Board considers several proposals to improve business in Westwood Village

Westwood Village business and property owners are considering several proposals that they hope will improve business in the district, including dismantling multiple six-way crosswalks, adding a new crosswalk on Westwood Boulevard and revamping the Broxton Avenue parking structure.

The Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the Business Improvement District, met Thursday to discuss recommendations from consultant Rob York. The BID hired York about four months ago because of his experience as a consultant for Santa Monica’s popular Third Street Promenade, said Megan Furey, the BID’s marketing and communications manager.

The meeting consisted of the association’s 13-member Board of Directors, mostly property owners and stakeholders throughout Westwood, and about 25 members of the public, a mix of Westwood business tenants and neighborhood residents.

The BID is a nonprofit organization tasked with improving the state of Westwood Village. The organization hires maintenance crews to clean sidewalks and trim trees, and it offers public service ambassadors who patrol streets and assist police. It also addresses parking issues and has developed a brand for the Village.

York said he thinks competition from newer malls has drawn customers away from Westwood Village, and prospective businesses are turned off by the Village’s reputation as the demise of a once-great shopping center. Vacancies abound throughout the Village’s business district, and many restaurants close during prime times for college students, he added.

York said he has spent the past few months talking with various members of Westwood’s business community, identifying what he thinks are major problems in Westwood.

After stakeholders questioned the cost of his proposals, York said the city, L.A. Metro and UCLA could be sources of financial assistance, especially in the form of grants.

The first issue to tackle, York said, would be aging infrastructure in the Village, beginning with sidewalks, crosswalks and lights.

York said he thinks Westwood should construct another crosswalk on Westwood Boulevard – in the middle of the Village – because it is the main retail center, but shoppers cannot cross the street for a 600-feet stretch.

York also said he thinks officials should dismantle the six-way crosswalk because he says he does not think it increases efficiency for both pedestrians and cars. York also said he thinks the Village needs safer bike lanes and Westwood officials need to better collaborate with public transportation agencies to better support pedestrians.

As a second priority, York said he thinks Westwood officials should prioritize making parking in the Village more convenient and accessible.

He said he wants to see the Broxton parking structure revamped with more convenient hours on the weekends and evenings. He said he thinks the structure needs a prettier facade, nicer decoration and places nearby for outdoor dining.

York also proposed the creation of public space in the Village for street performances and gatherings.

To attract new tenants and revamp the businesses that are already here, he said he thinks the BID will need to step up and act as an organized property management group.

York said he thinks that encouraging more businesses to stay open in the evenings and weekends is critical to Westwood’s livelihood, especially because of its proximity to such a huge university.

While many people at the meeting said they supported York’s proposals, some small business owners said they felt that their voice had not been heard.

“I know most of the small merchants in the Village, and I don’t know any that (York) has talked to,” said Philip Gabriel, owner of Scrubs Unlimited, a medical supply store on Weyburn Avenue. “It seems like he only talked to the major property owners.”

York only had time to discuss four of his 10 proposals during Thursday’s meeting. The next six are scheduled to be discussed on Dec. 11 at the BID’s next meeting.