Bebe moves to Westwood to fill Gap left when Gap left.

BEBE Stores Inc. may take over the 6,000-square-foot store at 1000 Westwood Blvd. vacated by Gap Inc. four months ago, according to Darren Bell, vice president and director of leasing for Topa Management Co., which operates the building.

Both sides said a deal has yet to be signed, but that a 10-year lease has a very high probability of being finalized in the next several weeks. Because limited renovations are needed, Bebe is expected to open the store by fall.

Terms weren't set, so Bell declined to say how much Bebe would pay in rent. Average retail rents in Westwood Village range between $3 to $4 per square foot.

"They aren't paying a premium but we're not giving away the deal either," he said. "It's more of a market transaction."

Kerry Flynn, an assistant to Bebe Chief Financial Officer Walter Parks, said the company intends to open both a standard format store and a Bebe Sport operation at the site.

Bebe, which caters to fast-changing women's fashions, has a slightly higher price point than the Gap. The store would likely compliment the Victoria's Secret and Ann Taylor Loft stores on the same block.

If completed, the deal could shift the flow of businesses leaving Westwood Village in recent months. Circuit City closed its store at 1125 Gayley Ave. in February, Gap closed last December. In 2002, both Tower Records and Wherehouse Music shuttered their Village stores.

The former Wherehouse site at 1100 Westwood Blvd. is set to be the new home of Urban Outfitters Inc., which is opening an 8,000-square-foot store. Writer/director Kevin Smith and business partner Bob Chapman are opening a 2,210-square-foot comic book store called Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash at 1045 Westwood Blvd., a former Ritz Camera location.

Bell said that Topa, controlled by billionaire John Anderson, has tried to create a shopping district by placing complimentary retailers in the storefronts it owns and manages.

"We are hoping with Urban Concerns: and Bebe, that it will help create some momentum for us," Bell said. "The more retailers we can put in the Village that draw people in will help everybody. It's going to help us and the whole Village. That's the goal."

Glendon Matter

Elsewhere in the Village, supporters and opponents of Casden Glendon LLC's planned $100 million mixed-use Palazzo Westwood are gearing up for the release of the final approval documents by the Los Angeles Planning Commission.

The commission must circulate the terms of a scaled-back version of the project agreed to by community groups and the developer and approved by the commission on March 11. Director of Planning Cone Howe said the release should come "shortly," though he would not commit to a timetable.

Howard Katz, a Casden vice president, said he hoped to start construction by the end of the year, with completion of 350 residential units and 50,000 square feet of retail use coming 24 months later.

Still expected to raise objections from the community is Casden's desire to close Glendon Avenue for as much as six months during construction. The Planning Commission approved a one-year closure in the March decision.

"It puts a few businesses out that we've had there for a long time," said Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby-Westwood Property Owners Association. "That's a problem."

Lisa Hansen, deputy chief of staff for policy and communications for 5th District City Councilman Jack Weiss, said the office had continued to hear expressions of concern about the closure.

The project's late at the City Council level still hangs in large part on Weiss' stance. The council rarely votes against councilmembers on matters within their respective districts, and until the revised plan is released and the community is heard, Weiss is reserving judgment, Hansen said.

"Weiss is supportive of the community's blueprint that they negotiated," she said, "and is still studying the remaining concerns."

Retail Roundup

Halston, a disco-era fashion icon whose retro styles have regained popularity in recent years, is opening its first boutique in more than two decades at 517 Robertson Blvd.

The company is scheduled to open the 3,000-square-foot Beverly Hills store in August, according to spokesman Mark Silver. Founded by designer Roy Halston Frowick in the 1970s, the company was purchased in 1999 by New York-based private-label manufacturer Neema Clothing Ltd.

Opening the boutique is somewhat of a departure for Halston, which has relied on high-end department stores for its sales. The company is also planning a New York store, but has yet to find a location, Silver said.

While Halston is headquartered in New York, its studio--led by famed designer Bradley Bayou--is based in Los Angeles. Halston jeans sell for less than $100, while men's suits range from $800 to $1,200 and a custom gown costs between $2,000 and $40,000.

Jonathan Diamond contributed to this column. Staff reporter Andy Fixmer can be reached by phone at [phone], ext. 263, or by e-mail at [e-mail].