Critics fear mall’s growth means gridlock
A proposed expansion of Sherman Oaks’ Westfield Fashion Square that would increase the mall’s size by one-third is prompting criticism from area officials and homeowners who fear the project would worsen chronic weekend traffic jams.
Mall tenants and area residents said traffic consistently clogs the intersection at Woodman Avenue and Riverside Drive, near the mall’s entrance. The gridlock snakes from the Woodman Avenue exit on the 101 Freeway to the mall parking lot, said Tamar Samerjian, who is a store manager at Gianni Leather and works weekends at the mall.
“It’s not much better in the parking lot either,” Samerjian said, adding that in December, she got in a car accident in the lot when a vehicle backed into hers. “Thank God for valet during the holidays because I can’t deal with it on the weekends then.”
The mall’s valet service runs only during the holidays, mall officials said, so Samerjian can’t rely on that for the next eight months.
“I’m not sure if the expansion is such a great idea,” Samerjian said. “Bigger isn’t always better.”
The $200-million proposal would add 80 stores to its 120 that include its two anchors, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.
The Westfield Group, the mall’s owner, submitted its proposal to the city of Los Angeles in January, requesting a 280,000-square-foot expansion on its current 867,000-square-foot configuration, said Katy Dickey, Westfield’s executive vice president of corporate communications.
The plan includes a five-story parking structure, more landscaping and four sit-down restaurants that would double the food court’s size.
It also would add retail space on previously undeveloped land on the south side of the center near the 101 Freeway.
Richard H. Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., said that his group wasn’t made aware of the proposal until a month after it was submitted and that the company had made no changes after hearing the group’s requests.
“I was shocked to see they have no plan for now, during construction or after construction on how to deal with traffic,” Close said.
Westfield intends to build a parking structure near the Macy’s entrance that would be accessed from Riverside Drive.
It also would add a traffic light at that entrance. Traffic signals in the area would be synchronized.
Close’s group wants Westfield to submit to an environmental impact report to determine how to fix traffic problems now and in the future.
“If they saw it as we see it, it’s a win-win situation if they fix the traffic problem,” Close said. “But Westfield wants to stick their head in the sand and hope the city will solve the problems at taxpayers’ expense.”
Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, whose district includes Sherman Oaks, said it would probably be a month before the city decided whether to allow the plan to move forward. If final approval is granted, construction will take two to three years to complete.
“Westfield has been forthcoming throughout the process,” Greuel said, adding that an informal committee of representatives from her office, Westfield and the homeowners group has been created to debate the proposal in the meantime.
She expects public hearings to be held.
Greuel, who has been shopping at the mall since childhood, said traffic in the area has worsened over time and become a nuisance to the neighborhood as it clogs main thoroughfares in peak travel times.
“The way it’s already designed is a disaster,” said Greuel, who is chairwoman of the city’s Transportation Committee. “So we don’t want to worsen the problem when there’s an opportunity to improve it.”
Matthew M. May, president of Encino-based May Realty Advisors, called Westfield’s plans to expand a smart move because the company has successfully revamped its mall businesses in Canoga Park, Century City and Woodland Hills.
“Westfield sees the opportunity to solidify itself as the premier mall in the Sherman Oaks area, which is underserved,” said May, who has no business with the mall. “They’ve already quashed any competition in the area.”
The Australia-based company with 121 shopping centers worldwide, including 59 in the U.S., has become the dominant mall company in Southern California, he said.
“Malls are now looking toward giving their shoppers the ultimate experience, with restaurants, theaters and family gathering spots, like the Grove has,” May said. “So Fashion Square is depressing right now, honestly, and needs to expand to survive and thrive.”
On a recent afternoon, shoppers and mall workers offered mixed reactions, but most said they understood the apprehension in coming to the mall on weekends because of clogged roadways.
“I come during the week to do my business here when it’s quieter,” said shopper Shirley Russell of Granada Hills. “I think it’s a good idea to fix up the mall, but I still won’t come on the weekends if it’s still a hassle.”
Angie Long, assistant manager at Piercing Pagoda, said more traffic wouldn’t be an issue if the city and Westfield developed better intersections and a larger parking garage.
“I think it’s a good trade-off in expanding the mall so more business will come in and shoppers have more variety,” Long said. “What mall in L.A. isn’t crazy on the weekends anyway?”
