Metro is once again considering building a 9 mile stretch of subway under Vermont Blvd, the 2nd busiest street in Los Angeles ( I believe 2nd to Wilshire, but don’t quote me) Metro has been talking about this for years, as I first posted on it back in 2011 but I think due to the Olympics Metro and LA City are maxing out on all ideas that can truly turn L.A. into a World City.
So apparently Billionaire Elon Musk has been boring under the City of Hawthorne in efforts to create this web of tunnels that would be attached to thousands of on/off stations the size of single parking spaces. The plans initially called for the the tunnels to transport cars but now has shift gears to transporting pedestrians and cyclist very close their destinations. Musk came up with the idea while stuck in traffic. The word on the street is that are already hundreds of abandon tunnels under LA, so creating a transport system to utilize these tunnels may not be so far-fetched. The Map of the completed project is pictured below, I’m starting to wonder if Elon and Metro are in cohorts. Metro proposed building an alternative to the 405 fwy through the Sepulveda Pass, that looking more and more like Elon Musk Tunnel. Musk is building a protype under Hawthorne, that h said eventually he wants to reach LAX.
Metro and Los Angeles County staff are proposing to enter a six-month negotiating period with the developer Watt Companies to build 492 residential units and about 47,500 square feet of community-serving space on two parcels at the intersection of Exposition and Crenshaw Boulevards. The development — which includes commercial and retail units — is literally steps away from stations for the Expo Line and the future Crenshaw/LAX Line, which is scheduled to open in fall 2019. Here’s the staff report.
Under the proposal, 73 (or 15 percent) of the 492 residential units, will be affordable units for households earning 50 percent or less of the area median income. The community-serving space is envisioned to include a grocery store and restaurant space targeted for locally-owned and operated businesses. A business incubator-type space would be part of the development, as well as a mobility hub to provide bicycle and carshare connections for Metro riders.
The proposal also includes nearly three acres of public open space that will also host community events. During the six-month period, Watt Companies will offer opportunities to the community to provide feedback on the proposed project. Watt will also seek out a community-based organization who can add additional local participation on their team.
The abandon parcel of land located on the northeastern side of Vermont and Manchester will be seized and developed into affordable housing, retail, Metro transit plaza, preparatory boarding academy, and a training center. LA Superior Court Judge Daniel Murphy ruled April 26th, that LA County could use eminent domain to seize the land. Judge Murphy stated that owner Eli Sasson wouldn’t lose any rents and has failed to develop on the land. Los Angeles County will take possession of a four-acre property on May 7th. Owner Eli Sasson has left the land undeveloped since the 1992 Civil Unrest. Back in May of 2015, Former Councilmen Bernard Parks proposed a Vermont Entertainment District and even hosted a ground breaking event for the project, the website, of-course has been removed so I’m assuming those plans fell through. I welcome the affordable housing; I think that’s a much better use of the land.
Legislators killed SB 827 in a 6 to 4 vote during the first committee meeting Tueday April 24th 2018. SB 827 was an ambitious bill proposed by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would have drastically change zoning laws to increase construction of four and five story buildings near major transit/rail stations and frequently served bus stops. The bill was originally introduced in January and was immediately hit with opposition. Opponents of the bill claimed it would jeopardize the character of neighborhoods and lead to traffic and parking pains. The bill was targeted towards single family neighborhoods where dense development was prohibited. Wiener and pro-housing groups argued that the state had to intervene because decades of slow-growth policies by local governments have created a devastating housing shortage. The lack of affordable housing has formed into a huge problem bringing California into an extreme housing crisis but many thought this solution was a little too drastic. Although the bill was defeated many believe this is just the beginning of extreme measures to solve California’s Housing Crisis.
YIMBYS Defeated as California Transit Density Bill Stalls
SB 827 is Dead. But California still can – and should- build more Housing Near Transit
Construction on the Crenshaw LAX Line is moving right along. Major road closures proceed as construction crews dig massive holes 24/7 for the subway portion for the light rail line. This means great things for our neighborhood (as well as horrible traffic and a lots of closed urban businesses) but as I speak with my constituents, we all seem to worry about the same thing, the effects of gentrification that is going to come along with this light rail line and the effects it will have on our neighborhood. Well while I was on break, I was able to grab a couple (as well as get some nice construction workers) to grab some up close pictures of the gargantuous hole being dug out for the Crenshaw/King subway stop (that’s suppose to have an underground entrance to the mall). There is also a massive whole at Vernon and Crenshaw, the Leimert Park Station, and Expo and Crenshaw. Expo/Crenshaw’s subway station stop, which will be the last stop of phase I of the Crenshaw Line, (phase II is suppose to remain underground and continue all the way to Hollywood and will take humpteen years to be built) will be covered by the massive Crenshaw DIstrict Square development, that I assume they will break ground on once the subway stop is completed. Expo/Crenshaw station stop is who is all super secretive and being blocked by massive gates/tarps/”Eat Shop Play Crenshaw” banners. Construction is scheduled to continue well into 2018 so please take note of all road closures.
Crenshaw closures since January
Crenshaw Line Construction Right on Track
Phillip Washington, former CEO of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) was selected as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s new chief executive officer, starting no later than May 29.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and we will function as a team in doing it,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said during a press conference at Metro on Thursday. “Phillip Washington’s experience in Denver of delivering projects on time and on budget is precisely what all of us have desired and expected, and we fully look forward to that happening here in Los Angeles as we move toward the implementation of Measure R.”
Washington said he was looking forward to delivering “the best possible transit experience and infrastructure for the LA area.”
TUESDAY January 27, 2015, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza – Community Room
3650 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008
Learn about upcoming construction activities
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
6pm to 7:30pm
Crenshaw United Methodist Church
3740 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Parking is available in the adjacent parking lot.
Signage will direct people to the meeting room (Wesley Hall).
To RSVP or ask questions, please call (213) 922-2736 or emailcrenshawcorridor@metro.net.
For direction and information taking public transit call 323.GO.METRO (323) 466.3876
Street closures are noted on the Neighborhood Council website: http://www.ecwandc.org
Saturday February 7, 2015
Crenshaw United Methodist Church
3740 Don Felipe Drive , Los Angeles 90008
Eat, Shop, Play Crenshaw makes it easy for you to Eat at Local Restaurants, Shop at local retail stores and Play at local destinations. It can also help you win $1,000 in cash! .
Entering the Quarterly Drawings couldn’t be easier. From your cell phone, tablet or computer, submit photos of receipts from participating businesses by clicking “Take the Pledge/Submit Drawing Entry” at Metro’s website. 
It’s that easy. So take the pledge to Eat, Shop, Play Crenshaw today and help your neighborhood while helping yourself!
Pledge Cards and Drawing Entries may also be picked-up and submitted in-person at Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project Field Office, 3699 Crenshaw Bl, Los Angeles CA, 90016.
Receipts must be $25 or more to qualify. Each qualifying receipt gets a new Drawing Entry, so the more often you spend dollars locally, the greater your chances are to win!
West Carson is getting some well needed attention with the announcement of a Regional Hub and even talk about building a community around it. West Carson is slated to become Eastern South Bay’s regional transportation hub near the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (I believe Torrance is building one too). The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a state grant that will use $491,770 develop a plan aimed at improving transportation, sustainability and increase housing in the area. The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning will create a master plan that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing a sustainable community project within a ½ mile radius of the West Carson Metro station.
