Developers submitted preliminary plans for a multimillion-dollar
Westwood project to the city’s design review board in late
January, looking for feedback on a project they hope will
revitalize the Village and student life.
The development, which would be located at the corner of Le
Conte and Broxton Avenues, would include a five-screen theater with
stadium-style seating, medical offices, retail space and
subterranean parking.
Developers estimate the 125,000-square-foot project would cost
at least $30 million ““ probably much more. A statement
released by the Holmby-Westwood Homeowners Association put
estimates at $60 million.
Representatives of Beitler Commercial Realty and Behr Bowers
Architects presented the project proposal at Thursday’s
Holmby-Westwood Homeowners Association meeting.
The association is one of several groups expressing early
support for the planned development.
Sandy Brown, president of the association, said the project has
community backing because it fits within the parameters of the
Westwood Specific Plan. The plan dictates what kinds of structures
can be built in the Village.
In addition to meeting height and density requirements of the
specific plan, the project’s classic mediterranean revival
architecture is visually consistent with that of other Westwood
buildings.
Greg Smith, a managing member of the Atlantis Development Group
LLC, which is heading the project along with Beitler Commercial
Realty, said developers chose Behr Bowers Architects for the
project because of the company’s experience with historic
architecture.
“We’re really trying to blend the project with the
fabric of the Village,” he said.
Bo Maguire, a third-year economics student, said though he would
enjoy additional theatres and stores in the Village, a large
development like the one proposed would detract from
Westwood’s charm, which is dominated by historic
single-screen theaters.
“It sounds like a great idea. The only reservation I might
have is Westwood’s getting away from being quaint,” he
said.
Jeff Katofsky, a lawyer and an officer with both Atlantis and
Beitler, said developers are negotiating with Mann Theatres, which
owns several monoscreens in Westwood and has expressed interest in
operating the development’s theaters.
Developers and Mann Theatres representatives discussed using the
theaters as lecture halls before each day’s first showing,
Smith said.
Summer Herrick, Mann Theatres manager of film and marketing,
said the company had no comment on the planned project as of
Thursday.
The space in Westwood now occupied by Whole Foods used to house
a four-screen cinema, and the homeowner’s association
president said she believes the development would be consistent
with the Village’s atmosphere.
“They are going to build a project that looks as though
it’s been there for 80 years. … The architect is very
sensitive to the design of what’s next to it and behind it,
so you won’t feel like you’re walking past one huge
project,” Brown said.
Katofsky, a 1984 UCLA alumnus, said a central goal of the
proposed project is to revive the lively college neighborhood that
Westwood was when he was a student.
“Westwood was a fabulous place to be. It sparkled, it was
crisp, it was clean ““ it was a great place to shop, it was a
great place to eat, it was a great place to see a movie,” he
said. “And sometime later, it lost that ““ and
it’s time for it to be back.”
Katofsky said developers have spoken with representatives of
Trader Joe’s, and made a “handshake” deal that
would bring Cold Stone Creamery to the Village.
In addition, Katofsky said developers plan to build a
“walking paseo” ““ a 25-foot-wide brick pathway
with lighting where people could take a walk and “not worry
about what you’re doing.”
“There aren’t a lot of places to take a date in the
Village. … That needs to change,” Katofsky said.
Construction may not begin for years, and when it does, the
project will take a minimum of 16 to 18 months to complete.
Concerns have arisen about the project’s impacts on the
environment, including its effect on traffic, which is already
heavy along Westwood’s main streets and is exacerbated on
days when UCLA hosts basketball games or other events.
Katofsky said developers are spending money to study traffic
implications, and are looking into the possibility of installing
traffic lights that change according to the the level of
congestion.
However, the size of the project means there would be a
noticeable increase in the number of cars on Westwood’s
streets, Katofsky said.
“It clearly will have an impact on traffic, and our job is
to mitigate that impact,” he said.