Proposed Retail Development Calls for Closure of Brentwood Street
A valuable 210-foot-long pie slice of land near a major intersection in the tony Brentwood section of West Los Angeles could be converted to a $27-million mini-mall and upscale retail center under a hotly contested development plan.
Currently, the wedge of land is bisected by a short stretch of Gorham Avenue, a public street near the intersection of Barrington and San Vicente avenues, and it is within walking distance of the site of the notorious Simpson/Goldman murders. One side of the wedge is home to a Starbucks coffee shop and an ice cream parlor, both particular favorites with local show-business figures. If the plan is approved, the snippet of Gorham where the shops now sit will be privatized and closed off to auto traffic, and the shops’ landlord will develop the property as the new mall. In exchange, the city will get a new turning lane at the perpetually crowded intersection. The development plan is expected to go to a Los Angeles City Council vote soon. —Louis Chunovic
