Some entrepreneurs say that whether or not this is the project that will lead to mass restructuring, it will happen someday.
“Curious” is the mood of the moment, one business owner in the center of the targeted neighborhood told thefrontpageonline.com on Friday.
As outlined in a recent letter from the Redevelopment Agency to property and business owners, the envisioned span of redevelopment would start at the northern terminus, the corner of Sawtelle and South Sepulveda, and follow a southerly path to Jefferson, turning west and extending to Slauson.
Lots of Lots Run Deep
Perhaps fifty businesses could be affected.
“A great deal of land is involved,” said one owner who has operated for years in the neighborhood that first blossomed a half century ago.
“Lots on this side of Sepulveda run very deep, about a hundred and eighty feet. We have excellent parking in the back.”
Another property owner, who loves the neighborhood, remarked that “the real trouble is, this land, for the most part, has not been improved since the early 1950s.”
According to the letter from the Redevelopment Agency, the land would be divided into two parcels, from Berryman (site of the Fire Station) south to Slauson, and then from Berryman north to Sawtelle.
This long-range project was not Agency inspired. Agency officials said that they had been contacted by a developer who has a vision.
‘As I understand the plan from the letter,” one recipient said, “the developer would fund the studies to determine the feasibility of redeveloping the whole area. But it was not clear whether he would develop portions or would need all of the land to start with.
“The developer sent us a letter saying that if we wanted to participate, we should get back to him so he can make a judgment.”
More intrigued than either optimistic or pessimistic, the owner said that if the new project is built, “we probably will be invited back once it is completed. The question is, at what price?”
How Much Rents Will Soar
Admittedly he was speculating about the amount, but he estimated that rents in the new arrangement would double.
Who would leave and who would stay?
“I would think,” he added, “that the more affluent businesses definitely would come back. The smaller ones probably would decide to move on.”
At this moment, no resistance is in sight.
“This neighborhood needs revitalization,” a businessman said. “It’s getting old. I don’t know if seedy is the right word. But it needs to be freshened up.
“This property is underbuilt for the Westside of Los Angeles,” a term he proceeded to define.
“You have old-type businesses,” he said. “You have storefronts that maybe don’t represent the best-looking sides to Culver City.
“You have good businesses that have been here for a lot of years. They aren’t the trendy, upscale businesses that are hot today, like, say, Starbucks.
“The look that we have is not the image that an ambitious city would like visitors to see.”
