Demolition Underway for The Village at Westfield Topanga

Before some of the demo work started. The Topanga Theatre was already gone and replaced by Crate and Barrel. Image courtesy Bing Maps.

In case you havent noticed, demo work is clearly underway at the proposed site of The Village at Westfield Topanga. All buildings that were previously on the site have been torn down except the Crate & Barrel which will be incorporated into The Village at Westfield Topanga. There is supposed to be a lawsuit to stop the construction work by the Woodland Hills Homeowners association but I believe that suit may have been dropped. Does anyone know the current status of the lawsuit?

Demo work has also begun on the other side on Erwin Street where the former Froch's Woodcraft Shop has been demolished located at 21919 Erwin Street. 

Image courtesy Tree.com

The one thing that I want to know is what happened to the Millard Sheets inspired mural by Marlo Bartels and Astrid Preston originally designed in 1989 for the Home Savings Bank (shown below) depicting Warner Center and was most recently occupied by FedEx Office? Did Westfield Company destroy this great piece of art without consideration for saving? I hope not. 

Also, what is going to happen to the creek at the corner of Victory and Owensmouth?

And here is one bonus. The Rocketdyne site is set to be demolished too to make way for more apartments and other housing/retail stuff. Cant wait to drive through this area!

I have talked at length about this project in the past which I believe was first conceptualized in 2006.

1. Small Creek Threatened near Topanga Mall.....March 3, 2011.
2. BTTF Series #5: The Promenade Mall at Woodland Hills....May 19, 2011.
3. Voice Your Concerns for the Proposed Village at Westfield Topanga.....August 2, 2011. 
4. The Village at Westfield Topanga is Coming....Hang Onto Your Hats....March 1, 2012.
5. Woodland Hills Homeowners File Lawsuit over Westfield Topanga Village.....April 17, 2012.
6. Westfield Begins Preparation for The Village at Topanga.....January 29, 2013. 

Westfield Begins Preparation for The Village at Topanga

In case you missed it back on January 22, the Daily News reported that 'Preliminary Work Begins on The Village at Westfield Topanga in Canoga Park' which surprised the heck out of me that I had to visit this location in person late at night. I was rather shocked considering that the Woodland Hills homeowners filed a lawsuit back on April 16, 2012 which in turn caused the Woodland Hills/Tarzana Chamber of Commerce to kick that group out since the Chamber is huge proponent of this project; really, you dont say! 

The good news is that this 'preliminary' work is only to remove trees and no other projects are scheduled at this time. At any rate, big corporations always win (courtesy of fancy dinners with the city council) and I expect this project to proceed as planned. I mean how can anyone say no to this project that is going to bring so much tax revenue and jobs but yet we cant get historical status for Henry's Taco stand in Studio City on top of other historical sites that closed in 2012. 

So what concerns me is the fact that there are two items of significance on this site that I believe will be demolished. The first is a cool little creek at the corner of Victory and Owensmouth that you dont normally see in this concrete jungle and I dont think many people walking by even notice.

The second item is a Millard Sheets inspired mural by Marlo Bartels and Astrid Preston designed in 1989 for the Home Savings Bank. There are other examples of these murals throughout the Valley and SoCal as well as the rest of the nation. These are unique pieces of art that you dont see anymore with the 'big box' and strip mall designs. I hope this mural is saved because its a piece of Valley history depicting Woodland Hills back in the late 80's. 

My other concerns are the massive apartment development in this tiny area of the West Valley. In addition to the The Village, there will be 2000 new apartment units added which I talked about previously taking place nearby the Orange line, at the former Valley Music Theatre (click here for updated pic), and former Catalina Yachts manufacturing site which are all shown in the map below. 

View Woodland Hills Development in a larger map

Good luck to the significant jump in traffic, the decay of small business, and a glut of available housing!

Below are more pics of the site. I am trying to remember what used to be here which I believe was the Topanga Theatre, Yankee Doodles, Coco's, and Black Angus. I know there were others but I cant remember. Anybody want to chime in?

Image courtesy Google Earth showing  October 2007

Another Freaking Apartment Project in Woodland Hills

Image courtesy CitySearch

Image courtesy Catalina Yachts

Image courtesy Google Maps

Image courtesy Google Maps

Fresh from the folks at The Daily News is word of another apartment development project in Woodland Hills at the former Catalina Yachts manufacturing site. (As a kid growing up, I always wondered why there was a boat manufacturer in Woodland Hills of all places naively thinking that it should be next to the ocean).

Catalina Yachts moved to Florida about two years ago (including well paying jobs) but the company still maintains a sales office on the property. 

This new development will bring 600 units in addition to the other apartment development activity currently taking place for those who havent noticed equating to a total of almost close to 2000 units. I discussed the other activity taking place back on April 24, 2012 with a list shown below and this is only for Woodland Hills which doesnt cover the other apartment development activity taking place throughout the SFV. 

1. The Village at Westfield Topanga which will add a Costco, 50 shops, office tower, hotel, and more shops. But there is a pending lawsuit so this could get delayed significantly or even cancelled.
2. The Panavision site being converted to a 707 unit apartment complex at 6219 De Soto Ave.
3. A 300 unit apartment complex near Canoga and Vanowen  at 6701 Eton Ave.
4. The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne site may also be developed into 4,000 multifamily units which is currently for sale. 
5. The former Catalina Yachts manufacturing site at 21200 Victory Blvd will be converted into 600 units. 

View Woodland Hills Development in a larger map

Is anybody concerned with the impact to traffic, noise, pollution, overcrowding, parking, and rental demand  notwithstanding the loss of jobs as a result of Catalina moving? Heck, lets just bulldoze the Topanga Mall and build more apartments too. The only positive thing about this location is the Orange Line and Warner Center being nearby to aid with this upcoming traffic glut.

Below are more pics of the former Catalina Yachts site. Say goodbye to the three towers reaching for the sky (5th pic down):

The Iconic JC Penny Store in San Fernando Will Close This Saturday

As you have probably already heard by now, the iconic JC Penny store in the city of San Fernando will be closing its doors for good this Saturday, July 28th, 2012 as reported by the Daily News. There have been attempts by locals including the Valley Economic Alliance to try to save this historic site which has been in existence since 1920 which moved only once to a 60,000 sqft building on the corner of San Fernando Road and San Fernando Mission Boulevard in 1953.

You can sign a petition at SaveSanFernandoJCPenny.com which also has support from a fellow San Fernando native George Lopez (who now lives in Toluca Lake). While the efforts to save JC Penny are much appreciated and admired, I doubt anything will change for the two simple reasons that San Fernando itself is slowly deteriorating from a lack of blue collar jobs and overall investment. Additionally the San Fernando Mall is no longer a popular spot as people flock to the indoor malls like the Topanga and Promende Malls both operated by the Westfield Company.

Speaking of investments, compare the San Fernando Mall to the proposed expansion at the Village at Westfield Topanga which is surrounded by big and small stores within a 1 mile radius. These expansions are taking place in the West Valley and not in places like San Fernando which appears to be that investors dont want to pursue any development as evidenced by JC Penny shutting its doors. But who knows, maybe there will be a turning point.