Echoes of Parlor's Past Guide Commission in Approval of New Japanese Steakhouse

What used to be a rowdy bar on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica will now be home to an upscale Japanese-style steakhouse.

The Santa Monica Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for chef Larry Greenwood's new restaurant, 1519, Wednesday in a unanimous vote, with some restrictions on hours, parking and alcohol service.

The city's zoning code requires the restaurant provide 32 spots, and because the site doesn't have any, Greenwood proposed to use a valet and lease the 32 space off-site under a 10-year agreement with the nearby Santa Monica Medical Plaza. Valet will be required during all business hours.

Commissioners mandated that bottles of wine, sake or other alcohol would only be served with a full meal at a table.

The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The week-day service is one hour earlier than Greenwood requested.

Commissioners said the restrictions are meant to safeguard the neighborhood against a repeat of history.

The site was formerly home to The Palor, a nighttime hot spot that upset neighbors who said it attracted rowdy crowds. Before it shut down in the fall of 2010 and relocated to West Hollywood, residents reportedly tried to limit its hours and quiet its customers.

Commissioner Jim Ries said his focus was to provide conditions that allowed the owner to run his restaurant, but also protecting neighbors.

“Having to sleep next to noisy neighbors is one thing, living next to a rowdy business is another,” Ries said.

Commissioner Jason Parry said he wanted restrictive hours.

"The fact that there isn't an easy parking option here. No matter what we do to promote the valet, there are going to be situations where patrons are disturbing neighbors," Parry said.

He laid out concerns about the 186 seat floor plan.

"I'm afraid that in another operator's hands it would be subject to abuse," Parry said. "It's with that thinking that I feel we need to be cautious here."

Greenwood, who comes from STK, reassured the commission and neighbors that his plans for 1519 are much more elegant.

“I’m not looking for a younger crowd,” 1519 owner Larry Greenwood said.

He said the price range will be $10 to $20 on appetizers and $18-$45 on entrees, with options for high-end wines and cocktails.

"This will not be a bar. There's a lot of thought process going into the design and the actual restaurant itself," Greenwood said.

Greenwood's land use consultant said the location's past should not plague the new business.

"Only for a three year period was there a bad operator," he said. "... History has shown this site can be operated responsibly and that's what this applicant will do."

Most who spoke at an hour-long public hearing expressed support for a late-night, upscale restaurant. 

"I understand about the Parlor," activist Jerry Rubin said. "I think it’s safe to say with Mr. Greenwood’s reputation and his resume that he will run it much better."

Rubin and others asked that the restaurant be open until 2 a.m. on the weekends.

One man said the restaurant would bring sophistication to Santa Monica.

"I would like to see a restaurant open later. I’m hungry right now," one man said. "Where am I going to go? If he was open, that’s where I would go."

Others asked for conditions on parking and noise.

Nicky Fernandez, who lives next door, said the noise bounces off the wall and into her bedroom window.

"You’re lucky if you find a place to park on the street," Fernandez said.