Construction Under Way on Former Site of Barone's

Construction has begun on the long-empty site where the popular Barone's Italian restaurant was once located on Ventura Boulevard, just west of Hazeltine Avenue.

After much maneuvering and changes in ownership, the developer of the property decided to build 118 apartments, in addition to 16,500 square feet of retail space.

The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association (SOHA) takes a close look at development plans on Ventura Boulevard with an eye toward preserving the village atmosphere along the community's busy main street. 

Compliance with the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, which puts a limit on the height of buildings, is one key element that SOHA monitors.

Writing about plans for the former Barone's site, SOHA's Marshall Long, who oversees the group's Planning Committee, wrote in its latest newsletter:

"The project was approved by the City a few years ago and was recently reviewed by the City Zoning Administrator.

"On March 10th, we requested information about the project from Councilman Paul Koretz's office and again a month later, since we had not received the requested information.

"Finally on April 26th, we received approximately 75 pages of material. We determined after reviewing that material that there was a deadline for Appeals on the Zoning Administrators Findings which was April 29th, three days after we had received the material from Councilman Koretz's staff."

Although it left the Ventura Boulevard location, Barone's is still in business at its other location at 13726 Oxnard St., in Sherman Oaks. A much-loved restaurant dating back to 1945, its red booths, deep-dish pizzas and wide variety of pastas have been popular favorites for generations of Valley residents.