Forever green and forever desirable. The Veterans Administration property, 400 acres of coveted open space between Westwood and Brentwood, straddles two city council districts, but remains an island unto itself under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. While the south side of the campus, which is bisected by Wilshire Boulevard, houses the country’s largest veterans hospital, the north side is scattered with 150 World War II-era buildings, a few upgraded for dormitories and service operations for vets, but most in need of structural upgrades. ”Over the years, a piecemeal planning approach has resulted in dozens of ideas to develop the property, including the most recent plan to create a commerical development the size of two Century Cities. But, this September, the Department of Veteran Affairs announced it would establish a new advisory committee to work on developing a 25-year, long-range master plan. ”The VA history began in the 1880s when 700 acres were donated for an old soldiers home for Civil War veterans. The self-sustained community contained not only a hospital and housing, but also a chapel, theater and recreational facilities, including a golf course and vegetable garden. ” ”As the number of veterans diminished over the last 50 years, portions of the property were leased to outside operations, including Brentwood School and UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium and Wadsworth Theatre, but much of the property remains underutilized. ”For the past 25 years, the VA property has been eyed by real estate developers and promoters, with rumored uses including an NFL stadium, biomedical research facility, commercial development and an expansion of the UCLA campus. ”But the integrity of the land has remained protected by the federal government’s Veterans Affairs department, whose main purpose remains focused on serving the medical needs of war veterans. ”’This facility is the largest in the 168-facility system,’ said Ken Clark, regional director for the VA hospitals in Southern California and Nevada, who participated in an Urban Forum panel discussion last month in Westwood on the fate of the property. ”’We serve 1.2 million ambulatory care patients annually and provide 900 beds in the hospital,’ Clark said. ‘In addition to direct service, the VA also trains medical interns and residents jointly with UCLA and conducts research. The facility also provided the first dialysis unit on the West Coast.’ In 1998, Congress instructed the West L. A. VA to develop a long-term master plan, and in 2001 a committee unveiled a plan that elicited clamorous opposition from the Brentwood community, City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Rep. Henry Waxman. ”Representation on that committee was limited to VA administrators, facilities consultants three Brentwood residents and Lisa Pinto, district director for Congressman Waxman. ‘Neither the county, city or Westwood residents was represented,’ said Flora Krisiloff, chairman of the Brentwood Community Council who served on the committee. ”The problem with the plan, which would have created Century City-type development, was that it was based on the highest and best use of the property if commercially developed, said Krisiloff. ‘It didn’t take into consideration environmental impacts, or that it was donated land or most importantly the needs of the veterans.’ ”Krisiloff, who is a candidate to replace Miscikowski on the City Council, was instrumental in expressing local demands that the Federal Government develop a new master plan and was recently selected to serve on the new planning committee. ”Recognizing that ‘the VA is not in land-use management, but in the health-care business, Clark said that the Secretary of Veterans Advisory Affairs, Anthony J. Principi, announced in September that a Federal Advisory Committee would be established to provide advice in the development of the new master plan. ” The major difference this time around, according to Pinto, from Congressman Waxman’s office, is that the advisory committee will seek input from all stakeholders, including political, residential and property interests. ”’The first of the year, a contractor will be selected who will develop and evaluate options for the most appropriate plan,’ Clark said. While the plan is scheduled to be completed by December 2005, both Clark and Pinto are doubtful. ‘This is the largest VA in the nation, surrounded by densely populated residential communities and heavy traffic,’ Pinto said. ‘This will require a delicate balance among all the stakeholders.’ Another consideration in developing a master plan is the historic nature of the site. The National Preservation Act stipulates that remedies be used to avoid doing harm to historic resources. Thirty-nine of the mostly Spanish Revival buildings are eligible for historic status, while the historic chapel and the red trolley station already have National Historic status, as does the national cemetery, according to Ken Bernstein, director of preservation for the L.A. Conservancy, who also participated on the panel. While recognizing that the first priority is the needs of the vets, Bernstein said that he did not think that that aim was inconsistent with adaptive reuse of historic buildings. ”Although panel members, which also included Yaroslavsky’s deputy Laura Shell, would not speculate on the planning outcome, they were consistent in their support for the change in course.” ”’I have no idea where this [planning process] will go,’ Clark said. ‘This is a clean slate, if you will.’ ”Congressional District Director Pinto is hopeful the Federal Advisory Committee will be meaningful. ‘There will be open meetings, note-taking, and the Congressman will be monitoring every step of this process, including who will serve on the committee,’ she said.
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