Los Angeles city planners recommended approval for Palazzo
Westwood on Friday, sparking reaction from community activists over
the proposed $100 million dollar development in Westwood
Village.
City planners made their recommendation Friday, according to an
article published by The Los Angeles Times on Jan. 12. Next, the
project will go before the city planning commission on Feb. 12.
The development, which planned for construction on both sides of
Glendon Avenue south of Weyburn Avenue, would be built by
Casden-Glendon, a firm headed by multimillionaire Alan Casden.
But the recommendation did not go without a few conditions,
including a denial of Casden’s request to expand the sidewalk
on Glendon Avenue. In addition, city planners asked Casden to
formulate a traffic plan during construction, according to the
Times article.
City Councilman Jack Weiss said he opposed the development last
month and community activist Mike Metcalfe said the recommendation
infuriated him.
“It’s extremely disappointing to say the
least,” said Mike Metcalfe, the co-president of Save Westwood
Village, about the approval. Save Westwood Village is a community
action group against the building of Palazzo Westwood.
Metcalfe said Save Westwood Village’s next step is to
prepare for the Feb. 12 hearing, primarily by asking for a change
of venue from downtown City Hall to a closer site on the West Side.
Metcalfe said he wants the change so village merchants, residents
and students can easily make the meeting and testify against the
development.
“We’re just going to alert our membership and our
surrounding homeowner associations as well as our village business
folks to attend, and encourage people to testify,” Metcalfe
added.
Save Westwood Village’s other co-president, Laura Lake,
said both Casden and the city may be in jeopardy of committing
several legal violations. Lake said the organization has retained
legal council from the Northern California firm of Miller, Star
& Regalia.
“We believe that there are several serious legal
violations in this approval,” Lake said.
Lake added that Casden and the city “do not have the right
to close Glendon Avenue without providing just compensation to
Westwood merchants and property owners.” Lake said neither
Casden nor the city have agreed to this compensation.
The proposed Palazzo Westwood would provide 350 apartments and
would have below-ground retail stores.
Save Westwood Village contests the new development for several
reasons, primarily because it would cause the destruction of the
historic Glendon Manor.
Glendon Manor is the only residential building remaining of 34
Westwood buildings built during its founding in 1929.
The Casden development would cause “the destruction of the
original urban fabric of the village,” Metcalfe said.
Lake said there is a large upcoming commercial project at the
corner of Broxton Avenue and Le Conte Avenue that Save Westwood
Village supports.
Lake added that though city planners approved the project, their
approval does not make the development a shoo-in.