Wednesday, April 2, 1997
COMMUNITY:
Lack of support closes Westwood business By Karen Duryea
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
After months of waiting for a response from the L.A. County
zoning office, the nearly 500 members of the Better Bodies Gym on
Glendon Avenue are now looking for a new treadmill to call
home.
As of March 19, 1997, the gym, run by Tom Wilson, was denied a
zoning variance from the Westwood Village Specific Plan, which does
not indicate a health club or gym as an acceptable use of retail
space.
According to the Office of Zoning Administration, no appeals
were made as of press time, and the last chance to make one Â
at a cost of $3,500 Â was 5 p.m. Monday.
Better Bodies, which was officially closed Saturday, is a
cross-training center specializing in one-on-one fitness.
As early as February, the gym was issued an "Order to Comply"
which forced Wilson to either obtain a permit from the city in
order to continue operating or close its doors. It was this permit
that Wilson was officially denied by the Zoning Administration.
Marc Brown, Wilson’s representative, refused to speak on behalf
of his client but expressed his dissatisfaction of the ruling.
"I’m really disappointed in the short-sightedness of the
community in not supporting a small business owner in upgrading the
community," Brown said.
Wilson, owner of the gym, explained that the cost and process to
appeal, which may take up to a year, is not worth it.
"I feel like I have already wasted a year of my life," he
said.
Associate Zoning Administrator Horace Tramel noted community
opposition to the gym as one of the main reasons compelling his
denial, because the gym could "derail a community comeback."
Other issues raised against the gym were lack of parking,
potential traffic and the loss of valuable retail space. Wilson had
argued, and still maintains, that the majority of former gym
members live and work in the Westwood area and for the most part,
would not need parking.
Since the gym’s closure, some former members have transferred to
L.A. Fitness, a new facility located on the corner of Gayley Avenue
and Wilshire Boulevard.
Bill Benson, manager of the Westwood L.A. Fitness, indicated
that former members wanting to transfer must still pay an
enrollment fee and first and last month’s fees but will be given "a
little bit of a break."
Benson has already sold nearly 30 memberships to former Better
Bodies members and says he has not run into any hard feelings.
"It was not too much of a loss for them, unless they paid in
full (at Better Bodies)," he said.
However, Wilson admitted that many of the former members are
upset, based on current feedback.
Wilson already has plans to open another gym at a new site
somewhere on the Westside and is offering members the option to
transfer to the new location.
"I know I am good at what I do, and despite the bad press, I can
operate a health club well," Wilson said. "I just wasn’t able to
get community support."