By this time next year, a new 4.25-acre complex including 350 luxury apartments, 50,000 square feet for retail and the biggest parking structure in Westwood Village is scheduled to be in business.

Plans for the multipurpose complex, called Palazzo Westwood Village, were introduced by Casden Properties in 2004 amid concerns from some local residents. Some of these concerns were that the development’s Spanish colonial architectural style would not be consistent with the rest of Westwood Village and that the project could result in unsightly empty retail spaces and traffic problems.

But after the Westwood Community Design Board approved the project in 2005, building plans prevailed and the site south of Weyburn Avenue between Tiverton and Glendon avenues has been under construction for the last year.

While some residents still worry about traffic hazards Palazzo Westwood Village may cause in the future, developers say they believe it will be key to the ongoing revitalization of Westwood Village by providing a more consistent residential population to be serviced by local stores.

“I’m just kind of disappointed homeowners haven’t been more supportive,” said Howard Katz, vice president of Casden Properties, about the opposition to the development of the complex.

One positive aspect of the project that developers point to is the additional parking spots it will bring to the Village – of the 1,251 parking spaces the complex will add to Westwood, 546 will be for public parking, according to an informational packet from Casden Properties

The first level will be comprised of retailers, some of whom Casden Properties has already begun negotiating with, said spokesman Roger Wolf.

Applications to lease the apartments, some of which will be inside a refurbished version of Westwood landmark Glendon Manor, should be available by July and residents can begin moving in at the end of 2007, said Katz, who is managing the project.

But for the moment, construction is creating roadblocks for some local business owners – in some cases literally.

Tim Talbott, manager of the Westwood Brewing Company, said his business has been blocked off by as many as 14 cement trucks at one time. He added that he has had a cash-only policy for the last week because of construction next door.

“They’ve been crushing our fiber optic lines on almost a weekly basis with their cranes, so we haven’t been able to process credit cards,” Talbott said.

Another concern for some living and working in Westwood Village is that the development could increase traffic.

Antwoine Pennix, a bartender at the Westwood Brewing Company, said he is concerned that more traffic in the Village could be dangerous.

Pennix said he already witnesses too many collisions and traffic violations on a daily basis at the three-way intersection in front of the Westwood Brewing Company.

“Maybe if they have some better parking attendants, traffic enforcement, and build a traffic light it will get better,” he said.

Pablo Valentin, a fourth-year comparative literature and economics student who plans on living in his Tiverton Avenue apartment next year, said he believes traffic will never be as smooth in the streets surrounding his home once the complex opens.

“There are less well-known streets on that side of the Village that you can usually take to circumvent the traffic on bigger streets,” Valentin said. “But when that complex opens up, everyone will know about them.”

But Talbott and Gary Cholakyan, owner of Gary’s Custom Tailoring and Boutique, said they expect the extra business the new complex will bring to the Village will make up for the short-term inconveniences.

Cholakyan said more parking will mean customers will be able to spend less time searching for a spot and more time shopping, which he believes will boost business throughout the Village.