TWO YEARS AGO, Prospect Group unveiled their plans for a giant, 3,500+ sqf, two-story development in the back of the Walker’s Cafe lot. If the current plans are greenlighted as proposed, this would mean the death of Walker’s Cafe.

“HOW CAN I HELP?”

You can join us in the email campaign to ask the City to protect the future of Walker’s Cafe.

HERE ARE OUR ASKS:
1) A smaller footprint for the house in the back so Walker’s Cafe has the space it needs to succeed.
2) A formal guarantee that Walker’s Cafe will be revived (“Q condition”). The City’s Planning Department can set a so-called “Q condition” stipulating that a family-friendly restaurant or coffee shop must remain operational onsite. This will guarantee that, regardless of any other plans for the site, the community will continue to have access to this historic ocean-view eatery.

Without these crucial conditions, Walker’s Cafe will never reopen.

Direct link to EMAIL THE City of LA’s Department of Planning NOW

Or copy & paste the template below. (Feel free to customize!)

To: monica.taimoori@lacity.org, councilmember.mcosker@lacity.org,
Pamela.Thornton@lacity.org
Re: Walker’s Cafe – ZA-2023-7218-CDP-CU-CUB-MEL-HCA

Dear Ms. Taimoori, dear Councilmember,

My name is [ADD NAME] and I have been a resident of [San Pedro OR Los Angeles – PLEASE SPECIFY] for [X] years.

I am a loyal supporter of the currently shuttered legacy business
Walker’s Cafe (HCM #1267), expressing my serious concern about the
development planned at 700 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro 90731, directly behind the landmarked cafe.

Walker’s Cafe is the oldest surviving restaurant in San Pedro and one
of the oldest in all of Los Angeles. Founded in 1946 by a Navy veteran
and his wife, it’s a vital piece of San Pedro’s military history and
social fabric. It was a community hub for nearly eighty years,
featured in iconic LA movies like CHINATOWN, and drew fans from all
over the world. It obtained landmark designation in 2022 as a result
of a grassroots campaign with over three thousand supporters.

Since purchasing the property in March 2022, Prospect Group has been
alarmingly unwilling to hear the community’s concerns and prioritize
reopening the cafe, even refusing to meet with potential new
operators. Over time, it has become clear that Prospect Group’s first
and foremost priority is to build a large house on the parcel rather
than reopen an iconic legacy business. The cafe is being literally and
figuratively painted into a corner.

Our priority, as a community, is not with any residential development
of the site, but with Walker’s Cafe resuming operations. To protect the future of this landmarked community spot, we ask the Zoning Administrator to, at minimum, impose the following crucial conditions to any approval of the project:
1) A substantially reduced footprint for the house in the back so the cafe has enough space to operate.

2) As the Zoning Administrator, you are able to impose so-called Q conditions. For this site, we ask that you set the key condition that an operational restaurant or coffee shop must be maintained at the location. This will ensure that, no matter what else happens with the parcel, generations to come will be able to enjoy a cup of coffee and a bite to eat at this iconic establishment.

Thank you for your consideration.