Improvement group ensures necessary services

By Robert Walsh

The Westwood Village Business Improvement District was created
seven years ago, encompassing the area from Wilshire Boulevard to
Le Conte, and from Gayley to Glendon. Its mission has been
“to help create an environment in which the BID’s
constituents may prosper.”

When it was founded, retail storefronts were almost 25 percent
vacant, and there were virtually no major real estate investments
on the horizon. Village streets were cleaned sporadically by the
city, and trees were left untrimmed for years. Trash overflowed in
sparsely provided receptacles, and if a business provided validated
parking for customers, it was at the mercy of parking lots offering
grossly inflated rates.

In 1996, the Village BID began improving this Village
environment by offering services that, for privately owned shopping
centers, are typically referred to as “common-area
services.”Â Unlike surrounding cities, such as Santa
Monica, Beverly Hills and Long Beach that support districts with
numerous property owners, the policies of the City of Los Angeles
do not support operation of districts such as the
Village. Whereas these surrounding cities pay for and support
“common area” needs, policies for the City of Los
Angeles do not. Therefore, for the past few years, Westwood
Village has supported itself by providing “common-area
services” known as BID services, which are as follows:

The BID supplements city maintenance services with daily trash
pickup, graffiti removal, street, sidewalk, gutter and alley
cleaning and median landscaping. Each year, more than 94 tons of
trash are removed, more than 375 trees are trimmed, and
approximately eight miles of twinkle lights are
maintained. The BID also serves as a liaison for businesses
and the City of Los Angeles on issues such as parking enforcement,
curb painting, light outages, news racks and transient
issues. 

Westwood Village is now better than it has been for more than a
decade, thanks to the care the BID and its volunteer board of
directors (which consists of business and property owners) take to
keep the Village clean, safe and vibrant.

Moreover, the BID funds the operation of the Community Service
Center on Broxton Avenue, operated by the UCLA and L.A. police
departments, which provides security and information services.
Annually, more than 4,600 inquiries and incidents are recorded, and
the West L.A. Police report that Westwood Village is now one of the
safest communities in Los Angeles.

Now, the BID-sponsored Universal Validated Parking Program
enables local businesses to purchase validations at a rate of one
dollar for two hours, saving participating businesses more
than $250,000 per year. The BID also convinced the city to offer
one hour of free parking (no validation required) at the Broxton
Parking Structure ““ one of the only city programs of its
kind.

Over the past few years, as investors observed new care being
given to the Village, their confidence translated into a level of
investment the Village has not seen for decades. More than 150
new business ventures have recently located to the Village, and
Village vacancy levels of 25 percent a few years ago are now
estimated to be at 5 percent and are declining. Marketing programs
also include intense efforts with property owners to bring in new
leasing and real estate interest to the Village.

Lastly, the BID sponsors community events such as the Westwood
Village Farmers’ Market, the Jazz at the Hammer series, the
monthly Antique & Collectible Fair (the first Sunday of each
month), the annual Village Street Fest (in October), and holiday
programs.

Are the challenges now behind Westwood Village? Hardly. There
are several development opportunities that continue to generate
intense debate. Additionally, finding new businesses that are
attractive to both the UCLA community and the surrounding
residential interests requires an increasing amount of
attention. The decline in the level of certain city services,
reflecting dwindling city resources, will also challenge the
Village in areas such as the creation of new and much needed city
operated parking.

The BID ensures the Village has an environment where businesses
may prosper without losing the heart and soul of what makes the
Village one of the most unique and treasured communities anywhere
in Los Angeles.

Walsh is the executive director of the Westwood Village
Community Alliance.