LTCC Opposes Regional Connector Build Alternatives (Source: Rafu Shimpo)

Link: LTCC Opposes Regional Connector Build Alternatives – Rafu Shimpo

LTCC Opposes Regional Connector Build Alternatives

By GWEN MURANAKA

RAFU ENGLISH EDITOR IN CHIEF

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The Little Tokyo Community Council on Tuesday stated its opposition to the two current build alternatives proposed for the Metro Regional Connector and urged consideration of a new alternative.

Regional Connector seeks to create an almost two-mile transit link between the Gold and Blue Line light rail systems through downtown Los Angeles. On Tuesday at a meeting of the LTCC Transit Committee, a resolution passed stating opposition to both the underground and aboveground alternatives and urged the transit authority continue to explore different options. A majority of LTCC board members were present at the meeting and voted for the motion. It is currently being sent out to the rest of the board for approval.

“It’s a very serious issue for Little Tokyo. We support the idea of transit in this big city, but we are concerned as to what the impact is going to be for the future of Little Tokyo,” said Chris Aihara, co-chair of the Transit Committee. “As proposed, the below grade alignment and how it diverts the traffic, it cuts Alameda off from the rest of Little Tokyo. Bill Watanabe made a point — that so much of Little Tokyo is the small businesses that are currently here. They won’t benefit from this.”

The vote came following more than an hour of discussion by representatives from Nishi Hongwaji Temple, local businesses, property owners, nonprofit organizations and residents. Daryl Garibay, owner of Advanced Parking Systems, said the motion was necessary to show that Little Tokyo is united in its opposition to the current alignments.

“We must have a unified voice and use it as a tool, whether through the media or in Washington,” said Garibay.

The motion follows a series of working group meetings where all four alternatives for the Regional Connector were discussed. The other two alternatives are a shuttle bus system and a no-build option. On Oct. 27 a motion passed stating that LTCC supports further exploration of so-called fifth option which could involve an underground station at Nikkei Center, planned at the northeast corner of First and Alameda streets. The corner is also site of the Little Tokyo Gold Line Eastside Extension station, which opens on Nov. 15.

Earlier in the day, Little Tokyo representatives expressed their concern during a meeting of the Information Technology and Government Affairs Committee, which is overseen by Councilmembers Tony Cardenas and Jan Perry. Perry expressed support for pursuing federal funding for the Regional Connector but had concerns about its impact on Little Tokyo.

In a letter to Cardenas dated Oct. 29, Perry said the Regional Connector concept is “excellent,” but she had problems with its execution.

“The Little Tokyo community has grave reservations about this project and how it will adversely affect their area. They feel as though they are being sacrificed to a larger goal of ‘better public transit,’” Perry stated. “I agree with the community that the project has issues. The natural transfer point for these trains is the nearby Union Station.”

“I see the overall project as a public benefit. I don’t see why one community should continue to be the target of Metro’s planners. I support the concept, but ask for consideration for another geographic solution,” Perry said.

Ann Kerman, a representative of Metro, had not received the latest LTCC motion, but cautioned that Metro is still in the early stages of preparing the environmental impact report.

“There is now what the community is calling a 5th option, based upon some meetings that we’ve had with the developer of the Nikkei Center,” said Kerman. “But it’s still so premature to know if the project can physically work, what the impacts are going to be. Any motion that opposes the existing build alternatives may be premature at this point. As the environmental process is geared to vet out all options impacts and mitigations. We want to create a project that the community accepts and embraces.”

Metro will be holding a series of meetings, including two meetings Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Japanese American National Museum, to provide a community update on the project. The Nov. 12 meetings will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meetings will also be held Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Wurlitzer Building, 818 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, and Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Los Angeles Central Library board room, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Little Tokyo Asks Metro to Study Grade-Separated Alternative for Regional Connector (Source: blogdown

Link: Little Tokyo Asks Metro to Study Grade-Separated Alternative for Regional Connector :: blogdowntown


Little Tokyo Asks Metro to Study Grade-Separated Alternative for Regional Connector
 
     

To mitigate traffic and pedestrian impacts at 1st and Alameda, Metro has proposed a trench for truck traffic and a pedestrian bridge for walkers.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The Little Tokyo Community Council on Tuesday asked Metro to go back to the drawing board on the Regional Connector, the light rail link intended to connect the Gold Line, Expo Line and Blue Line.

The group asked Metro to study an option that would keep the line underground as it crosses through 1st and Alameda. A successful solution would clear many of Little Tokyo's concerns about the line and would eliminate a weak point in the project's design.

Officially, the Metro is still studying both above-ground and underground options for the Connector, but community meetings have been clear about the public's preference for an underground option.

Current designs have the line surfacing on the southwest corner of 1st and Alameda, crossing the intersection at-grade. That would require at least partial demolition of the block currently occupied by Office Depot, and would leave the center of the light rail network vulnerable to traffic accidents.

The crossing is necessary because of the design of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which is set to open on November 15. The Little Tokyo / Arts District station was placed right at the corner of 1st and Alameda, leaving no room for the Connector to surface on that side of the street.

A write-up on Little Tokyo UnBlogged says that the developers of the Nikkei Center suggested the new underground option. That may be important. Any solution would require additional land to implement, and a supportive developer would make that possibility much more likely.

"In the beginning of the project, we had some parameters that made it more difficult," said Ann Kerman, Constituent Program Manager at Metro. "If we have a new envelope to work in, that's what we're going to explore now."

It is unclear how a truly grade-separated option would connection to either the north, where the Gold Line enters an elevated ramp as it heads north from the Little Tokyo / Arts District station, or the east, where it runs along 1st street.

If a solution can be found that allows it within site and budget constraints, full grade separation is Metro's preferred alternative as well. "Our goal is to build something that's going to work for the community and also maximize the efficiency of our system," said Kerman.

The Metro board voted in September to submit the Regional Connector and the Westside subway extension to the Federal government for funding. The project is also a key part of Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan, which the board approved last week.

Another round of public meetings on the project will be held starting next week. On Saturday, November 7, the project team will be at the Wurlitzer Building (818 S. Broadway) from 10am to noon. On Tuesday, November 10, they will be at the Central Library Board Room from noon to 1:30pm, and on Thursday, November 12, the team will be at the Japanese American National Museum from 2 - 3:30pm and 6:30 - 8pm.

Metro Talks About Regional Connector

Downtown Meetings to Update Residents on Rail Plans

Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:25 PM PDT

DOWNTOWN
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will be
holding a series of meetings in Downtown starting next week to update
the public on the Regional Connector.

The meetings, to take
place Nov. 7-12, will focus on sharing public feedback Metro has been
obtaining as part of its study of the project, which is currently in
the initial 18-month Draft Environmental Impact Study. The project
would create an almost 2-mile transit link between the Gold and Blue
Line light rail transit system through Downtown.

The meetings in
Downtown will be: Nov. 7 from 10 a.m.- noon at the Wurlitzer Building,
818 S. Broadway, Nov. 10 from noon -1:30 p.m. at the Central Library,
630 W. Fifth St., and Nov. 12 from 2-2:30 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. at the
Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St.

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Little Tokyo Sounds Off About Metro’s Expansion Plans (Source: API Movement)

Little Tokyo Sounds Off About Metro’s Expansion Plans | API Movement

Little Tokyo Sounds Off About Metro’s Expansion Plans

Michael - Posted on 19 October 2009

Community leaders continue to meet with Metro officials to emphasize the area’s historical and cultural significance.

By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Pacific Citizen
Published October 16, 2009

Little Tokyo stakeholders are expressing concerns over Metro’s plans to expand the city’s mass transit system in the area.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro, has been collecting community input about its 1.8-mile-long Regional Connector Transit Corridor project. It is a plan that would run through Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, connecting the Metro Gold, Blue and Expo Lines, and possible future transit projects.

Little Tokyo is one of the last three Japantowns left in the nation including one in San Francisco and one in San Jose.

Most residents and employees say they are in favor of improving the transportation in the area, but they are also concerned about how Metro will mitigate negative impacts during the construction phase.

“The Metro has to find ways which will in effect guarantee that businesses and institutions that reflect our ethnic heritage will not be destroyed or impacted to ruination through their proposed construction … and work with the Little Tokyo community after construction is done to help ensure that the ethnic flavor of the community can continue and not be swallowed up by big-money interests,” said Bill Watanabe, executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC).

Watanabe said his opinions are personal and do not necessarily reflect of the feelings of LTSC.
Construction on the regional connector could take as long as four years, depending on which project option is pursued.

Metro officials have not broken ground yet. An 18-month environmental impact statement/environmental impact report is currently underway. It is expected to be complete by the summer of 2010.

In the interim, Metro officials are exploring four different options for constructing the regional connector: a no build alternative, a transportation system management alternative, an at-grade light rail transit alternative and an underground light rail transit alternative.

Metro officials will determine which option to proceed with depending on community input, Metro procedures and the Federal Transit Administration’s guidelines.

The regional connector is intended to provide those who live and work in downtown with “more access to the light rail system.” Little Tokyo is one of the communities that would be included in the project area. Others include Bunker Hill, the Jewelry District, the Civic Center, the Toy District, the Historic Core, the Arts District, the Financial District and the Jewelry District.

Constructing the regional connector would allow passengers to travel through the downtown area without having to transfer, said Dolores Roybal Saltarelli, Metro project manager.

“The elimination of these transfers would save passengers between 12 and 20 minutes of travel time per average trip, and would reduce the need for casual passengers — those without monthly transit passes who pay for each trip individually — to pay additional fares.” Saltarelli wrote in an e-mail to the Pacific Citizen.

“In order for the Metro system to accommodate the anticipated population growth and increases in transit users through the year 2035 and beyond, it will be important to address crowding at these stations.”

Each proposed regional connector option has varying price tags. The transportation system management alternative would have an estimated capital cost of $63 million and an operating cost of $13.6 million. That option would provide bus or shuttle service between the 7th Street Metro Station and Union Station.

The at-grade light rail transit alternative would be $796 million with an operating cost of $9.8 million. This option would go west along Main and Los Angeles Street and north along Temple Street. And the final option, the underground light rail alternative, is estimated to be $910 million, costing $5.2 to operate. Its route would run along Second Street, crossing into Little Tokyo.

“No option is really acceptable to us,” said Craig Ishii, JACL PSW regional director.

“Little Tokyo — this is the whole community — the whole community for the most part is not opposed to the idea of public transit and is not opposed to Metro. It is only opposed to these options that are being presented. The idea is that Little Tokyo should have been involved in the process where they went from 30 [project options] to four.”

Ishii said they oppose the underground light rail transit alternative because of the possible traffic congestion and loss of business during construction. The at-grade light rail transit alternative is also problematic because it sequesters Little Tokyo, said Ishii.

The JACL PSW regional board passed an Oct. 5 resolution, saying they are against all options presented by Metro, unless proper mitigations are implemented.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, also submitted a letter to Metro Chairman Ara Najarian urging him to be mindful of the regional connector’s possible impact on the Japanese American National Museum, which has “unique characteristics and compelling historic significance.”

Saltarelli said they are working with the community before finalizing their decision.

“The project team is conducting extensive outreach in the community to identify the best possible alternative,” Saltarelli said. “We are hopeful that we can identify an alternative that minimizes the impacts on the downtown community, and provides great benefits to businesses, residents, and visitors in downtown Los Angeles and regionally for the long-term.”

The next downtown-based Metro community meeting is Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. at the Wurlitzer Building.
Stakeholders hope Metro officials will consider the historical and cultural significance of Little Tokyo.

“If the Little Tokyo community can plan and coalesce in effective ways to ensure that the community will not be destroyed in the future, then perhaps there is hope for change that results in positive ends for the city and for the Little Tokyo community,” Watanabe said. “Without these guarantees and assurances, many in the community will be unsupportive of these changes.”

Public Meetings Announced for Downtown's Light Rail Regional Connector (Source: LAist)

Public Meetings Announced for Downtown's Light Rail Regional Connector - LAist

Public Meetings Announced for Downtown's Light Rail Regional Connector



 If Metro's regional connector project is built, passengers will be able to commute between Pasadena and Long Beach without transferring from the Gold Line to the Red Line, then the Blue Line. Likewise, those traveling between East LA and Culver City (and maybe someday Santa Monica) will be able to skip a similar transfer process. That means faster travel times and more accessibility car-free.

As part of that plan, the transit agency must develop an environmental impact study and report with public input. Therefore, it's public meeting time to learn about the most recent developments and to share more thoughts:

Thursday, November 5, 2009; 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Lake Avenue Church 393 N Lake Ave, Pasadena

Saturday, November 7, 2009; 10 a.m. to Noon
Wurlitzer Building 818 S Broadway, Los Angeles

Tuesday, November 10, 2009; Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Board Room, Los Angeles Central Library 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles

Thursday November 12, 2009; 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. AND 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum (JANM) 369 E 1st St, Los Angeles

Identical information will be presented at each meeting. Please plan to attend the meeting that best accommodates your schedule.

For additional information or questions, please visit the Regional Connector Transit Corridor study website at metro.net/regionalconnector or contact the project information line at 213.922.7277. The project is also on Facebook, under Regional Connector Transit Corridor Study.
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By Zach Behrens in News on October 15, 2009 3:29 PM