westfield topanga

Hipster Alert! Is Woodland Hills Destined to Become the Next Trendy Destination?

Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But there are big changes planned for the West Valley that may well affect the desirability (and price) of homes in Woodland Hills and surrounding areas. On the almost-empty (save for a new Crate & Barrel) parcel of land that separates the Westfield Promenade and Westfield Topanga, megadeveloper the Westfield Group is planning to construct what may become the “Third Street Promenade” of the West Valley. In fact, the planned development (called The Village at Westfield Topanga) will look so much like the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, that Westfield used a photo of the actual Third Street Promenade in its marketing efforts: check out the fourth slide on http://westfield.com/thevillage/

Westfield’s information about the Village on its site is a bit sparse – it does not seem to have been significantly updated since 2007 – but the developer claims to be “exploring” “community amenities” for the Village including a “senior/community center, museum component with interactive educational programs for children, water features . . . public art displays, such as sculpture gardens, gourmet grocery store, and open air plaza.”
What does the planned Village development mean for the West Valley? Perhaps, finally, some nightlife of the non-enclosed mall variety, some more restaurants and a place to hang out during the warm Valley nights. Time will tell whether the actual development will be a plastic-y replicant of actual life (like the taste-challenged Universal Citywalk), or something with some character. Given the current state of the economy it may be some time before the Village is anything besides a dream on a piece of paper. But, if the Village development takes place as planned and it is well executed, it will add a sorely needed amenity to Woodland hills, and may well have a positive impact on the market value of surrounding areas.