new hotel-conference center

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Get Ready to Miss the Bus

Byuclafaculty

As we noted in a prior blog post, on July 8 they are coming to rip up the Ackerman bus turnaround in preparation for the construction of -TA-TA! – the UCLA Grand Hotel.  That step will put facts-on-the-ground while litigation continues.  Here is the official notice from the transportation folks: The Ackerman Turnaround and its bus terminal will be closed due to the construction of the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center for the period of July 8, 2013 through summer 2016. This closure affects campus traffic circulation, bus service, and general wayfinding, as the Turnaround is an…

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More Scrutiny of University Enterprise Tax Exempt Status

Byuclafaculty

Pay up! We have from time to time noted the potential tax problems of the UCLA Grand Hotel project.  More generally, there is growing scrutiny of commercial-type activity conducted by universities that claim tax exemptions.  Inside Higher Ed today points to a court decision that questions Princeton’s tax exempt status.  It links to a local New Jersey newspaper: A lawsuit that argues Princeton University violates the provisions of its tax-exempt status survived a university-led attempt to throw the case out Thursday. Plaintiffs in the case argue that, because Princeton is earning hundreds of millions of dollars in patent royalty income…

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Berkeley’s Grand Project Seems Similar to UCLA’s

Byuclafaculty

From the San Francisco Chronicle: UC Berkeley’s plan to sell special football seats to pay off nearly half a billion dollars in stadium debt has long inspired skepticism, as if Cal were setting up a lemonade stand to finance a home mortgage. True, each of those chairs at the newly renovated Memorial Stadium costs $40,000 to $250,000 and is yours for 40 or 50 years. But even Cal officials, who had said they would sell all 2,902 pricey seats by this month, grew skeptical of their own claims last fall. The latest figures show sales have stagnated at 1,857 seats. Declined,…

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It Ain’t What it Was

Byuclafaculty

Westwood in 1929 wasn’t very exciting, either. The LA Times reviews attempts to revitalize Westwood and notes at one time it was a commercial center.  For decades, Westwood Village was the heartbeat of Los Angeles nightlife while downtown languished in solitude. Westwood had the movie theaters, fancy restaurants and bustling street traffic, and downtown was known as a quiet and intimidating place to be after dark. These days, a humbled Westwood finds itself in the unexpected position of turning to a resurgent downtown for ideas. Of the more than a dozen movie theaters that once stood in the village, all…

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Just another sign of the times; they’re coming to build the grand hotel

Byuclafaculty

Just another reminder that UCLA is marching ahead with its plans to build the grand hotel where parking structure #6 and the Ackerman-area bus turnaround now stand.  There are two lawsuits pending but the build-and-bond folks are anxious to put “facts on the ground.”   Bus riders will be displaced starting July 8 and during the construction period, as the sign indicates.Of course, we don’t know what direction they will be coming from to build the grand hotel on July 8.  But there are rumors it will be down the Janss Steps: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqQazd6jjRw?feature=player_detailpage]

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Rush, Rush: The Grand Hotel Can’t Wait!!

Byuclafaculty

UCLA seems to be in a big rush to create “facts on the ground” by demolishing parking structure #6, the site of the planned Grand Hotel.  The powers-that-be certainly apparently don’t want to wait for the various lawsuits to play out. From the Daily Bruin today: …Demolition of Parking Structure 6 will begin in early July. Construction crews will remove the structure in preparation for building the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center, which will be built in Parking Structure 6’s current location… Full story at http://dailybruin.com/2013/06/03/luskin-center-construction-to-demolish-parking-structure-6-relocate-drivers/ Some folks just have to hurry:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbhvZ2y1V80?feature=player_detailpage]

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How Big Is the Planned UCLA Hotel?

Byuclafaculty

Once a year, the LA Business Journal provides a list of the largest 100 hotels in LA County ranked by number of rooms.  The latest list appears in the May 6 edition.  Of the top 100, the smallest is Shutters at the Beach with 198 rooms.  The planned UCLA hotel is on a par with the W Hotel in Westwood (258 rooms), a bit smaller than the Hotel Palomar (Wilshire – a few blocks east of Westwood Blvd. with 264 rooms), and notably larger than the Angeleno (Sunset and the 405 with 209 rooms).  In rough terms, 25-30% of the…

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The Taxman Looketh

Byuclafaculty

Inside Higher Ed today reports that the IRS has been studying the tax payments (or nonpayments) of colleges and universities for their semi-commercial activities.  As we have noted in prior posts,  a couple of lawsuits have been filed against UCLA’s grand hotel plan, one of which challenges the University’s claim of tax exemption for the hotel and other activities.  You can find the Inside Higher Ed report at:http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/04/29/irs-publishes-report-wide-review-colleges The article has links to the IRS report and earlier preliminary reports by the IRS.  You can also find the IRS report at:http://issuu.com/danieljbmitchell/docs/cucp_finalrpt_042513 It can be hard to get away from the…

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Now You See It…

Byuclafaculty

We previously posted about the recent lawsuit filed against the UCLA hotel project based on the university’s failure to pay taxes on its various existing hotel facilities, although non-UCLA usage is allowed.  Above, for example, is a screenshot of what yours truly found on the website of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead facility this morning [click on the image to enlarge]:http://www.lakearrowheadmeetings.com/contact/index.cfm The text reads:WHO CAN MEET AT THE UCLA LAKE ARROWHEAD CONFERENCE CENTER? Groups that meet at the Conference Center include Universities, Schools, Government Agencies, Hospitals, Private Companies, and Boards from all types of organizations and institutions.  A Learning Purpose is required…

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Columnist asks about needs vs. wants

Byuclafaculty

Note: In the future, there are likely to be more such questions – of the type excerpted below – about campus plans for new programs, schools, and even grand hotels. Dan Walters today in the Sacramento Bee: Was UC-Irvine’s Law School Strictly Necessary? Six years ago, yours truly wrote a column about a proposed law school at the University of California’s Irvine campus, suggesting that it was more about academic ego and Orange County boosterism than a shortage of lawyers. The column pointed out that the state already had 25 accredited law schools and the number of graduates taking the…