Westwood Village Improvement Association recap – Jan. 19

The Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID, is a nonprofit organization tasked with improving the state of Westwood Village. Property and business owners created the association in 2011 to provide Westwood Village with functions the city of Los Angeles could not provide. Its board of directors meets monthly.

• Executive director Andrew Thomas said Adrienne Walden resigned from the board because she had been promoted at her job at Douglas Emmett, Inc.
• Thomas said he informed property owners in Westwood Village about a service from Phantom Galleries, which installs pop-up art galleries in vacant retail and restaurant spaces in an effort to promote those spaces.
• Thomas also said a mid-block crosswalk is under construction on Westwood Boulevard between Weyburn and Kinross avenues. He said the city will install a traffic light there by mid-February. He added the west side of Westwood Boulevard between Le Conte and Weyburn avenues will be repaved, as part of the Great Streets program.
• The association’s Parking, Access and Transportation Committee discussed a program at its last meeting that would allow the association to install street signs to promote private parking lots, Thomas said. He added the association is looking into starting a partnership with private parking lots that would charge visitors a flat parking rate of $5 after 5 p.m.
• Thomas said they accepted applications for a new program to help homeless individuals in Westwood Village. He said they received two applications: one from a new bidder and another from People Assisting the Homeless, the current program provider.
• Vice Chair Jim Brooks said the Clean, Safe and Beautiful Committee discussed its goals for the year at its last meeting. The committee plans to improve sidewalks, install recycling bins, increase tree trimming and continuing to work to install a plaza.
• Chair Jessica Dabney read the Business Attraction and Retention Committee’s goals for the year, which included sponsoring more events, starting the Specific Plan Committee and promoting business during the holidays.
• Since there were not enough board members at the meeting to reach a quorum, the board could not vote whether to sponsor the Westwood Los Angeles Council District 5 debate Feb. 21 between incumbent Paul Koretz and challengers Jesse Creed and Mark Herd.