Editorial: Development a bad decision for Westwood

The interests of UCLA students don’t always coincide with
the interests of Westwood homeowners ““ but this time,
they do.

Homeowners often want a quiet, peaceful neighborhood, while
students want a college town, complete with loud music, dancing and
bars. But in the case of the ill-conceived Palazzo Westwood luxury
apartments, both homeowners and students have a common interest in
defeating the plans of developer Alan Casden, even if their reasons
for doing so differ.

Casden’s proposed mega-development of luxury apartments
would further erode the community nature of Westwood by increasing
rent rates and gentrifying the neighborhood. Development on Weyburn
Avenue, near the edge of campus, would dramatically reduce Glendon
Avenue parking and cause a lot of construction noise.

The current controversy is part of a larger struggle to define
Westwood. Located next to UCLA, one would think Westwood would be a
college town. But because Westwood is also home to wealthy
residents and is close to Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Brentwood, too
often, it is not.

The proposed development by Casden-Glendon would only distance
the reality of Westwood from the ideal of a college town. Who knows
““ if successful, the development could be the first of a new
wave of projects which could make Westwood virtually
indistinguishable from the Wilshire corridor.

Permanent residents don’t seem to worry too much about
Westwood’s status as a college town, but many agree the
Casden development could create more trouble than it’s
worth.

So far, city leaders have done little to address
residents’ concerns.

Jack Weiss, the Los Angeles councilman who represents Westwood,
seems to be complacent about the situation ““ at best.

Weiss drafted a letter expressing concerns about the project,
but he has not taken an active stance against it. The Los Angeles
Times reported that Weiss took $32,300 in donations from firms
linked to the Casden-Glendon developers. If he cares about his
constituents, Weiss will not allow donations to influence his
decisions about the project.

Quality of life considerations should take precedence over cash.
Weiss probably feels safe, knowing that students are notoriously
lazy voters, but he should not forget that Westwood’s
permanent residents also care about the project’s potential
negative impacts.

Moreover, Weiss should take a stance against this project not
just because it would hurt both homeowners and students, but also
because of concerns about the project’s incongruity with
Village planning guidelines. The Westwood Village Specific Plan
limits buildings to a maximum height of 55 feet from ground level.
The new Palazzo Westwood would be, in places, 85 feet tall. The
blatant disregard for the Specific Plan is disconcerting and brings
Weiss’ objectivity with regard to this project in doubt.

Would Weiss take a more aggressive stance on Casden without the
$32,300 in contributions? Students and permanent Westwood residents
can only wonder.