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UCLA conference center and hotel wins court victory

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UCLA has won a court victory for the conference center and hotel under construction at the center of the Westwood campus. A Superior Court judge has ruled against a lawsuit from critics in a neighborhood organization who alleged that environmental studies for the project were inadequate and that the plans violated UC’s own policies.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas I. McKnew Jr. ruled this week that the university complied with environmental laws in planning the $162-million Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center, which is to include a 250-room hotel. It is scheduled to open in 2016.

Two years ago, the Save Westwood Village organization filed a lawsuit that claimed, among other things, that the center violated zoning laws and that it would hurt privately owned hotels and businesses in Westwood Village and adversely affect fire and police services.

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UCLA officials said they welcomed the decision.

“This ruling speaks to the extreme care with which UCLA’s staff worked to prepare an environmental impact report for the conference center project that not only complied with every letter of the law, but also gathered campus and community input at several public hearings,” UCLA Vice Chancellor for legal affairs Kevin Reed said in a statement.

Laura Lake, co-president of the neighborhood group, says the organization is seriously considering an appeal focusing on the issues of public safety and UC’s assertion that the hotel should be exempt from charging local occupancy tax.

Businessman Meyer Luskin, who is a UCLA alumnus, and his wife gave $40 million to the project. UCLA is contributing $112 million, which officials expect to be paid off over time with revenue from the hotel, food services and other charges.

Follow me @larrygordonlat

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