Health Club Denied Permission to Open
A Westwood health club that local homeowner groups protested would ruin the village’s attempt to revitalize a high-end retail corridor has been denied permission to open.
A city zoning administrator ruled last week that Better Bodies, which has leased space in a 21-story building on Glendon Avenue, could not get a variance to convert the space into a health club. In his ruling, Associate Zoning Administrator Horace Tramel noted the community opposition and agreed that it could derail the village’s comeback.
Local residents argued that the private gym was not permitted under the Westwood Village Specific Plan, a land-use document that regulates development in the neighborhood, and many expressed concern that the gym would ruin attempts to create a pedestrian-oriented shopping district.
“It’s not the kind of use we would want on street level,” said Harriet Miller, president of the Westwood Hills Property Owners.
Tom Wilson, the owner of the gym, has until March 31 to appeal the ruling.
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