the City’s Planning Department is deciding on the plans in a public Zoom hearing. WE NEED YOUR HELP.
The City planners can protect Walker’s by attaching these conditions (called “Q conditions” in planning jargon) to the project:
- A smaller footprint for the development in the back so Walker’s Cafe has enough space to succeed. (There’s no reason why the house should get almost the full parcel, while Walker’s is left with scraps.)
- An official guarantee that the cafe WILL BE KEPT OPERATIONAL.
- Finally, we ask the City to grant a building permit for the house ONLY once substantial progress has been made on the cafe’s restoration.
CALL TO ACTION:
- Take a moment NOW to join the email campaign to the City.
- And use your voice to make a public comment on Thursday morning, 10/30, 9:30 am. Here are the meeting details.
These developers own lots of properties and have lots of money at their disposal. It’s time for them to walk the walk and do what’s right. And we need the City to hold them accountable.
Without these crucial conditions, Walker’s Cafe will never reopen. SHOW UP. SPEAK UP.