Westside homeowners and businesses are celebrating after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge temporarily derailed a traffic proposal by LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for heavily congested Pico and Olympic boulevards.
Judge John Torribio ruled on Monday that the Pico/Olympic Plan would have to fully comply with provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act and undergo an environmental impact study, a victory for homeowners groups and businesses that filed a lawsuit alleging that the mayor was trying to circumvent the public process in pushing the project forward.
The project, endorsed by the mayor and Councilman Jack Weiss, is designed to speed traffic by eliminating nearly all existing street parking along roughly 6 miles of Olympic and Pico during peak morning and afternoon rush hour traffic. Traffic signalization would also be altered to favor a one-way flow, each one in a different direction, creating a one-way type street. The project would stop at the West LA border with Santa Monica.
31D,“We are looking closely at the decision, and I’m inclined to move forward with the environmental review to get it done as quickly as possible to relieve traffic in West LA,” Weiss said in a statement on Tuesday.
The mayor’s office declined to comment on the judge’s decision.
Homeowners groups and business organizations came out against the project, fearing impacts to residents who might suffer from cut-through traffic and effects on the small mom and pops that rely on the street parking spaces.
David Anderson, who owns Imprint Revolution, a custom-made T-shirt shop on Pico and Overland Avenue, said that businesses that have on-site parking could also suffer from the loss of street parking, especially since many of the stores have spaces available in the back, away from public view.
378,“It’s the perceived accessibility of the business,” Anderson, who opposed the project, said on Tuesday. “If they have to figure out whether there is parking in the back, people might not be likely to go.”
The Greater West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Westwood South of Santa Monica Homeowners Association both filed separate lawsuits against L.A. City Hall. The judge merged both of the suits.
“We hope that today’s ruling will encourage the mayor and Jack Weiss to start listening to and working with their constituents,” Jay Handal, the chairman of the chamber, said in a statement on Monday.
Brandon Silverman, the founder of Pico-Olympic Solutions, which formed under the auspices of the Greater West LA Chamber of Commerce, said there are people in the community who still want to try and come up with a resolution to the traffic problems in the congested boulevards.
The group represents several neighborhood organizations on the Westside.
“We’re really happy at the way the communities came together and got involved because if it wasn’t for them doing so, we wouldn’t be here today with this outcome,” Silverman said.
Anderson said he believes that even if the plan is instituted, it would only be a matter of time before the traffic from the I-10 freeway moves over to Pico and Olympic, congesting the boulevards once again. He said that city officials should focus on fixing the traffic problem on the I-10 freeway.
“They’re using Pico and Olympic into an alternative Interstate 10,” Anderson said.
Those on the opposition to the project said that the mayor was trying to speed the project by bypassing the City Council and suspending Transportation Committee meetings on the proposal.
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who serves on the Transportation Committee and whose district includes portions of Pico and Olympic, said the court validates the community’s concerns.
“I’m hopeful the time allotted in the judge’s ruling will allow us to have this open process and bring in my community,” Rosendahl said.
Jump hedline: One-way proposal to undergo environmental review
Suggested pullquote: “If they have to figure out whether there is parking in the back, people might not be likely to go.”
David Anderson
Owner, Imprint Revolution
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 7, 2008. Read the original PDF.