Developers would double beds in dorm-style Westwood project

A planned Westwood apartment complex targeted at UCLA students just got a lot cozier.

The developers of the 16-story housing development, named The Agora, say they plan to double the number of student beds at the property without altering the project’s dimensions, Urbanize reported.

The proposed tower will replace an office building at 900 Hilgard Avenue with 64 apartments. When it was originally announced, the apartments in the tower had layouts with mostly three-, four-, and five-bedrooms, and a handful of one- and two-bedroom units.

The developers, Ted Khalili and Eraj Basseri, who are both physicians, now want to double the number of beds by allowing more than one student bed per bedroom, according to statements by Khalili and Basseri. The change will allow for up to 462 students to live within the proposed building.

Beds at the development, which is being designed by Gensler, would rent for between $1,000-$1,200 per month, with reduced rates for students. It is not clear what the timeline is for the project.

UCLA has also started constructing residential buildings on campus and university-owned sites that will eventually hold 5,400 student beds on campus. Such developments have caused pushback from some in the Westwood community.

A website called “Save Hilgard Avenue” was launched to oppose the project, claiming it would result in “adverse impacts such as loss of property value and privacy.” [Urbanize] – Gregory Cornfield