This post was updated Oct. 13 at 10:05 p.m.
After the UC acquired at least 15 Westwood commercial properties worth about $50 million last summer, Chancellor Julio Frenk said the new spaces would be used for classrooms and graduate student housing.
But beyond that, the University has released few specific details about the acquisitions. Both UC Investments and UCLA Media Relations declined several requests for comment on specific plans for the properties and how the purchases could impact Westwood businesses.
Some Westwood businesses shuttered in the past few months after UC Investments purchased the properties.
Westwood’s Urban Outfitters, which had been in the Village for more than 22 years, closed in August after the property was sold to UC Investments. It was one of 14 properties in the Westwood Village Collection, which made up the majority of the sites included in the July purchase.
[Related: Westwood’s Urban Outfitters closes after 22 years following UC Investments acquisition]
Aahs! The Ultimate Gift Store also announced that it will close Nov. 3 after UC Investments bought the property. The property is not part of the Westwood Village Collection.
Corner Bakery Cafe – which previously operated at 1019 Westwood Blvd. – shuttered in September. Its property was among the 14 sold in July.
Other businesses occupying properties included in the Westwood Village Collection did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the UC’s acquisition.
Michael Russell, the executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said UCLA has not given him additional information about the purchase. However, many of the purchased properties are currently vacant, Russell said, making him optimistic about future development.
Community members and board members raised questions about the UC’s acquisitions at the North Westwood Neighborhood Council’s Wednesday meeting.
Carmen Zambrano, an assistant director of local government and community relations for UCLA, said the university has not released additional information about the purchase, according to the meeting minutes.
Steven Sann, chairman of the Westwood Community Council, said at the Wednesday meeting that he sees UC Investments’ purchases as positive for the Village. UCLA currently owns or leases several buildings in Westwood – including the Geffen Playhouse and Hammer Museum – which he believes the university has managed well, he added in an interview.
“Having more people living in the villages would be a good thing,” Russell said. “Having workforce housing, student faculty housing, where people can live, work and shop. A true urban village is always an ideal setting.”
However, Sann said it’s important that the UC preserves the cultural and architectural history of Westwood Village.
“It’s a jewel box of an environment,” Sann said. “It’s completely irreplaceable, and so we just hope that what UC Investments chooses to do in connection with UCLA will respect the scale, the character, the history and the architectural significance of Westwood Village.”
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