Businesses, Casden agree on terms of street closure

After three years of extensive discussion, a tentative
compromise was reached between Casden Properties and many Westwood
businesses ““ resulting in the partial closing of Glendon
Avenue during the developers’ constriction.

At a Planning and Land Use Management hearing held July 21, City
Councilmember Jack Weiss announced Glendon would remain open during
developer Alan Casden’s $100 million construction
project.

The decision represented the middle ground between the business
owners and the developers, as the street now only will be partially
closed.

In order to accommodate the building needs of Casden Properties,
the three members of the planning board decided the two parking
lanes of Glendon would be closed along with one sidewalk, said
Steve Sann, a member of Save Westwood Village who testified at the
hearing.

“I’m pretty pleased. I’m glad they’re
not closing the street. I’m also glad that they are going
ahead with the project,” said Charlotte Chastanet, owner of
Muriel Chastanet’s Fine Jewelry.

Contentions first arose when Casden announced plans of closing
Glendon so he could build a subterranean parking structure. The
parking structure was part of a proposed residential and retail
complex meant to be developed at Glendon and Tiverton avenues.

“We were unalterably opposed to any closure of the street
because of the detrimental effect it would have on Westwood
businesses,” Sann said.

Merchants and concerned residents in Westwood said the closure
would result in reduced sidewalk flow, therefore harming businesses
located on Glendon, such as the Westwood Brewing Company and Muriel
Chastanet’s Fine Jewelry.

Business owners in the village fought hard to keep the street
open and attended numerous meetings with city officials and
representatives of Casden, and, now that Glendon will remain open,
only a few issues need to be resolved.

“There are still a lot of details that need to be hammered
out. It’s not all finalized, but we have a meeting in August.
“¦ We’re hoping we can now all work together,”
Chastanet said.

Howard Katz, Casden Properties’ vice president of
community development, said he was happy about the decision made,
saying the project was “one step closer to being
done.”

Though there has been tension between Westwood business owners
and the developers, there is new hope Casden’s project will
fit into Westwood’s atmosphere.

“We would like to have a nice project and something that
fits in nicely with the Village. “¦ We don’t want an
800-pound gorilla,” Chastanet said.

In addition to the decision made over the closing of Glendon, a
few other decisions concerning Casden’s project were made at
the planning meeting.

Weiss, a member of the planning board, gave Casden the rights to
build a tunnel under Glendon at the July 21 hearing, Sann said.

The right to tunnel under the avenue has caused some concern
about Westwood business owners and residents.

“I know of no other private developer that has been
allowed to tunnel under a city street for free,” Sann
said.

In 1929 the Village was subdivided and property owners were
given easements, which meant that no one could close the street and
dig underneath their property without gaining the owner’s
easement rights, Chastanet added.

The precedent set at the hearing has some property owners
worried, as there is the possibility of easement damage, Chastanet
said.

But Katz says there is no need to worry and that they have
“sufficient control.”

Another issue that has some in the Village concerned is the
congested parking situation.

As developers close off the parking lanes on the avenue,
business owners hope Casden will provide more parking at the end of
the project.

“We feel this is a golden opportunity to put some extra
parking in the city “¦ in a city that is in desperate need of
parking,” Sann said.

In addition, business owners hope Casden will participate in a
parking validation program, which will lessen the strain caused to
customers by the project’s construction.