Crossroads officials want rail on Olympic
As public transit officials consider various alignments for the proposed Exposition Light Rail expansion into Santa Monica, business and property owners along Colorado Avenue are voicing their opposition to laying the train tracks down their commercial corridor.
The Exposition Construction Authority held a workshop on Friday for businesses that could be impacted by the two alignments being proposed for the light rail — one that runs along Colorado Avenue, taking out two lanes of traffic and half of available on-street parking, or one along the existing median on Olympic Boulevard, removing the existing coral trees.
The Colorado alignment drew jeers from residents and business and property owners along the avenue, decrying the option as making little sense when it would impact traffic and parking on the street.
386,“There would be so much impact on Colorado to the residents and the businesses,” Rodney Liber, who owns buildings housing creative arts offices on Colorado at 12th and 16th streets, said on Friday. “There would be virtually no impact on Olympic.”
The long-awaited Expo project is split into two phases, the first of which — traveling from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City — is already undergoing construction and is slated to be in service by 2010. The proposed second phase, which is still in the environmental review, would take the light rail from Culver City to a terminal at Fourth Street and Colorado in Santa Monica, currently the Sears auto lot.
There are also two alignments being considered for the route the light rail would take from Culver City to the Santa Monica city limits — one that would travel along the existing right-of-way and the other along Venice to Sepulveda Boulevard.
The second phase, which is slated for completion in 2015, is estimated to cost $1.6 billion. The Expo extension from Culver City would have approximately seven stations, including three to four in Santa Monica alone.
Stephen Polechronis, a consultant to the Exposition Construction Authority, said that in removing two lanes and roughly 50 percent of the parking spaces on Colorado, the once heavily traveled commercial corridor will become less of a busy thoroughfare.
“Colorado will be transformed from an arterial that it is now to a local street,” he said.
But the alignment appeared to receive little support from residents and businesses along and around Colorado, believing it will impact traffic because of the loss of two lanes and hurt employees who rely on street parking.
2F6,“It will severely impact traffic,” Gary Khamneipur, who owns a building housing creative arts offices on the corner of Colorado and 16th Street, said.
Khamneipur added that though the coral trees would need to be removed if the Olympic alignment is chosen, the life span of those trees are already low and would need to be replaced anyway. He used the coral trees on San Vicente Boulevard — which he said also need replacing — as an example.
“These trees don’t become old,” he said.
Joseph Gabbaian, a real estate broker with Grubb & Ellis, said he believes the Expo alignment would enhance property values on Olympic but have an adverse effect on Colorado.
“It would take out parking that is in dire need on Colorado,” Gabbaian said after the meeting.
Among stakeholders represented was Crossroads School, which believes the alignment should be located on Olympic Boulevard. Both the elementary and upper school campuses are located on Olympic.
Barbara Whitney, the director of finance and operations for the school, said they are very supportive of the Expo project and believe the Olympic median makes more sense because of traffic.
But the school would like to see a stop at 14th Street instead of at 17th, which is near the elementary school.
“It’s a matter of safety,” Whitney said.
Janine Parker, who lives on 10th Street between Colorado and Broadway, said she feared her quality of life will be impacted if the light rail is located along Colorado, listening to the train going by every couple of minutes.
Parker, who complained she did not receive any notice about the project until learning about it from her manager, said there is already enough congestion in the city, not just with cars but foot traffic.
“For me, it would be a loss of peace and quiet,” Parker said.
Jump hedline: Expo considers placing light rail on either Colorado or Olympic
Suggested pullquote: “There would be so much impact on Colorado to the residents and the businesses.”
Rodney Liber
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 3, 2008. Read the original PDF.