Same Old Arguments
The 2 most persuasive arguments for supporting the Woo selection may be the ones that were originally criticized.
City Hall retains unusually tight control over the developer.
Secondly, the city is bragging about a savings that may or may not be in the $10 million range that Agency co-chair Scott Malsin repeatedly has mentioned.
This is not dissimilar to the $4 million to $7 million in annual savings that City Manager Jerry Fulwood has promised the City Council once the infrastructure of City Hall is reconfigured.
When I see the money, I will abandon my skepticism. Not before.
A Handful of Savings
Today, it is only projected. It is appealing-sounding conjecture. But still conjecture. My bank does not accept conjecture, even with a deposit slip.
Savings is a nebulous but euphonious term, something like honeymoon nest. But it is not necessarily married to truth.
It lives on paper, not inside a wallet. With that mystical $10 million, I cannot go out and buy a piece of property. Or even a gumdrop. But, it retains strong public relations value.
Look What I Saved
I am reminded of the wife who came home and boasted that she saved $1,000. She bought a dress for $8,000 instead of $9,000. Couldnt we have saved $8,000 if you had just kept watching television?
Once the Washington-Centinela project is built, let us cynics see if it is anywhere close to $10 million
Neighbors are against the Agencys decision because they have been eyewitnesses to 13 years of extreme hands-off stewardship.
Believing Your Eyes
All that the west Culver City surrounding neighborhood knows about the Woos is what they have seen with their increasingly disappointed eyes:
The 9 businesses forming the cornerstone of the northwest corner were condemned and leveled by the city a few weeks ago because the Woos allowed the acre of property to decay.
Even the Woos attorney, Peter Wallin, admitted to the Agency on Monday night that the corner long since had become an eyesore. Now wasnt that curious?
Shes a Beaut? Oh, Really?
Mr. Wallins admission seemed the equivalent of publicly confessing yes, your big sister is not just unattractive but noticeably so.
Everyone in the room, then, concurs that the Woo brothers who are building a 12-story project in downtown Los Angeles were lousy landlords in Culver City.
Nobody Here on the Dole
On the plus side: The family is wealthy. They wont be dining at Wendys or Dennys on a have-to basis anytime soon.
They have major property holdings across Los Angeles.
The wherewithal is in place, and so is the building talent. The lone remaining question is about their will.
Ones will is probably the most fascinating but under-rated aspect of every personality on earth.
Has Anyone Seen the Woos?
It is true, Joe Susca, the redevelopment project manager for the Community Development Dept. at City Hall, said this morning, that not only did the Woos allow their high-profile west Culver City property to rot, they themselves have not been around to oversee the decline.
They have been totally uninvolved in this community, which is not a problem for a landowner unless his property looks like a twin for Slumtown.
The Citys Reasoning
Why the Woos? we have asked a few times.
Timing, said Mr. Susca, who specializes in succinct responses.
The Woos were standing on their corner, watching all the girls go by, just as the heavily hyped several-year-old deal with the developer the Olson Co. was falling through at City Hall.
We, said the 4 Woo brothers, more or less in unison, are eager to develop this property, which you have condemned and razed.
A Show of Hands?
Presto, a deal was made. With no other developer in sight, by default, the city nominated the Woos over the booing of surrounding residents, who do not want them.
It should be mentioned that the Woos did not reveal their so- called eagerness to be the developer until their plight at Washington-Centinela became a fait accompli. That is, until the property was slipping through their fingers. It has not yet. But it will if the brothers fail to meet all conditions cited in the 6-month exclusive negotiating agreement.
Room for Skepticism
Residents should take this stern-faced warning to the Woo brothers with 10 drops of skepticism.
City Hall has not been an exacting, micromanaging parent in these situations in recent times.
On the other hand, noted Mr. Susca, the Woos have a deep record in Los Angeles of not surrendering any property once purchased.
The Leash Is Short
Constraints are in place to prevent another boondoggle, City Hall is convinced, I have an awful lot of control over the Woos, Mr. Susca said.
Given the brothers shaky history of upkeep of their properties, the 6-month agreement calls for them to develop and implement a closely- watched plan for maintenance and upkeep. In another unusual term of the agreement, City Hall has a say over which tenants will be accepted over the next 10 years.
If the Woos falter over any line in the detailed agreement, the city pledges it will step in. We shall see.
The Business Lineup
Finally, here is a glance at what commercial shape the two northerly corners of Washington- Centinela may take in the next several years.
These are the tenants we discussed with Olson that the community found desirable, Mr. Susca said. We intend to pursue them as well as others for both the northwest and northeast corners.
Tenants for Site A: Former US Liquor. 8,000 s.f.
Restaurants, Eateries & Food
Uses like
Breakfast & More:
Doughboys (Third Street in Hollywood)
Quality (Third Street in Hollywood)
Russells (Old Pasadena)
Swingers (Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood)
The Griddle (Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood)
Toast (Third Street in Hollywood)
Delis:
Arts (Studio City)
Langers (Downtown)
Hershels (San Diego)
Eateries & Sandwich Shops:
Café 50s (Santa Monica Boulevard in West L.A.)
Cheebo (Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood)
Corner Bakery (national)
Fred 62 (Los Feliz)
Gaucho Grill (various locations)
Hugos (two locations: West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks)
Jamba Juice or Robeks
Joans on Third (Third Street near the Beverly Center)
Le Pain Quoditien (various locations)
Louises Trattoria (various locations)
Panera Bakery (various locations)
Pasta Pomodoro (various locations)
The Pantry (Silverlake)
The Pig (La Brea & City Walk)
Zankou Chicken (Los Feliz, Pasadena)
Zekes Smokehouse (Montrose)
Potential retailers behind:
Uses like
Aaahs Cards and Gifts (Sunset Boulevard)
Birkenstock (various locations)
Color Me Mine (various locations)
Cooks Library (Third Street in Hollywood)
Distant Lands (travel bookstore Old Pasadena)
Dungarees (mens and womens casual in Studio City)
Free Hand (gifts on Third Street in Hollywood)
Handmade (Sherman Oaks)
Illume (handmade candles on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood)
Lemon Tree Bungalow (gifts on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood)
Siany (Sherman Oaks Fashion Square & The Grove)
Simply Fresh (San Marino)
Splash (various locations)
Skylight Books (on Vermont in Los Feliz)
The Rag Factory (Third Street Promenade)
Site B: Former Shell Gas Station/flower shop. 4,000 s.f.
Bakeries:
Uses like
Clementine (Century City)
Euro Pane (Pasadena, near Caltech)
Portos (Glendale)
Ice Cream/Desserts:
21 Choices (Old Pasadena and Claremont)
Diddy Riese Cookies (Westwood)
Eiger Ice Cream (Brentwood)
Ghirardelli (various locations)
Mashti Malones (La Brea)
Soda Jerks (Old Pasadena)
Sweet Lady Jane (Melrose)
Tutti Gelati (Old Pasadena)
White table cloth:
Café Marmalade (various locations)
Pane e Vino (Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood)
(This category demands a unique approach, as often chefs need to be contacted directly. A good example would be Joes in Venice.)
Wine & Cheese/Gourmet:
Cheese Store of Beverly Hills (Beverly Drive)
Cheese Store of Silverlake (Sunset Boulevard)
Heritage Wine (on Raymond in Old Pasadena)
Monsieur Marcel (gourmet emporium at Farmers Market)
Say Cheese (Hyperion in Silverlake)
Wallys Wine & Spirits (gift baskets in Westwood)
