By: Emily Contreras

This past Friday, September 4 2015, Sam Levy (‘16) and I were invited to a special tour of the new Village at Westfield Topanga led by Westfield’s Senior Vice President of US Development, Larry Green. We were extremely lucky to join approximately 10 other students from schools around the Valley for a walk through the uncompleted Village. We had an exciting morning and we learned many interesting things about the new property that will be opening to the public on September 18th. The Village has been an idea for a long time as it would be a way to connect the Westfield Topanga & the Promenade. It’s taken about 8 years and $350 million to reach the point the property is at right now. The Village currently has 75 tenants and counting, including over 35 food establishments!

Obviously this is a huge deal economically, but it’s also more than that. The Village represents something bigger and much more important– community. As students at de Toledo we know the importance of kehilla. The Village is a community center where people can meet up and just hang out. This is hugely significant in the Valley because we don’t have many places to go where we can just be. Through this center we can rebuild the old notion of just hanging out at the mall with our friends and family. The Village is also extremely family oriented. There will be a large play structure called “Luckey Climber” for children to play on while their parents sit and enjoy the ambiance of the Village. Another exciting feature that is sure to bring people together is the Village’s partnership with KCSN, a radio station based out of California State University Northridge. KCSN will be hosting concerts featuring local artists during the week as well as hosting performances by more well-known artists during the weekends. The live music will be free for public enjoyment. So, imagine a place where you can just go sit around a fire pit, catch up with your peers, and maybe even enjoy a free concert. That place is The Village.

Furthermore, our dTHS community has a special connection to Westfield. Our very own Elan Feldman (Grad ‘06) is a Westfield developer. After graduating from college he was working on a project for the Jewish Journal, which led him to his current position at Westfield. When we asked Elan what values from dTHS he uses in his work he said, “Opportunities are building blocks. Each one builds on the one before and opens doors to unforeseeable others. So do not be afraid to say yes. You never know where they could lead.” It’s exciting to see someone who is a part of our dTHS Kehilla go on to build things that will benefit the entire Valley Kehilla.

About the property: The Village is seemingly lacking in retail shops: Fabletics, Athleta, and M. Fredric among a few others. However, this is no accident. The idea of having this property so close to the famous Topanga Mall is that you will go to Topanga to do your major shopping, and then hop on a trolley (yes, there will be a trolley) to go to the Village to decompress.

Once at the Village you have the option to go to eat at one of the nicer restaurants such as Il Fornaio or Sushi Katsu-ya, or go to one of the more casual dining options such as Veggie Grill or Panera Bread. Westfield really prides itself on being the home of smaller businesses rather than bigger chains. For example, when it came time to choose coffee vendors, Westfield developers stayed away from big corporations such as Starbucks and brought in more local and artisanal tenants such as Barista Society and Peet’s Coffee (this will be the first Peet’s in the West Valley!). Similarly, with desserts they will have Sloan’s Ice Cream, SusieCakes, Yogurtland, ConfeXion Cakes + Cupcakes (2 time winners of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars), and more!

It’s also important to note the Village’s anchor stores: REI, 24 Hour Fitness, Crate and Barrel, Burke Williams, and Costco. These large stores are expected to bring lots of business to The Village.

So, get excited everyone, The Village at Westfield Topanga will be open to the public on September 18th!