Angela Marsden has run Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill in Sherman Oaks since 2010, but the bar and restaurant she took over has poured drinks at 4454 Van Nuys Blvd since 1978. Now, a redevelopment project at the shopping plaza is forcing her and other small business owners to pack up, while the In-N-Out on the same lot has been told it can stay.
According to KTLA, Marsden was initially told she could keep her lease once construction wrapped up, but she says that promise was never put in writing. Her landlord issued 60-day notices to vacate to Pineapple Hill and other small businesses in the complex, a timeline Marsden says has left owners in limbo about their futures. In-N-Out, meanwhile, is confirmed to be staying at the plaza, and Marsden has said other tenants were not given the same opportunity.
The eviction notices went out on August 6, according to a public petition Marsden published on September 4 calling on the landlord to offer written guarantees that displaced small businesses can return once redevelopment is complete. Commercial listings for the 4.5-acre property, known as Sherman Oaks Square, describe plans for a flagship lifestyle retail destination, with newly renovated space advertised as available starting January 1, 2027, according to a Crexi listing. The retail center spans a full city block near Van Nuys and Ventura boulevards and sees up to 70,000 passing vehicles daily, per the same listing.
A Redevelopment Plan Years in the Making
This isn't the plaza's first brush with a major remodel. Land-use minutes from the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council show redevelopment proposals for the site date back to at least 2018, when plans called for adding 42,000 square feet through two-story office additions, a parking structure, and upgraded outdoor spaces — while explicitly excluding the In-N-Out from the remodel even then.
Per KTLA, Pineapple Hill has served as a neighborhood gathering place for nearly 50 years and has achieved legacy status designation with the mayor's office. Marsden said Los Angeles history is embedded in its pubs and restaurants, and she has called on city and county officials to create provisions and protections for historic small businesses facing this kind of displacement.
Legacy Status Offers Money, Not a Lease Guarantee
Pineapple Hill's legacy designation ties into the city's Legacy Business Program, run by the Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department. Established in 2022 and open for applications since February 2024, the program offers technical support and grants of up to $20,000 to non-franchised local businesses that have operated for 20 or more years, funded through American Rescue Plan Act dollars and prioritizing businesses facing imminent displacement. According to the Mayor of Los Angeles' FINAL DRAFT: ED4 2024 Annual Report Appendix, the city launched the Los Angeles Legacy Business Program to support small-business resilience. Los Angeles City Administrative Officer budget documents cite funding and resolution authority for one Management Analyst to support the Legacy Business program.
But the designation has real limits. While it grants eligibility for city grants and promotional assistance, it does not provide legal mechanisms or zoning mandates to stop a private landlord from declining to renew a lease or moving forward with a redevelopment eviction, according to an analysis from the antidisplacement.org policy tracker. That gap is at the center of Marsden's fight — legacy status can help her apply for aid, but it can't force her landlord to bring Pineapple Hill back once the dust settles.
KTLA reported it contacted both the property's landlord and Councilmember Nithya Raman's office, who represents the Sherman Oaks area, for comment and was awaiting responses. Marsden has set up a GoFundMe page intended to help cover legal fees or a possible relocation, and she's asking supporters to sign her petition. She has said the closure of Pineapple Hill would leave its staff without jobs, calling the uncertainty an unfair hardship on her and other owners in the plaza.
A Familiar Fight for a Familiar Face
Marsden is no stranger to public battles over her business. In December 2020, she gained national attention when a viral video she filmed showed an NBC Universal outdoor film catering setup operating in the same parking lot right next to her shut-down dining patio, at a time when Los Angeles County health orders banned outdoor restaurant dining but allowed outdoor film production catering tents, as Courthouse News reported. That video led Marsden and her business entity, Calm Ventures, to file a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction against Governor Gavin Newsom to overturn the state's outdoor dining ban, though a federal judge ultimately declined to block the restrictions in February 2021.
The public support that followed the viral video translated into tens of thousands of dollars raised through crowdfunding campaigns to help cover payroll for Pineapple Hill's out-of-work staff during the pandemic shutdowns. Marsden has also used her public platform on other local issues; in early 2023, she spoke out on municipal homelessness policy after an unhoused woman died outside a neighboring storefront in the plaza during a severe winter cold snap, shortly after Mayor Karen Bass declared a homelessness state of emergency and launched the Inside Safe initiative, according to WORLD News Group.
Part of a Broader Wave of Closures
Pineapple Hill's struggle lands amid a rough stretch for longtime Sherman Oaks dining and drinking spots. Nearby on Ventura Boulevard, Boneyard Bistro closed for good after 21 years earlier this month, having operated at its location since 2005 before its owner announced its final day of service. Whether Pineapple Hill joins that list or finds a way back into Sherman Oaks Square remains an open question, one that now rests on whether the landlord, the city, or Raman's office step in with the written protections Marsden has been asking for.
