Thursday, 5/22/97 Construction over summer aims to revitalize
village Merchants worry about loss of business during closure, but
excited about future
By Rachel Munoz Daily Bruin Contributor "Westwood Village is
getting a facelift!" announces a brochure rendering what the
village hopes to look like after the improvements of the
Streetscape Project. Until its scheduled finish in the fall of
1997, construction barricades will continue to block many village
areas, including Broxton Avenue, which absorbs a large part of the
work. Having taken over a decade to prepare, construction of the
Streetscape Project finally began this past April. The project is
divided into three zones and will be worked on at alternating times
from now until October. The reason for such drastic construction in
the village is simply revitalization, according to Bob Walsh,
executive director of the Westwood Village Community Alliance. "The
project is well embraced and needed as one of the components of the
revitalization of Westwood," Walsh said. The first zone consists of
sidewalk repairs and decorative crosswalks at the Weyburn Avenue
and Westwood Boulevard intersection. Zone one also consists of new
sidewalks on Broxton Avenue. The construction in this zone is
scheduled to be completed by mid-May. Stretching from mid-May to
mid-July, construction on the Westwood Boulevard, Kinross Avenue
and Broxton Avenue intersection will compose zone two. As with zone
one, decorative crosswalks will accompany pedestrian plazas and
sidewalk repairs. In the last scheduled phase, from mid-July
through September, zone three will concentrate on the installation
of Broxton Avenue sidewalks and the street. A complete pedestrian
plaza on the north side of Kinross Avenue will also be a part of
this zone. In September, cosmetic changes including Chinese flame
trees, street furniture and historic lightposts will be added
throughout the village. The concern for many merchants with zone
three is the temporary closure of Broxton Avenue from all vehicular
traffic, which began yesterday. However, the alley parallel to
Broxton, between Gayley and Broxton, will remain open. In addition,
the parking lot on Broxton will also remain available for use. More
signs will be put up on Weyburn Avenue pointing out the open
parking lot and alley to "minimize the inconvenience to visitors
and merchants," Walsh says. "The focal point with Broxton is to
make it a pedestrian-friendly place," said Lauren Sager, a field
deputy for Councilman Michael Feuer’s office. However, many store
owners found that their businesses began suffering even before the
closure of the street. Stan Shane, owner of Shane’s Jewelry, says
that his business outside of UCLA’s students and faculty has gone
down since construction began. "Construction has effected
everybody," he explained. "Access to Broxton Avenue is difficult.
It has hurt us with the outside business." Jerry’s Famous Deli has
also encountered the same problem. Ruth Prince, assistant to the
chief executive officer explained that people just don’t want to
make the effort to come to Jerry’s. "It’s pretty sad," she said.
"But we just have to stick with it." Although Prince is concerned
with the current status of the restaurant, she is looking forward
to the finished product of the street. "(The construction) is
temporary and it will be to everyone’s benefit in the end," she
stated. Aah’s store owner Jack Bhasin also sees the amount of
business dropping, but he is positive about what the project will
do for the village. "I think what is going on is good. The street
will have more activity," Bhasin said. "But it will get worse
before it gets better. Business is going to suffer for the next few
months." The Westwood Village Community Alliance understands the
worries that the businesses are going through. "Are there concerns?
Sure there are concerns," Walsh explained. "But the businesses are
riding it out." Walsh believes a significant portion of the worst
is over though he warns that there may be things that pop up
because of the 50-year-old underground infrastructure. He added
that the Community Alliance is very concerned about the disruption
that the village is going through. Sager explained that the
merchants have had some concerns but things are moving relatively
nicely. "We have worked with them (the merchants)," she said.
"There have been some suggestions they’ve made to change scheduling
but everything has been working really smoothly." With all projects
of this nature, one concern lies in the estimated time frame for
completion. Walsh assures that the project has no intention of
lasting longer than its estimated finishing time. "The project is
moving according to schedule. We have every indication that they
will meet that time frame," he explained. Though the $4 million
project seems to be constructing more than just decorative
sidewalks, the city is anxious about its finish. "The project is
really working to beautify the Westwood area," Sager said. "We are
very excited." "Construction has effected everybody. It has hurt us
with the outside business." Stan Shane Shane’s Jewelry owner "I
think what is going on is good. But … business is going to suffer
for the next few months." Jack Bhasin Aah’s store owner