Q&A: Westwood official shares plans for long-term improvement

The Westwood Village Improvement Association is a nonprofit organization that supplies Westwood Village with maintenance and outreach services the city cannot provide.

Its board of directors meets monthly to discuss issues pertaining to the Village and plan services such as sidewalk cleaning and a Westwood Village Ambassador Program.

The association was granted a 10-year renewal earlier this month, receiving support from 83 percent of property owners, up from 77 percent in 2013. The association previously asked for three-year renewals but campaigned for an extended term this year so it could focus on long-term improvements for the Village.

The Daily Bruin’s Madeleine Pauker spoke with Andrew Thomas, executive director of the association, to talk about what the organization’s renewal means for Westwood Village.

Daily Bruin: Why did the association choose to expand its renewal to 10 years instead of three?

Andrew Thomas: First, a 10-year term means we can now stop allocating valuable resources toward premature renewal efforts. Renewals are very expensive and time-consuming. Second, we can strategically plan for the long-term viability of our district. A 10-year term allows us to plan well into the future without wondering if we will be around in a couple of years.

Finally, our renewal demonstrates a commitment and dedication from our business and property owners that will resonate in Westwood, the city of Los Angeles and the region. I believe this sends a message to new businesses, and also developers, that Westwood is a community on the rise, and also a very wise … strategic investment for the future.

DB: How long are most terms?

AT: On average, in Los Angeles, the business improvement district terms tend to be seven years because a lot of them have five- and 10-year terms.

DB: How much does a renewal cost and how much time does it take?

AT: On average, consultants cost $50,000 per renewal. We paid Urban Place Consulting $50,000 to form the organization in 2011, $50,000 to renew in 2013 and paid a similar amount for the 10-year renewal this year.

The renewal process began last February and varies in terms of the attention it requires. By fall 2015, we were campaigning every day to get signatures during the ballot phase by reaching out to property owners. (The longer renewal) will save us $150,000 that would’ve come out of our communications allocation, which is 14 percent of our budget.

DB: What was a typical day for you during the renewal process?

AT: I was following up with property owners to make sure they understand what our services and programs are and what’s at stake if the renewal doesn’t go through. It’s about articulating the message to our property owners, because some don’t live in Los Angeles and haven’t been to Westwood in some time. Keeping those people in the loop and tracking responses is hard work, because renewal is not necessarily at the front of their minds.

DB: What will the association do with the extra money and time? Are there any concrete goals for the coming year?

AT: Our board of directors will determine our priorities and goals. We are working to … transform part of Broxton Avenue into a community plaza and implement a parking district to direct parking revenue to Westwood instead of the city. The parking district is out of our control, but we’re just lobbying the city to be chosen for the pilot program and they don’t have a timeline yet.

We also plan to review our Westwood Village Specific Plan, which regulates land use and design development criteria for the Village, improve parking, access and transportation, add art and historic signifiers in our district, host more events, reduce homelessness and improve our clean and safe programs.

DB: Where does the association’s funding come from? Are there plans to increase funding over the next 10 years?

AT: Our funding comes from assessments on property. Our property owners pay a tax to the BID based on the size of their parcel, building and street frontage.

Our board of directors will determine whether the taxes increase. The new minimum wage ordinance will have an impact on our budget and ability to provide services if we don’t keep up with the mandated wage increases. This is a concern for all Los Angeles business improvement districts, not just Westwood’s.

DB: Are there any specific goals the association wants to accomplish in the next 10 years?

AT: The biggest one is infrastructure, specifically a large-scale capital investment in our sidewalks. In a 10-year term, we could do something really big to take care of a huge number of square feet of our sidewalks.