Macy's may shutter Westwood store.

Frustrated by poor sales, Macy's is considering abandoning its stand-alone department store in Westwood Village - a move officials say would deal another major blow to the once-thriving shopping district.

Macy's officials declined comment, but Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Feuer confirmed that the retailer is considering pulling out of Westwood because of declining sales and the need for costly improvements to the 45-year-old store.

"There aren't sufficient sales to justify the infusion of capital that it would take to upgrade the store," Feuer said.

Feuer said he has met with Macy's officials several times in recent weeks in an effort to persuade them to keep the 186,000-square-foot store at 10861 Weyburn Ave. He said he expects a decision within 45 days.

"I think they remain open to a number of possibilities," Feuer said. "If they had the product there, it would bring in the foot traffic, but with foot traffic not there, can they bring in the product? This is a problem that we need to get past."

Macy's, which took over the store when it acquired the Bullocks chain, refused to confirm or deny the possible closing of the store.

"We don't comment on speculation and rumor," said Macy's spokesperson Merle Goldstone. "At this time, this is only speculation."

Developer Ira Smedra, who wants to build a 600,000-square-foot theater, restaurant and retail project across the street from Macy's, said the New York-based retailer's decision hinges on approval of his project.

According to Smedra, the planned Westwood Village Center development - which is opposed by some neighboring residents - would provide the pedestrian traffic needed to keep Macy's in business.

"Macy's has come out and said that they would stay if our project were approved," said Smedra, president of Arba Group in downtown Los Angeles.

Smedra said the comment was made by a representative of Macy's San Francisco regional office during a recent session of a 21-member citizens committee appointed by Feuer to review the Westwood Village Center project.

Smedra's plans had called for a 14- to 15-screen multiplex theater, retail stores and restaurants on a 5.17-acre vacant parcel bounded by Weyburn, Glendon and Tiverton avenues.

In response to community concerns, Smedra is said to be scaling back the size of the project and plans to announce those revised plans on May 5.

Laura Lake, president of Friends of Westwood, which is opposing the Smedra project, said the threat of Macy's leaving does not change her opposition to Village Center Westwood.

She said Westwood's future lies in its becoming a cultural and arts center, and not as a retail attraction.

Even so, Lake acknowledged that the departure of Macy's would strike a severe blow to Westwood Village merchants.

"There would be little reason for the people who live around here to come into the village if Macy's left," Lake said. "We want them to stay, but we're realists, we can see that this marriage isn't working."

Tim Merchant, owner of T. Merchant Art Gallery, said he's worded about the prospects of Macy's leaving.

"This is detrimental to the area and will definitely impact my business as people walk and shop all over," Merchant said.

If Macy's were to leave, the future use of the site is not clear.

UCLA officials would be interested in obtaining the site if the property were to become available, said Linda Steiner Lee, public information director at UCLA.

But Steiner Lee added that, contrary to speculation, there is no deal in the works for UCLA to buy the site.

"There is no offer on the table and no on-going negotiations between the university and Macy's, despite the fact that rumors have been circulating to that effect for several weeks," she said.

"Last year, a comment was made that if the building were to go up for sale, we would certainly be interested in a building of that size located so close to our campus, but that's as far as it has gone," Steiner Lee said.

Feuer said that any decision by Macy's to leave would be ill-timed, because Westwood Village is on the verge of a comeback.

"I think in four to five years from now, we'll look back at this time and see that now is the most astute time to invest in Westwood," Feuer said.

Still, community members appear to agree that the aging department store needs a facelift.

"There are holes in the floor and the carpeting is a mess," said Jackie Freedman, a member of Feuer's advisory group. "There is no question that Macy's is in very sad shape."

Goldstone said there are no plans at the present time to remodel the Westwood store.