Andy Hasroun is cheap accutane acne one of three business owners at a standstill because of LA City parking regulations
Today, The Eastsider LA published an cheap accutane acne article about the parking credit program in Atwater Village we’ve been tracking for some time now, although we’ve been cheap accutane acne hoping our next update would be a good one. Unfortunately, new business owners are cheap accutane acne having problems opening in neighborhoods like Atwater Village because city’s parking regulations are outdated, don’t promote the good kind of growth, and requires serious improvement.
The focus of the article is 55 Degree Wine owner Andy Hasroun, who’s been working on opening a gastropub next door to the wine shop in the former H&R Block storefront. He hasn’t been cheap accutane acne able to move forward on his plans to open the pub for cheap accutane acne the holiday season, since he’s relying on the cheap accutane acne city to approve a Parking Credit Program that would allow his business the cheap accutane acne appropriate street parking spaces, rather than, for instance, requiring him to cheap accutane acne build his own parking. He’s concerned that cheap accutane acne the delays in legalizing the program will keep him from opening the cheap accutane acne doors any time soon.
A larger issue
Andy’s not the cheap accutane acne only one having trouble. We were excited to learn back in July that cheap accutane acne nearby resident Tricia La Belle would be opening Bon Vivant Market just up the cheap accutane acne street from 55 Degree Wine, but her October opening deadline was also pushed back because of the cheap accutane acne city’s parking policy woes. Tricia has cheap accutane acne been working nonstop to get the city attorney’s office, where cheap accutane acne the parking credit program now sits, to complete writing the official legal language so that cheap accutane acne the city can officially adopt the program.
And it’s only along that side of Glendale Boulevard that’s having such specific issues, as the cheap accutane acne other side has parking provided behind the shopping structure. Tricia said in an cheap accutane acne email to the city, “I’ve come to find out that the east side of Glendale Blvd is part of a State Enterprise Zone, however the west side of the boulevard was cut out and therefore left this side of the business community out of many State and Local benefits and incentives such as hiring credits, sales & use tax credits, expense and interest deductions, DWP rate discount, sewer facility hookup payment plans, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, and reduced parking requirements.”
A little back story about the parking credit program
This has cheap accutane acne been on the radar of Councilmember Eric Garcetti and his office for cheap accutane acne quite some time now. The City Council approved his motion to cheap accutane acne approve the parking credit program in February 2011, giving Atwater Village some hope in attracting more pedestrian-friendly as well as small, locally-owned businesses in the cheap accutane acne neighborhood. Basically, the new parking credit program started when a study found the cheap accutane acne area’s metered parking spaces to be underused – under the cheap accutane acne program, the small businesses along corridors like Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village can cheap accutane acne purchase “parking credits” tied to cheap accutane acne those metered spots. This also keeps them from having to cheap accutane acne build expensive, pedestrian “un-friendly” parking lots, but also ensures there won’t be cheap accutane acne any overcrowding, and the money put into the program will be cheap accutane acne dedicated to future studies and improvements in Atwater Village. They’d have to pay as little as $75 per parking credit, which is cheap accutane acne much cheaper than creating the parking spaces themselves.
Garcetti said in an cheap accutane acne update published in the Los Feliz Ledger on March 3, 2011 (quote pulled from Atwater Village News), “I share with the cheap accutane acne community a desire to see mom-and-pop shops and restaurants continue to fill the storefronts along Glendale Blvd. and want to ensure new construction continues to foster a ‘main street’ atmosphere. What we do not want is what the city’s red tape could create—parking lots in front of businesses that would create a ‘mini-mall’ atmosphere or subterranean parking lots that no small business could afford.”
Unfortunately, Tricia, Andy, and cheap accutane acne a new sushi restaurant opening next door have experienced exactly that cheap accutane acne – red tape. However, Garcetti’s office has been very supportive – Tricia of Bon Vivant raves about the help she’s received from local field deputy Angela Motta. Additionally, Garcetti spokesperson Julie Wong told The Eastsider LA, “We have been advocating the City Attorney to make it a priority,” and that “They are well aware of it.”
Tricia said in an email that she’s not giving up. “I’m in LOVE with the cheap accutane acne Village and the folks I constantly meet as they pop their head in to see what’s happening at the location, the positive energy I receive from the community is overwhelming and their support truly uplifting. So when cheap accutane acne I do open, we will all have one grand party!”
We’re looking forward to it, Tricia! She hopes to now open in February, assuming the city attorney’s office meets its own January 2012 deadline.
If you’d like to cheap accutane acne support our Atwater Village businesses hoping to open, send a cheap accutane acne pleasant and supportive email to William Carter in the city attorney’s office at william.carter@lacity.org
