The City Planning Commission’s approval of our proposed Ralphs Fresh Fare was appealed!  What does this mean?  Well, we’re going to need all hands on deck to get the job done.  City officials need to hear that the proposed Ralphs Fresh Fare will NOT negatively “affect the quality of life” in Sherman Oaks as the appellants claim.

Let’s highlight some of the claims being made in the appeal:

Ralphs is creating a “downtown atmosphere” in Sherman Oaks

False.  Last time I checked, grocery stores large and small are located in suburban areas, downtown areas, and even rural areas.  We want to bring you a state-of-the-art store that provides a welcoming and walkable environment.  We are not proposing a skyscraper grocery store along Ventura Blvd., nor are our intentions to make Sherman Oaks the next downtown.

Ralphs will create “canyonization of Ventura Blvd.”

Get ready for the Grand Canyon everyone.  False.  The issue of height of our proposed store is not a new one.  In fact it’s one we’ve worked on extensively with the Council Office. As we’ve stated previously, our height exception is a direct result of our sloping site and the City Planning Commission agreed that the height was reasonable and fit in well with the neighborhood.

This appeal is yet another method of slowing down the approval process, and in turn, slowing down the arrival of your Ralphs Fresh Fare.  Come out to our next public hearing – the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) hearing.  We will keep you posted about the date, but we are expecting it to be sometime in the upcoming weeks.

Speak up! Tell the City why you want this Ralphs Fresh Fare in Sherman Oaks.  Do not let the vocal minority dictate the outcome.  More than ever, we need our over 400 supporters to get the job done!

 
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So we’re back from our post-hearing hiatus with new clips from our City Planning Commission hearing. At the hearing, the City Planning Commission heard from the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, Councilman Koretz’s office, VICA and the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, along with many others who came to express their support as one of 400 supporters out there who couldn’t attend. It was these powerful testimonials that really made the difference. The Planning Commission couldn’t deny that the community wants a better Ralphs grocery store.

The common theme amongst those who voiced their opinions was that this is simply “a no-brainer” – and the City Planning Commission agreed. The CPC said that this Sherman Oaks Ralphs Fresh Fare represents the future of grocery stores and that we are now “turning a corner on development.” We will put up another post soon with those details.

We would like to thank all those that came out to support the proposed Sherman Oaks Ralphs Fresh Fare at the hearing. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Well, we’re halfway there. Our next hearing will be with the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) and then it will all come down to the City Council vote. Just two more hearings and we can all finally enjoy that cheese island everyone’s been waiting for.

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission came out in strong support of the proposed Ralphs Fresh Fare store in Sherman Oaks. We are happy that the Planning Commission gets it, and has voted unanimously to move this proposal forward! They were overwhelmingly supportive of the Ralphs team’s willingness to work with the community, the Planning Department, and Councilman Koretz’s office on issues such as height and the loading dock. And the ball continues to roll! We’re now well on our way to bringing Sherman Oaks the Fresh Fare store that it deserves. Check out our videos and pictures! Thank you to our supporters who came and spoke up!

For now, here’s a short video with just a few highlights. Stay tuned for more details!

There has been a recent resurgence in the “reduce the size and height of the proposed Ralphs” movement in Sherman Oaks.

At the September Sherman Oaks Homeowners’ Association (SOHA) meeting, we heard – first hand – their call to reduce the size and height of the proposed Fresh Fare. There was even an architectural model that showed the proposed store’s size!

Even though we have over 400 supporters who want the new Fresh Fare to be built as-proposed, we’ve worked with Councilman Koretz’s office to bring down the height of the store along Ventura Blvd. We have been straightforward with our size and height proposal, and we are happy with the progress we’ve made.

We want to remind everyone that the two feet of additional height and the extended store footprint means that Ralphs will be able to provide Sherman Oaks residents a one-stop shop for all their grocery needs. The bigger store means that customers won’t have to drive to multiple stores when checking off their grocery lists!

The equation is simple:

A store that is 2 feet higher from the current store’s highest point

+

Parking that is at-grade with the store above

=

All of the offerings discussed (cheese island, bistro carving station, expanded produce, seafood, meat and bakery departments, and a sushi station, plus much more) AND a more efficient shopping experience (wider aisles, helpful aisle signs and less crowded entrance/exit pathways)

There are over 400 supporters who want to see a bigger store with the offerings that have been mentioned! We need YOU supporters to speak out this Thursday morning at the Los Angeles City Planning Commission hearing. Please call (818) 232-0760 for more details!

As we prepare for our upcoming hearing with the City Planning Commission, let’s take a journey into the Commissioners’ minds. What gets the Planning Commissioners out of bed every morning? What kind of inspired, principled land-use planning concepts do they want to see implemented at a citywide level?

Phew, thank goodness we have their “Do Real Planning” objectives and goals laid out for us. Let’s take a minute to examine the principles presented and illustrate how the proposed Ralphs Fresh Fare in Sherman Oaks fulfills several of these goals:

Demand A Walkable City – Does the project actively welcome its own users, its neighbors and its passerby? Yes! The proposed Ralphs Fresh Fare grocery store has been designed to serve the needs of a residential and working population that can easily walk to the store or hop in after having used public transit off of Ventura Boulevard or Moorpark Street.

Offer Basic Design Standard – Does the design eliminate the sea of stucco boxes, blank walls, street-front parking lots and other inhospitable streetscapes? Yes! Our team of architects has worked hard todesign a state-of-the art grocery store that combines textures and materials to provide a dynamic visual interest point on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Hazeltine Avenue that complements the existing commercial corridor of Ventura Boulevard. But the team did not stop there…along Moorpark Street, the team avoided the unattractive blank wall look that currently exists by creating facades and landscapes for an attractive street frontage.

Locate Jobs Near Housing – Pretty self-explanatory, no? The new store will be creating a ton more jobs because of all of the staff that will be needed to handle the new in-store services and offerings being provided . And I’m pretty sure we’re close to some housing…

Produce Green Buildings – Again, pretty self explanatory! The new Ralphs Fresh Fare will be at the forefront of green building and sustainability. Check out our green cred for yourself.

Arrest Visual Blight – Does the project provide the Commission with a sense of visual calm on the streets of Los Angeles? Yes! A comment on LAist struck us as particularly odd yet profound. Does the existing store look like a row of Pizza Hut stores? Well, maybe we do! Ok, so to avoid the Pizza Hut look and the unsightly surface parking area that invites pedestrian and vehicle conflicts, the proposed … Fresh Fare has been designed to be much more pleasing to the eye! Let’s do a little comparison…

The current view from Ventura: a parking lot and pagodas.  After: an active street-front with retail and pedestrian walkways.

The current view from Moorpark: a concrete wall.  After: a nicely designed store with lush landscaping.

Enough said.

Landscape in Abundance – Does the project include measures that will add shrubs, vines and trees? Yes! While it may be tough to create an urban forest environment in the middle of the highly dense Ventura Boulevard corridor, we are going to roll up our sleeves and incorporate significant landscape amenities, like good-looking trees, shrubs and planters to surround the store. We want our outdoor amenities to be enjoyed by all (the neighborhood and passerby!).

Identify Smart Parking Requirements – Does the project revisit the one size fits all suburban parking standards where parking lots occupy prime street frontage? Yes! The goal of the design was to orient the store to the main commercial street and activate the pedestrian-friendly environment that is sought along Ventura Boulevard. The proposed parking will be at-grade with entrances on Moorpark Street, Hazeltine Avenue, and Ventura Boulevard. Generous architectural facades and green screening around the parking openings will compliment the store building and its surroundings. How’s that for smart parking?!

We’re thrilled to be entering the next phase of our approvals process! Find out how to speak up at our hearing on September 23rd, and make sure that you get the Ralphs store that you want!