The future of Westwood

Friday, June 5, 1998

The future of Westwood

WESTWOOD: In the next three years, Westwood will be ripped up,
gutted and reshaped, all to attract the 60,000

people who flock to the village daily. From pizza to fine art,
everyone hopes to get a piece of the action.

By Rachel Munoz

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The future of Westwood. What does that mean? When and how will
it begin? Or has it already begun?

After years of decline, business people, residents and students
alike are looking toward a new, revitalized village.

But what do they see? Can their visions work together, or is
there too much conflict between groups to accomplish anything?

Dancing at Duet

Duet Restaurant and Nightclub is currently in the process of
waiting for a decision from the assistant city planner regarding a
permit for dancing.

The Vice Squad visited the restaurant and nightclub on four
different occasions for allowing their customers to dance.

But Duet isn’t discouraged by its unfavorable beginnings.

"Westwood is going to do well," said an optimistic Chris
Mallick, an owner of the club.

Mallick believes that as more developers move into the area they
will realize the need for more nightlife in the Village.

As for the nightlife that Duet currently offers, owners hope it
will only get better. One way they believe that will happen will be
to allow dancing. In looking to the future, Mallick predicts an
approval by the assistant city planner for the dancing permit.

He expresses hope that the future will provide Westwood with a
place to dance. But as much as he wants dancing at Duet, Mallick
would like the community to understand that dancing is not an evil
that will combust when combined with alcohol.

"We like it here. We like the people here. We like the
neighbors," he said of Duet’s residence in Westwood.

Homeowners heft their weight

Although the Village may need more nightlife, homeowners in the
area have a different mix of ideas for what would give Westwood a
successful future. Some support different projects, while others
have their own ideas.

Sandy Brown, co-president of the Holmby Westwood Property
Owners, feels that daytime retail is the answer for Westwood’s
future. She would like to see stores for young families which are
currently lacking in the Village. She recommends stores like Crate
and Barrel, along with a new shoe store and a store for babies.

"Daytime uses are absolutely necessary," Brown said.

But her frustration is mounting after waiting 10 to 12 years for
something to happen in Westwood.

Brown admits that the Streetscape project, the renovation of
Broxton Avenue with wider sidewalks, new street furniture and
historic streetlights, has turned out well, but hopes that the
future of the Village will be much brighter.

"Everyone has plans and wants the best, but we haven’t seen
anything happen," she said.

Friends of Westwood President Laura Lake feels that things have
already started to improve.

"Businesses the community would like to patronize are coming
in," Lake says. Such businesses are composed of higher-end retail
and nicer restaurants.

The future of business in Westwood

The Los Angeles City Council created the Westwood Village
Community Alliance three years ago, officially titled the Business
Improvement District. The intended purpose of the organization is
to spearhead revitalization efforts in Westwood Village.

"There is going to be dramatic change from the last 10 years,"
said Bob Walsh, the district’s executive director. He predicts that
Westwood will become a vibrant place very in tune with the
surrounding community.

Walsh looks to the fact that 60 to 70 percent of property
ownership has changed over the past 18 months in the Village.

"Businesses and investment companies believe in where Westwood
is going," he said.

With such a large amount of property changing hands, the first
stage of revitalization seems to have begun. This first step
includes making Westwood a safer, cleaner and more attractive place
for businesses and investment companies.

The second phase of revitalization will occur when property
owners bring in new tenants. This is the phase that will be visible
to the pedestrian, hopefully bringing in more customers and
pedestrians to Westwood.

"I think it’s really good that people want to invest in the
Village," he said.

An "urban village" on the Eastside

The family-friendly Westwood Marketplace, a project developed by
Regent Properties, will be built on the east side of Westwood, on
Gayley Avenue. Part of the goal is to not only connect with the
street, but with the rest of the Village.

"We’ll provide the people in Westwood a quaint urban village to
come to," said Douglas Brown, the managing partner of Regent
Properties. "Families will want to spend time in the village."

The project’s movie anchor will be Mann Theaters, while high
quality, upscale tenants will compose the rest of the project.
Tenant interest is strong, but Regent Properties has not named any
tenants, yet.

Brown stresses that this urban village, or town square, will
give Westwood a sense of place.

The project is currently working on their Environmental Impact
Report and proceeding with entitlements. Regency Properties would
like to break ground in the early to middle of 1999, and have
tenants opening at the beginning of 2000. The Marketplace seems to
enjoy general support from most of the community.

"I am far more encouraged by that project because they are
building within the law,"said Steven Fink, vice president of
Christina Development.

Friends of Westwood’s Lake is also in favor of the project.

"In concept, it’s always been scaled and appropriate for the
Village," Lake said.

Village Center Westwood brings "energy" and wrath

Supporters of Ira Smedra’s Village Center Westwood, predict the
center will play a significant role in the future of Westwood when
it opens in 2001. It is expected to fit the Eastside of Westwood
with state-of-the-art theaters, a grocery store, a drugstore and a
variety of retail stores and restaurants.

"We see ourselves providing an anchor for Westwood Village,"
said Allen Abshez, the project’s attorney. "We want to get people
back in the habit of spending time in Westwood."

But many people do not want to get back into the habit of that
at the Village Center Westwood. Lake opposes the project and claims
many like her do not want it to be built.

"Opposition to the Village Center Westwood is so massive it’s
unbelievable," Lake said.

"It is a result of our efforts in the Village that people jumped
on the bandwagon of revitalization," Smedra replied. "It’s because
of us, that Larry Taylor (the president of Christina Development)
became interested in the Village."

Fink argues that the Village Center Westwood will attract
something the Village already has for a successful future: people.
He reasons that 60,000 people a day are in Westwood just from UCLA
alone, plus another 500 million square feet of office space on
Wilshire.

"Westwood has unmatched consumer demographics," Fink said. "The
people are already in the Village but they have nothing to go
to."

In addition, one of Fink’s biggest concerns is that Smedra is
trying to change the Westwood Specific Plan to suit his needs. Fink
claims that Smedra has likened changing the Plan to amending the
constitution.

Councilman Michael Feuer also supports the project. "Councilman
Feuer wants revitalization in Westwood," said Daniel Hinerfeld, a
policy deputy for Feuer. "He’s not backing one project to the
exclusion of others."

But the supporters of the Village Center Westwood will be
encouraged to get back into the habit of going into the Village
through the many amenities that the project will offer, namely the
drugstore, supermarket, movie theaters and above all, parking.

The project will bring the first large, central parking supply
to the Village, which will change people’s perceptions about coming
into the Village, according to Abshez.

"They will rediscover things they liked about it," Abshez said.
"The project will impart a lot of energy into Westwood
Village."

However, there is the hope that once the project is built,
Westwood will gain momentum and people will quickly return to the
Village.

Smedra compares the situation to a domino effect. If the first
domino doesn’t move, than neither will the rest.

Gettyizing Westwood

Christina Development has high hopes for the village. They
recently purchased between $35 and $50 million worth of property
which has been dubbed the Westwood Promenade.

The Promenade consists of a variety of properties. This includes
the old Hamburger Hamlet building, the block of buildings across
the street and the whole eastern side of the same block on Westwood
Boulevard.

The plan calls for a complete renovation of the buildings. Getty
Museum architects Richard Meyer and Partners will redesign all the
facades and spaces.

Construction has already begun on the old Hamburger Hamlet
building and the old Bel Air Camera buildings. Renovation will take
place in increments, building by building, so as not to disturb
other tenants in the area.

As for the rest of the spaces in the Westwood Promenade,
Christina Development wants to proceed logically and look at all of
the considerations for Westwood’s future, instead of just leasing
space out to the highest bidder.

"We are going to attract very exceptional tenants," Fink says,
mentioning that more unsolicited lease proposals have come in than
space available.

Fink believes that the subdivided plots , the way the land has
been plotted for property lines, allow for a unique mix of
amenities in the Village.

"Why we wouldn’t take advantage of the Village atmosphere …
doesn’t make sense to me," Fink said.