Plans to replace a Westwood city park with a larger public park and a new office and retail project are moving forward.
After four hours Monday evening, the Westwood Planning Commission in a 7-2 vote recommended approval of a preliminary development plan and two rezoning requests connected to the mixed-use office, retail and park project Karbank Holdings LLC wants to build at 50th and Rainbow Boulevard.
For the second straight meeting, residents packed the city council chambers asking the planning commission to vote against the project because they don’t think it belongs on what they see as the city’s last remaining block of green space.
Plans include 106K square feet of buildings, 3.5-acre park
- Karbank wants to build four office and retail buildings on the site of the former Westwood Christian Church and the neighboring Joe D. Dennis Park.
- The buildings would each be between three and four stories tall, and the bottom floor of each building would be set aside for retail shops.
- In exchange, Karbank is offering to give the city of Westwood 3.8 acres on the site of the original Westwood View Elementary building for a city-funded park.
- Joe D. Dennis Park at the southwest corner of 50th and Rainbow is currently Westwood’s main public park and occupies about an acre.
- Following resident pushback in August, developers took out plans for the office buildings to have colorful facades.
Residents still dislike the Karbank project
The height of the buildings, the removal of Joe D. Dennis Park and the developer’s plan to repurpose the site for something other than residential uses were some major concerns voiced by residents on Monday.
Residents suggested the city had already decided the plan would move forward prior to Monday’s meeting and that neighbors’ input would mean nothing.
Sara Keehn said the process feels like “a bad case of déjà vu” in reference to resident pushback against the residential-retail development across the street from city hall now dubbed Woodside Village.
The crowd clapped after resident Ellen Marsee said, “If this proposal and rezoning goes through as is, we have been overlooked and betrayed by our city.”
Commission disputes some resident claims
Commissioner David Kelman said the planning commission is going through the process at the same time as the residents, adding that preconceived notions are “not how this works.”
When some residents accused city officials of having a connections to and conflicts of interest with the developer, commission Vice Chair Kevin Breer said he “doesn’t take much credence” with those claims.
Commission Chair Sarah Page said the planning commission also received several public comments, both for and against the project, via email and phone calls prior to Monday night’s meeting.
Despite the opposition in the room on Monday, Page said “it’s pretty even” on how residents feel about the Karbank project.
Commissioners Kelman and Samantha Kaiser voted against the preliminary development plan and two rezoning requests but didn’t say why.
Next steps:
- The Westwood City Council on Thursday will host a public hearing to consider establishing a tax increment financing district for the project.
- The TIF district for the project would exclusively fund development of the 3.8-acre city park. Specifics for the TIF district are still in the works, but city documents indicate that no funds would support construction of the office or retail portions of the plan.
- Later this fall, the planning commission and the city council will consider final approvals of the rezoning, planning and development plan.
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