Construction has begun on a new retirement community approximately one mile from campus that is geared toward UCLA faculty, staff, and their parents.
The six-story, 162-unit building is set to be completed in July 2009 and will be called the Belmont Village Westwood, said Eddie Murphy, director of the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center. Belmont Village is the corporation constructing and leasing the community, and is also providing all of its funding.
The facility is not affiliated with the university and is the first of its kind in the UC system.
In addition to retired UCLA faculty and staff, the Belmont Village Westwood will be open to parents of current faculty and staff, Murphy said.
“There’s been a great response from emeriti and retirees, and we’ve had several current faculty and staff express interest on behalf of their parents,” she said.
Lew Leeburg, the current committee chairman of the project, described the Belmont Village Westwood as a “small room in a mansion” catering to individual resident’s needs.
“The facility will have three levels, one for independent living, one for assisted living, and a small dementia unit,” Leeburg said.
He added that the community’s proximity to the university will help retain faculty and staff.
“UCLA can’t always pay as much as other institutions in terms of bringing in notable faculty, which is why we need to offer other benefits like a retirement community,” he said.
The idea for a community of UCLA-affiliated retirees started in 2001, when a committee conducted a survey of faculty and staff and asked whether they wanted to retire close to campus, Murphy said.
“There has been demand for such a community for over 20 years, and about 5 years ago we decided to create a committee and find a site,” said Ed Retzler, the former chairman of the committee.
Retzler said the committee decided to partner with the Belmont Village corporation because it is a subsidiary of General Electric and has solid financial backing, in contrast to other nursing homes that Retzler said are chronically underfunded.
“I live in Palos Verdes and I’ve seen the Belmont Village community at work here with great results,” he said.
Other amenities that will be offered at the Belmont Village Westwood include 21 meals a week, licensed on-site nurses around the clock and a regular shuttle going back and forth to UCLA, Leeburg said.
Leeburg added that despite the high cost of leasing a site in Westwood, the committee wanted a location where retired community members could maintain close ties with UCLA.
“We may have planned activities for residents to see shows at Royce Hall, go to basketball games, and interact with academic departments,” he said.
Murphy said she hopes the relationship between Belmont Village Westwood and UCLA will foster regular communication between academic departments and residents.
“For instance, the dental school could build a small facility in Belmont Village Westwood and connect retired faculty and their knowledge to current students,” Murphy said.