Funds OKd for Village Make-Over

For almost a decade, it seems, Westwood Village’s problems have been as vexing as Wilshire Boulevard traffic at rush hour.

First, there were the long-term leases that began to expire in the early 1980s, forcing out some tenants who could not--or would not--pay higher rents.

Then came the competition from new or redesigned shopping plazas--Westside Pavilion, Century City Shopping Center and the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

The recession took its toll on several Westwood merchants. And finally, several well-publicized rampages by youths marred the area’s reputation as a quaint and tranquil place to spend an evening.

Now, after years of shrinking crowds and declining revenues, Westwood business leaders and city officials believe the village is poised for a turnaround.

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council earmarked $600,000 as seed money for the make-over of the once-bustling promenade of theaters and shops. The money, to be transferred from a special Westwood parking fund, will go to a nonprofit corporation specifically formed to oversee the village’s revitalization.

Under the plan, the funds will cover the operating expenses for the next three years of the Westwood Village Management Corp., which will lease an office and hire an executive director. The director’s appointment could be announced as early as next week.

The city tax money is to be repaid through a special assessment on property owners in the village.

“The council’s action was exactly what we’d hoped for,” said Elliot Lewis, a major Westwood real estate owner and co-owner of Paramount Security Corp., a real estate investment and management company. “It will be a shot in the arm for Westwood.”

The council’s appropriation represents the city’s latest commitment to returning the village to its former glory--the days when shoppers crowded stores and long lines snaked outside the area’s large movie houses, when no one worried about safety.

Today, amid the increased competition and problems with crime and traffic, Westwood Village has seen business plummet. At last count, more than 40 of its nearly 400 stores were out of business. And those that remain have been increasingly hurt by a lack of customers, according to Hilary Gibson, president of the Westwood Village Assn.

“This may have been the best holiday season in five years for shopping malls. It was the worst for Westwood,” Gibson said.

Like other Westwood business owners, Gibson said she is banking on the city’s assistance and the management corporation’s formation to turn the village around. “You can just say goodby to Westwood if we don’t get some help,” she said.

Previously, the council allocated $499,000 from the parking fund for design and construction drawings of the redesigned village--one that will include new landscaping, lighting and sidewalks to make the area safer and more alluring.

Still, the latest appropriation is seen as pivotal to the village’s future, since it will take the project from the design stage to implementation, allowing the nonprofit management company to immediately find an office and staff.

“To get things done, you have to have someone working 24 hours a day,” Lewis said. “You need to have someone who can hear the concerns of the village, who can hear the concerns of the merchants and the homeowners and work with everyone to make things happen.”

Although other cities, including Santa Monica, have successfully relied on outside management companies in planning major commercial projects, the use of such a firm in Westwood represents a first for Los Angeles.