--- [ LOS ANGELES ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=312) # Westfield Village: West San Fernando Valley is ‘Fielding’ the Greed JUST THE FACTS-Westfield Corporation spent $350 million on the development and construction of the Westfield Village in the West San Fernando Valley community of Woodland Hills to benefit the people in the San Fernando Valley and, of course, as an economic boost for their own company. With all the upscale dining establishments and numerous stores, including a brand new Costco, the concept was intended to create jobs and be a destination for shopping and relaxation for Valley residents and visitors. There are very few cultural spots in the West Valley; the “Village” was designed to fill the gap. But there are problems. First of all, there is the **paid parking** situation. For the entire Village. While you can receive one courtesy hour free, additional time (three hours) must be obtained from either the Costco or another establishment. However, some shops don’t provide any validation at all for their customers. As you can imagine, most people who shop at Costco purchase large quantities of merchandise and roll their shopping cart to the parking lot. Unfortunately, many Costco shoppers must park on the upper level of the multi-story parking structure and then struggle to get to their cars and load their items before driving away. This is inconvenient for most shoppers who, once arriving at their vehicles, must follow long lines to exit the parking structure. If you forget to get your parking ticket validated, you must pay to exit the lot. For this reason alone, many Costco shoppers have informed me that they prefer other Costco locations in the Valley such as the ones on Tampa and on Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys. In addition to the tiered parking situation, Westfield operators want to charge for parking along the surface lot adjacent to Topanga Canyon Blvd. This is taking advantage of the good people of the San Fernando Valley; no other shopping center in the entire Valley charges for parking. I suggest that Westfield re-examine its parking policies. They should provide free parking for shoppers willing to visit their centers and spend money. One of the first businesses to open at Westfield Village has already closed its doors. I had the opportunity to meet the family that owned and ran the dessert shop, “Confexion.” They invested a large sum of money and hoped to make it work. Unfortunately, the store did not do well and closed shortly after opening, a sad situation since they put their heart and soul into the venture, in addition to a considerable amount of money. Given the expensive rents and other costs associated with Westfield Village, I project that more stores will close in the near future. The Westfield Corporation purchased a large segment of property along Topanga Canyon Blvd between Vanowen and Oxnard, buying all the existing stores, investing considerable dollars to improve the neighborhood. Their next phase of development is the Promenade site on the southern end of the property. Currently, there are homeless people residing in this mostly abandoned shopping center. Rumors are circulating that Westfield intends to develop hundreds of residential units, both apartments and condos, as well as some retail on the site. The surrounding neighborhood has become more and more congested with large condos and multi-story apartments. And as road become more crowded, additional market rate residential units will only cause more gridlock and frustration for the public. I am considering filing a court action if Westfield proceeds with the housing development. I welcome your thoughts and ideas on this controversial situation. And I wish everyone a very Happy New Year. *(Dennis P. Zine is a 33 year member of the Los Angeles Police Department and former Vice-Chairman of the Elected Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission, 12 year member of the Los Angeles City Council and current LAPD Reserve Officer. He writes* Just the Facts *for* CityWatch*. You can contact him at* [***Zman8910@aol.com***](mailto:Zman8910@aol.com)*) Photo at top:* LA Times*. Edited for* CityWatch *by Linda Abrams.* -cw CityWatch Vol 14 Issue 1 Pub: Jan 1, 2016 Written by Dennis P. Zine. December 30 2015 [](https://www.addtoany.com/share) [Comments](#disqus_thread) JUST THE FACTS-Westfield Corporation spent $350 million on the development and construction of the Westfield Village in the West San Fernando Valley community of Woodland Hills to benefit the people in the San Fernando Valley and, of course, as an economic boost for their own company. With all the upscale dining establishments and numerous stores, including a brand new Costco, the concept was intended to create jobs and be a destination for shopping and relaxation for Valley residents and visitors. There are very few cultural spots in the West Valley; the “Village” was designed to fill the gap. But there are problems. First of all, there is the **paid parking** situation. For the entire Village. While you can receive one courtesy hour free, additional time (three hours) must be obtained from either the Costco or another establishment. However, some shops don’t provide any validation at all for their customers. As you can imagine, most people who shop at Costco purchase large quantities of merchandise and roll their shopping cart to the parking lot. Unfortunately, many Costco shoppers must park on the upper level of the multi-story parking structure and then struggle to get to their cars and load their items before driving away. This is inconvenient for most shoppers who, once arriving at their vehicles, must follow long lines to exit the parking structure. If you forget to get your parking ticket validated, you must pay to exit the lot. For this reason alone, many Costco shoppers have informed me that they prefer other Costco locations in the Valley such as the ones on Tampa and on Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys. In addition to the tiered parking situation, Westfield operators want to charge for parking along the surface lot adjacent to Topanga Canyon Blvd. This is taking advantage of the good people of the San Fernando Valley; no other shopping center in the entire Valley charges for parking. I suggest that Westfield re-examine its parking policies. They should provide free parking for shoppers willing to visit their centers and spend money. One of the first businesses to open at Westfield Village has already closed its doors. I had the opportunity to meet the family that owned and ran the dessert shop, “Confexion.” They invested a large sum of money and hoped to make it work. Unfortunately, the store did not do well and closed shortly after opening, a sad situation since they put their heart and soul into the venture, in addition to a considerable amount of money. Given the expensive rents and other costs associated with Westfield Village, I project that more stores will close in the near future. The Westfield Corporation purchased a large segment of property along Topanga Canyon Blvd between Vanowen and Oxnard, buying all the existing stores, investing considerable dollars to improve the neighborhood. Their next phase of development is the Promenade site on the southern end of the property. Currently, there are homeless people residing in this mostly abandoned shopping center. Rumors are circulating that Westfield intends to develop hundreds of residential units, both apartments and condos, as well as some retail on the site. The surrounding neighborhood has become more and more congested with large condos and multi-story apartments. And as road become more crowded, additional market rate residential units will only cause more gridlock and frustration for the public. I am considering filing a court action if Westfield proceeds with the housing development. I welcome your thoughts and ideas on this controversial situation. And I wish everyone a very Happy New Year. *(Dennis P. Zine is a 33 year member of the Los Angeles Police Department and former Vice-Chairman of the Elected Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission, 12 year member of the Los Angeles City Council and current LAPD Reserve Officer. He writes* Just the Facts *for* CityWatch*. You can contact him at* [***Zman8910@aol.com***](mailto:Zman8910@aol.com)*) Photo at top:* LA Times*. Edited for* CityWatch *by Linda Abrams.* -cw CityWatch Vol 14 Issue 1 Pub: Jan 1, 2016 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)") ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png) ## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays Name [ ![Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/HHR/AHF-rent-too-high.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/104 "Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2") --- ## Featured CityWatch Stories [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/d8/066m-d8f0fac6.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33229:democrats-finally-tell-iowa-and-new-hampshire-you-dont-go-first-anymore&catid=395) ### [Democrats Finally Tell Iowa and New Hampshire: You Don’t Go First Anymore](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33229:democrats-finally-tell-iowa-and-new-hampshire-you-dont-go-first-anymore&catid=395) GELFAND’S WORLD - Earlier in the week, the Democratic National Committee did something good. Mind you it wasn’t great… [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/da/066j-daf22e28.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33231:a-prisoner-a-peacemaker-and-israels-defining-choice&catid=375) ### [A Prisoner, A Peacemaker, and Israel’s Defining Choice](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33231:a-prisoner-a-peacemaker-and-israels-defining-choice&catid=375) P.O.V - Marwan Barghouti remains one of the most consequential—and controversial—figures in the Israeli-Palestinian con… [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/e3/067m-e39a930e.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33250:missing-middle-la-city-plannings-new-approach-to-attainable-housing&catid=429) ### [Missing Middle. LA City Planning’s New Approach to “Attainable” Housing](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33250:missing-middle-la-city-plannings-new-approach-to-attainable-housing&catid=429) MY TAKE - As if Sacramento’s relentless parade of housing-streamlining legislation hasn’t disrupted Los Angeles neighbo… [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/65/066n-6599ca07.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33228:lausd-demolishes-closed-schools-wasting-public-assets-and-community-hopes&catid=312) ### [LAUSD Demolishes Closed Schools, Wasting Public Assets and Community Hopes](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33228:lausd-demolishes-closed-schools-wasting-public-assets-and-community-hopes&catid=312) NICK'S VIEW - We are appalled that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is demolishing closed schools in the… [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/84/066h-84a1ecbd.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33234:homelessness-among-seniors-spikes-in-los-angeles-county-but-its-not-hopeless&catid=312) ### [Homelessness Among Seniors Spikes in Los Angeles County, But It’s Not Hopeless](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33234:homelessness-among-seniors-spikes-in-los-angeles-county-but-its-not-hopeless&catid=312) SENIOR HOUSING - Near the very end of the report for the most recent Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, there’s a stat… --- ## [ LOS ANGELES ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=312) [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/066o.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33239:why-some-los-angeles-car-accident-claims-become-harder-to-prove&catid=312)### [Why Some Los Angeles Car Accident Claims Become Harder to Prove](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33239:why-some-los-angeles-car-accident-claims-become-harder-to-prove&catid=312) [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/066n.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33228:lausd-demolishes-closed-schools-wasting-public-assets-and-community-hopes&catid=312)### [LAUSD Demolishes Closed Schools, Wasting Public Assets and Community Hopes](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33228:lausd-demolishes-closed-schools-wasting-public-assets-and-community-hopes&catid=312) [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/066h.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33234:homelessness-among-seniors-spikes-in-los-angeles-county-but-its-not-hopeless&catid=312)### [Homelessness Among Seniors Spikes in Los Angeles County, But It’s Not Hopeless](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33234:homelessness-among-seniors-spikes-in-los-angeles-county-but-its-not-hopeless&catid=312) [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/065m.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33215:a-second-karen-bass-term-gets-her-and-us-four-more-years-of-well-earned-voter-outrage&catid=312)### [A Second Karen Bass Term Gets Her (and Us) Four More Years Of Well-Earned Voter Outrage](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33215:a-second-karen-bass-term-gets-her-and-us-four-more-years-of-well-earned-voter-outrage&catid=312) [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/065l.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33216:the-cynicism-of-homelessness&catid=312)### [The Cynicism of Homelessness](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33216:the-cynicism-of-homelessness&catid=312)