Sunday, July 21, 1996
Additions to include shopping, parking spaces, landscapingBy
Michael A. Nissan
Summer Bruin Contributor
There’s a big hole in the middle of Broxton Avenue these days.
And although it may currently seem like an inconvenience, it is
among the first steps of what 5th District Councilman Mike Feuer
calls the "revitalization of Westwood."
The goal of the revitalization project is to improve and
invigorate the Village’s economy and general atmosphere, Feuer
said.
This invigoration will be done through an increase in parking
spaces, additional stores, street and landscaping changes in
addition to the new, already implemented police substation which
doubles as an information booth for tourists.
Among the most visible of the current projects is a large,
multi-level parking structure on Broxton Avenue, which will be
opening sometime next year. The structure is expected to
accommodate approximately 380 vehicles and two retail stores at its
street level. Funding for the $6 million to $7 million development
is being derived entirely from money retrieved from parking
meters.
"I think it’s great that they have decided to build a parking
structure here. Now, I won’t have to waste time driving around
Westwood looking for an open space," said Jack Gelnak, a
fourth-year psychobiology student.
The project, which was developed through a partnership between
the city of Los Angeles, the Westwood Village Community Alliance
and UCLA, is being funded partly by the city. But the great
majority will be coming from the Westwood Village Community
Alliance, according to Rochelle Ventura, Feuer’s chief field
deputy.
The Alliance, comprised of Westwood landowners and merchants,
has contributed about $600,000 a year to improve the community,
according to Alliance Chairman Rich Givens.
An important aspect of Westwood’s "new look" is the Community
Service Center, which opened last February. The center, a police
substation, serves as headquarters for police foot and bicycle
patrols, and provides crime prevention presentations to the
Westwood community. The presence of the substation appears to make
residents, students and visitors of Westwood feel more secure.
"Visitors and community members have indicated that they have
seen more police (in Westwood) and how appreciative they are that
the center is open. There has also been a decrease in the number of
transients and panhandlers," said university police officer Ricardo
Bolaños.
"The police substation represents real teamwork among the
Alliance, my office, the police department and UCLA security. It is
a good model of cooperation on how we can really achieve
something," Feuer said.
In addition to contributing to the security of Westwood Village,
the Westwood Village Community Alliance also sponsors jazz
performances at the Armand Hammer Museum in an effort to make
Westwood more entertaining to residents and visitors.
Another key component in the plan to revitalize and improve the
face of Westwood is Project Streetscape. Project Streetscape
represents a cooperative effort on behalf of the Westwood Village
Community Alliance and Councilman Feuer’s office to improve the
decor and general appearance of Westwood Village.
"There is a streetscape improvement plan to improve the
aesthetics of Westwood: the way the streets look, street furniture,
street trees, street lighting and so forth. The streetscape
improvement project requires assessing property owners who will be
heard at two consecutive public hearings in the next several
weeks," Feuer said.
The streetscaping will include 77 new trees, decorative bus
benches and tiny lights along the tress at night, said Ventura.
Finally, the Village Center Westwood may prove to be Westwood’s
most significant addition yet. The proposed development of the
large-scale, open-air shopping and entertainment complex may
include a Ralph’s grocery store, Longs Drugs and a movie theater.
The center may also accommodate approximately 2,500 vehicles in
addition to the parking facility on Broxton.
"There is a big project that is proposed for the area just south
of Macy’s. It is, as currently contemplated, a three-level,
open-air retail, entertainment, restaurant, shopping complex,"
Feuer said.
Feuer added that the complex would include a grocery store and a
drug store as well as other shops that he feels people in Westwood
have been requesting for a long time.
However, not everyone is ecstatic about the complex and the
additional parking it will entail.
Laura Lake, president of Friends of Westwood, a community-based
organization, has expressed some concerns over the ability of the
small Westwood area to accommodate the increased traffic that might
result from the patronage of this establishment.
"A traffic consultant … said it would have severe traffic
impacts. These are streets that cannot handle that amount of
traffic. Closing off Glendon would have major parking impacts,"
Lake said.
In addition, Lake believes that the establishment of the complex
may take patronage away from other local merchants.
Feuer, however, is optimistic about the prospects for a
revitalized Westwood.
"My bottom line is that I will continue to be very, very focused
on Westwood. I am committed to the revitalization of Westwood and
making it the jewel in Los Angeles it once was."
Kanner Architects
Pictured above is an artist’s rendering of the proposed Village
Center Westwood. Councilman Mike Feuer is committed to bringing
Westwood Village back to its status as an important attraction in
Los Angeles.Kanner Architects
A model of the Village Center Westwood, set to house a grocery
store, drug store and additional parking.