This is a great victory for Griffith J. Griffith’s “plain people.” I received word from the Planning Department on October 18 that Wolfgang Puck has withdrawn his zoning variance application to serve alcohol at the Griffith Observatory! If the variance had been granted, it would have turned the wonderful scientific and educational institution into a private rental facility. The requested zoning variance would have set a precedent for the privatization of public land in Griffith Park.
This was truly a collaborative community effort led by the Los Feliz Improvement Association. LFIA was supported by many groups including the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council, the Vermont Neighborhood Association, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Hillside Federation, and the Griffith Family Trust. Many, many thanks to all of you who attended the hearing on September 25.
Thanks also go to attorney Doug Carstens, of Chatten-Brown & Carstens representing the Vermont Neighborhood Association, who wrote a letter to the Planning Commissioners to point out the fact that Puck’s application did not meet CEQA and EIR requirements. [Read Puck’s letter to the Planning Commission here.]