A $100 million development planned for a quiet corner of
Westwood Village has generated bitter opposition in the local
community.
The project ““ called Palazzo Westwood ““ would be
built by Casden-Glendon, a development firm headed by
multi-millionaire developer Alan Casden.
The project, which would be built on the southwest corner of
Waverly Drive and Tiverton Avenue, would include 350 upscale
apartments and 115,000 square feet of retail space.
Westwood community activist groups, such as Save Westwood
Village, are concerned the project could severely worsen traffic
and parking shortages on and around Glendon Avenue for up to three
years.
According to the project plan, part of Glendon Avenue would be
closed for eight months to a year while a subterranean garage is
built.
Representatives of Casden-Glendon say Glendon Avenue could be
open within a year after construction, but that the opening of the
street would slow overall development. They said the city would
decide how to handle the trade-off.
Although the Palazzo Westwood could revitalize a quiet portion
of Westwood Village, many vocal activists, homeowners and residents
find Casden-Glendon’s deviations from the Westwood Specific
Plan ““ a document that gives detailed guidelines for what
type of buildings are allowed in Westwood ““ unacceptable.
The plan includes requirements for multistory buildings to be
set 10 feet back from the street and a maximum of 55 feet high. The
plan also prohibits basement-level shops.
Many Westwood residents believe Casden-Glendon has tried to
circumvent these regulations. The highest point of the Palazzo
Westwood would be 85 feet above ground level.
But Howard Katz, vice president of community development for
Casden properties, said the deviations are not as large or as
drastic as they appear.
Katz said the building is never more that 65 feet high from
ground level to the rooftop, which is legal because the Westwood
Specific Plan allows 10 feet for sloping roofs in addition to the
55 foot limit.
He said the site ““ which is 19 feet lower on one side
““ accounts for the height over 65 feet because the excess
height only appears if one measures from the lowest point to the
highest point on the 4.25-acre project, which sits on a hill.
He also attributes the below-sidewalk-level retail that has
concerned residents to the grade of the site.
“Westwood slopes downward. If you have a flat floor, at
some point it will be below grade,” Katz said, explaining
that while some of the doors would be at sidewalk level, other
entrances would have steps down to their floors.
He added that other Westwood stores ““ like Gap ““
have steps that lead down to their sales floors.
The final Environmental Impact Report on the Palazzo Westwood
project finished circulating for public comment on Aug. 21.
Lobbying from Westwood, community activists encouraged
Westwood’s city councilman Jack Weiss to meet Sept. 18 with
residents in a town hall meeting to discuss their concerns.
After the meeting, Weiss wrote a letter to the city planning
department detailing issues that need to be researched further
before he approves the project.
In his letter, Weiss expressed concerns about the traffic,
parking and quality of life ramifications of the Palazzo Westwood
project and recommended further analysis of alternatives to
minimize the negative effects of the project.
Some Westwood residents, however, are frustrated with
Weiss’ failure to enforce the Westwood Specific Plan.
“Those who have read the letter have been outraged by
it,” said Laura Lake, co-president of Save Westwood
Village.
She added that Weiss should uphold the Westwood Specific Plan
rather than asking for further consideration.
Weiss said the response to his letter was valuable because
“it is a public process and everyone has a chance to have
their voices heard.”
When asked about Westwood residents’ concern about his
reluctance to uphold the Westwood Specific Plan, Weiss said
consideration of the Palazzo Westwood project is a “lengthy,
complicated process.”
In addition to being concerned about the dimensions of the
proposed Palazzo Westwood buildings, Westwood activists are worried
about Casden-Glendon’s intention to demolish the circa-1929
apartment building Glendon Manor.
Opponents of the Palazzo Westwood project point out that Glendon
Manor ““ one of the oldest buildings in Westwood ““ has
been deemed eligible for the California Register of Historical
Resources.
Lake emphasized Glendon Manor’s importance, saying that in
addition to limiting height, historical preservation was one of the
key provisions of the Westwood Specific Plan when it became law in
1988.
But Katz said the controversy over Glendon Manor does not make
sense.
“When the specific plan was written, Glendon Manor was not
considered significant,” he said.
Katz also called proposals to renovate the building unrealistic
for Westwood because Glendon Manor is made up of a small number of
studio apartments without kitchens.
“You’re trying to renovate a 40-unit building with
no parking. It’s not likely to be saved, and it’s not
warranted,” he said.
But generally, Lake said she and other Westwood organizations
are opposed to the scale and inflexibility of Casden’s
project ““ not necessarily the project itself.
“We think that the combination of commercial and
residential is great,” Lake said. “But Casden is trying
to stick a size 10 foot into a size 5 shoe. He is welcome to build
up to 55 feet, but we want Glendon Manor preserved, and we want to
keep our parking.”
Katz emphasized the positives of the project, suggesting that
taking out street parking will make the area more pedestrian
friendly, and allow traffic to flow through Glendon Avenue more
easily. He said Casden-Glendon is discussing replacing street
parking spaces with more spaces in the proposed parking
structure.
Despite Casden-Glendon’s reasoning, many Westwood
activists view Weiss’ request for further consideration as
reluctance to apply the law. Some allege that contributions from
building firms have clouded his vision.
According to an Aug. 30 article published in the Los Angeles
Times, Weiss has received $32,300 from building firms associated
with the Casden-Glendon project.
Many Westwood residents have joined in the opposition to the
Palazzo Westwood project and have expressed their distrust of
Weiss.
“I don’t like them taking over our city block and
ignoring the height factor,” said an elderly Westwood
resident, one of many who has put a “Jack Weiss Stop
Casden” sign in her front yard.
“When do we vote him out?” she asked.
The Palazzo Westwood project still needs to go through many
levels of approval before construction can begin, but organizations
like Save Westwood Village are bracing for a legal battle in the
event that Casden-Glendon gets approval for the project.