NoHo Art Park Stays. Thank You Pitfire Pizza!
What is the Art Park?
NoHo Art Park is the green space on the corner of Lankershim and Magnolia, intended to preserve the diminishing public parks in an otherwise concrete jungle.
Here’s some background from the Change.org petition started by Elizabeth Silverston
There was a time prior to the Northridge earthquake where the City of Los Angeles designated the North Hollywood area an urban renewal zone. A new large building was built on the corner across the street and Landmark Productions moved in. The CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) intervened and declared eminent domain on some of the buildings in the area. Using LANI (Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative) funds, the City developed the NOHO Arts Park on the corner lot. In 1997, along came Pitfire Pizza, the establishment designed a beautiful restaurant that was to open up to the park next door and subsequently negotiated a lease and congenial terms for the build out with the City of Los Angeles and the CRA (which technically held the site). The NOHO Arts Park remained and the restaurant provided outdoor seating, a fire pit, and an outdoor activity area for locals and patrons alike. The restaurant paid for the entire build-out, paid monthly rent to the CRA, and managed the maintenance of the site.
All was harmonious, that is until the CRA was dissolved and mandated by the State of California to sell all of their holdings. A number of sites were earmarked by the State and CRA to be sold. Included in that sale was the NOHO Arts Park next door to Pitfire Pizza. What does this all mean? The open space next door to the Pitfire Restaurant, the highly used and beautiful island of green park, is scheduled to be sold at blind auction to the highest bidder. It is likely to be built-over and the lot re-purposed for the development of another structure. A large portion of the Pitfire Pizza seating occupies the built out portion of the park grounds. Their business has large glass doors that are oriented to the outdoor space. All of this can be lost. Neither the CRA, the State of California, nor the City of Los Angeles notified Pitfire Pizza nor the landowners of their restaurant of the pending matter. This is because the legislation that directed them to sell the properties specifically stated that they were not to notify either the City or the neighboring property owners as had been the custom.
How did Pitfire Pizza NoHo come to own the Art Park?
Submitting the highest bid in the recent blind auction held by the State of California.
Why is the Art Park important for Pitfire and the NoHo Community?
It is our invitation to the neighborhood to be relaxed and soak in beautiful weather, along with enjoying great food and drinks.
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What’s coming up at Pitfire?
We are currently finalizing our Winter Specials for January launch … with sneak peeks in the upcoming month. In addition, we will resume plans to give our storefront a ‘face-lift’ and implement some much needed improvements.
Use your NoHo Card
Pitfire Pizza is one of the 50+ NoHo merchants to offer special discounts to NoHo Card holders.
Discount: 1/2 off any beer, wine or sangria between 3pm and 5pm, Monday through Friday.
Pitfire Pizza
5211 Lankershim Blvd. NoHo Arts District
818-980-2949
pitfirepizza.com
**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo.