Residents unsure about The Village
Community reaction to The Village at USC, a residential and recreational plaza planned to replace USC-owned property north of Jefferson Boulevard, was mixed at an open house at the Galen Center Thursday.
Cardinal Gardens, Century Apartments, the current University Village and other surrounding buildings will be torn down to construct a center that aims to modernize the area. The Village will include student housing, shops, restaurants and green space, according to its website.
Community members attended an open house at the Galen Center Thursday for The Village at USC. - Engie Salama | Daily Trojan
“The primary goal is to really enhance and improve the quality of life while we are living and going to school at USC,” said David Galaviz, executive director of local government relations for The Village. “We really want to create the best college culture for current and incoming students and we feel The Village can assist in that.”
The plans for the center designate 300,000 square feet for classroom, artistic and presentation space, which Galaviz said is intended to improve the academic atmosphere. Additional housing in The Village for students, faculty and staff is intended to encourage students to informally meet with their professors in new locations.
USC plans to furnish the reinvented Jefferson Boulevard with more lighting and possibly build a Dept. of Public Safety substation within the center. The Village will also be closed off from cars, allowing protected transportation on the walkways or bike lanes.
Residents shared different attitudes toward USC’s expected redevelopment of Jefferson Boulevard.
Silvio Aguilar, who has lived west of campus for 28 years, said he wants to still be able to shop at The Village, as he currently buys groceries at Superior Grocers.
“I don’t know if it will be good for the community or just for students,” Aguilar said. “I am still not sure [after the presentation] if the businesses are going to be at the right price level for community members. We’ll just have to see.”
Some students also expressed concern regarding the type of stores that will be in the plaza.
“The most useful things for students would be clothing stores, restaurants and a better movie theater,” said Sydney Laux, a senior majoring in theatre. “But if they only cater to high-end students, they will lose community support and involvement because it will be too expensive.”
Jean Smith, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, said she was excited for the potential new stores.
The university launched a website this month detailing plans for The Village at USC, a residential and shopping plaza. - Photo courtesy of USC
“They said they’re building a bookstore. Now, I have to drive all the way to Del Amo [Fashion Center],” Smith said. “It’ll be great if I don’t have to go all the way to Torrance if I just want to buy a book for my daughter.”
She also said she is happy with the proposed plan overall.
“The traffic on Hoover Street can be dangerous [for pedestrians] and shutting down the street will make it a lot safer,” Smith said. “[The Village] is a good thing because it will bring jobs to the community and keep kids on campus.”
The Village intends to accommodate the community’s financial interests by providing an estimated 8,000 jobs in construction and 4,000 permanent positions.
Its completion will take at least eight years. Construction will tentatively begin in mid-2012, according to The Village website.
The progress of the project can be followed on The Village at USC’s twitter and website.
“The Village will only be successful if we have a mix of students and those from the surrounding community involved,” Galaviz said.
I’m excited about new opportunities around here, especially if there really will be a variety of price ranges catered to. I’m putting myself through school, so I really need to economize. I’m unlikely to be frequenting designer clothing stores (for example), though I have no objection to them being in the mix. I wonder if our area’s zoning would allow a Target or something similar?
This is a no brainer…. the current site is a dump without any cultural value. Having updated, cleaner, safer shopping is good for all. And surely it will provide retail at various price points. We support this 100%
Who cares about the current population? They’ve had 50 years to do something with the area and blew it. Maybe if USC builds up the area and gives some of them jobs then they’ll stop stabbing, shooting, and stealing from our students all the time
You are idiot. No one is “stabbing” or “shooting” USC students “all the time.” Bikes do sometimes get stolen. Nevertheless, there are many wonderful people in the area around USC. I certainly hope you get expelled from USC during your senior year so that no one will ever think of you as a Trojan.
well well well, if it isn’t the Grand Old University of Southern California at work with trying to gentrif- I mean “revitilize” the area so that it could serve the interests of the elit- I mean the well rounded diverse population of USC and the ever stabalized and benefiting community of South L.A.
U$C
Someone ought to look into revitalizing their spelling. And using the same “cutoff adjectiv– I mean [euphemism]” trope twice in the same sentence? Really? No wonder UCLA continues to slide in the rankings.