Chain stores move in as theaters move out
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 4, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 MICHAEL TOBEY The UA on Wellworth is one of three movie
theaters to close in Westwood within two months.
By Dexter Gauntlett
Daily Bruin Staff
The curtain is closing on three Westwood theaters in the next 60
days as Sav-On and Whole Foods make their debut, resulting in the
loss of nearly half the Village’s movie screens.
The two chain stores are the latest corporate additions to
Westwood, a place that was once home to primarily family-run
businesses.
With the Mann Westwood four-plex on Gayley Avenue closing next
week, followed by Whole Foods’ arrival, Breadsticks grocery
store shift manager Jonas Ball is concerned the new competition
will mean trouble for Breadsticks.
“There’s already been quite a decline in our
business because most students tend to go to Ralph’s, but the
new classrooms down on Kinross might help business,” he
said.
Interim classrooms were constructed on Kinross Avenue last
quarter by the university to accommodate the renovation of
buildings on campus.
The Mann Plaza theater on Glendon Avenue, which has one screen,
will close in the next few weeks in order to be converted into
apartment buildings.
The United Artists theater on Wellworth Avenue is now vacated,
with Sav-On still ironing out specifics, such as parking, that
could delay its opening. The company also faces opposition in the
neighborhood.
After the UA closed last week, Neil Pinsker, executive vice
president of theater operations for United Artists Theatres, issued
a statement in independent Los Angeles newspaper, the
Westsider.
“It saddens us that as Westwood continues its renaissance
and transforms itself with new restaurants and retail traffic that
we will no longer find our place in the community,” Pinsker
stated.
Click Here to See Larger Image
“This entertainment mecca, founded by Westwood’s
grand movie palaces, will soon go dark and remain silent forever.
We welcome any opportunity to remain and are committed to our
continued community support,” he continued.
Before Sav-On can move in, it is required to plan for a certain
amount of parking space based on its store size, said Jay Handal,
president of the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
“My understanding is that the only way they can go into
(the UA) site is if they go into a Conditional Use Permit to allow
them to go in there,” he said.
The permit would allow Sav-On to modify the parking structure,
though the lot has been labeled residential zoning since 1976.
Sav-On must have a public hearing if it intends to modify
existing restrictions to the parking lots, said Robert Janovici,
chief zoning operator for the city of Los Angeles.
Lila Rioth, a homeowner who lives on the opposite side of
Wellworth, is confident the city will not approve the permit and
recently gathered a 600-signature petition opposing Sav-On. She
posted a banner on her roof that reads: “Boycott Sav-On
They’re a Bad Neighbor.”
Sav-On will increase traffic on Wellworth unless the parking
entrance is limited to Westwood Boulevard, Rioth said. She is also
concerned that crime in the area will increase because of alcohol
sales and the possibility of the store being open 24 hours.
The current plan for Sav-On does not include the sale of alcohol
or 24-hour service, but Rioth said that could change.
“We don’t want the theater to leave; it’s
important to the economy of Westwood. It keeps business alive and
Sav-On, even though they say they won’t have alcohol or be
open 24 hours, can fight for it every year,” Rioth said.
Ira Handelman, a government and community relations consultant
working for Sav-On, said the company will not be doing any
re-zoning based on their research, but they might need to do some
remodeling, such as adding entry ways.
“We’re not changing the use of the parking lot. It
has always been used for retail, and we’re continuing
it’s use as a retail parking lot,” he said.
Sav-On will attract 5,000 to 6,000 customers a week, according
to Handelman.
Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby-Westwood Property Owners
Association, said it neither supports nor opposes Sav-On, but
instead supports the association’s conditions for opening a
business in that location.
If Sav-On wants to come in, Brown said, they must abide by the
following conditions: The entrance must be on Westwood Boulevard;
there must always be a pharmacist available and no liquor sales are
permitted because a concentration of liquor already exists in the
area, with 7-Eleven just down the street.
