Businesses react to Westwood project

Westwood businesses plan to offer their own valet services and
increase advertising in response to expected parking impacts as
construction begins this week on a $100-million residential and
commercial project called Palazzo Westwood.

Casden Properities is beginning demolition work on the parking
lot in the southwest corner of Weyburn and Tiverton avenues in
preparation for the development’s 50,000 square feet of
retail space and 350 apartments.

“We’re getting the area ready to proceed
full-scale,” said Howard Katz, vice president of Casden
Properties.

While some are eager for construction to begin, others are
concerned that the demolition of the parking lot may cause visitors
difficulty in finding nearby parking. When customers are unable to
find parking, they are likely to leave to eat and shop elsewhere,
businesses say.

“We’re grinding it out right now. It’s going
to be really tough,” said Thuan Dao, manager of Acapulco,
which he said relies on the $5 parking spaces.

Katz said Casden Properties had wanted to provide parking for
businesses during the development’s construction but
circumstances had prevented them from doing so.

“Had we been given permission to close Glendon Avenue, we
would have been able to begin the construction much more quickly
and provide the parking resources,” Katz said.

Acapulco has taken an active role in retaining its sales by
looking for ways to retain customers and bring in more business
during Palazzo Westwood’s construction.

“Our marketing department is going to put out extra
advertisements, and we’re looking into making an agreement
with a valet service,” Dao said.

By increasing the number of residents within walking distance
who eat at the restaurant, Acapulco hopes to make up for the number
lost to limited parking.

An agreement with valet company Parking Management Services is
being considered as another way of dealing with the loss of the
nearby lot.

The valet service would park customer’s cars at another
nearby parking lot so that visitors wouldn’t have to make the
long walk.

One possibility is an office complex’s parking lot that is
full during the day but mostly unoccupied after employees leave at
5 p.m.

“We need to find parking spaces. They asked me for a
solution and I’m trying to provide it,” said Gustavo
Garcia, president of Parking Management Services.

He said he has contacted Standard Parking, the company that owns
the space, to work out an agreement.

“Basically what I’m waiting for is an answer from
Standard Parking to see if they have any space availability,”
he said.

A valet service that would provide parking for businesses in the
nearby vicinity of the parking lot was originally planned, but
since nothing has yet come forth, Acapulco is currently looking to
Parking Management Services to provide customers parking in the
meantime, Dao said.

Westwood Brewing Company is taking the same path to dealing with
the closure of the nearby parking lot.

“We’re going to start doing valet parking this week,
if not next week. People can just come to the front door and pay
three to four dollars to have their car parked,” said Vernie
Garcia, a manager at Westwood Brewing Company.

When completed, Palazzo Westwood, which is anticipated to open
in 2007, would have its own parking spaces and offer two hours of
free parking for Village shoppers for a year, Katz said.

“We hope to build it as quickly as possible and create a
great asset for the Village,” he said.

Not all businesses have felt a squeeze on their profits during
construction. Some say Palazzo Westwood will bring them unexpected
customers.

“Westwood does have pretty bad traffic, but the
construction will be good for us because construction workers like
pizza,” said Andrew Gordon, manager of Enzo’s
Pizzeria.

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