After years of studies and community input, Los Angeles County transportation officials are ready to present their proposal for a 9.2-mile public transit project that will run through several San Fernando Valley communities.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to release its preferred alternative to the agency’s board of planning and programming committee on June 20 for the The East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor project.
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In 2013, Metro completed its study for the proposed transit line that would link the Metro Orange Line to the Sylmar and San Fernando Metrolink stations.
Since then, the agency has narrowed its options for the line.
- One of them offers to build a busway that would run curbside on Van Nuys Boulevard with 18 stations and prepaid fares. That project would cost about $294 million.
- Another option envisions a busway along a median on Van Nuys Boulevard similar to the Metro Orange Line with 17 stations. The option’s price tag is $402 million.
- A third option includes a median-running light rail transit with 28 stations and a new maintenance and storage facility. The project’s estimated cost is $1.3 billion.
- A final option suggests a light rail on Van Nuys Boulevard, a new maintenance and storage facility. The alternative would have 11 above-ground and three underground stations. This alternative is expected to cost about $2.7 billion.
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The project is funded by multiple sources, including Measure M, the half-cent sales tax adopted by Los Angeles County voters in 2016, which allocates over $810 million in local taxpayer funds for the transit corridor line. The total cost of the project is $1.56 billion.
Councilman Paul Krekorian, who is a member of the Metro and Metrolink boards, said in a statement that he will “carefully examine the staff recommendations” when they’re presented in June, but he said the light-rail line made “the most sense.”
“I have long fought to increase the Valley’s share of light rail and I believe the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor project presents a perfect opportunity to move in that direction,” he said. “Right now, there are only two Metro rail stops serving more than two million Valley residents, which is woefully insufficient to meet our transit needs.”
Metro has been studying several sites near Van Nuys Boulevard for a rail line maintenance facility necessary for repair, maintenance and storage of train cars.
The project, which is expected to begin construction in 2021, stirred a controversy after Valley business owners said the proposed maintenance yard could force them to relocate.
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Ettie Chlomovitz, a co-founder of I&E Cabinets Inc., said she worried that she would need to vacate her 10,000-square-feet building in Van Nuys.
“We have a lot of machinery here,” she said, adding that it took her team about eight months to find their current building about 10 years ago. “To move this business to another location is going to be a problem. If we move, we are going to lose business.”
Kristian Storli, the owner of Bar Italia Classics in Van Nuys, said if Metro decides to build the light-rail line, many small businesses in the area will be forced to close.
“My life savings are inside this building, and it will be very difficult to relocate,” he said. “Someone’s livelihood is going to be destroyed.”
But others see the corridor line, whether it’s rail or otherwise, as a boon, not a bust.
As planners look for ways across Los Angeles to connect transit to residential and commercial areas, the proposed East Valley transit line is frequently mentioned as communities envision new development projects.
For instance, a plan for the Icon at Panorama City, an aging Montgomery Ward site near the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Tobias Avenue would be transformed into apartments and shops — just a block away from a future stop on the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor.
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San Fernando city officials said the proposed corridor is expected to bring more retail stores and employment opportunities to the city. Last year, San Fernando proposed a plan for economic development of the downtown area with funding provided by Metro.
Some community leaders say the transit line is going to be a game-changer for the Valley.
“The Valley voted for Measure M because they were told they will get the rail,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn. “If people don’t get it, they will revolt.”
The corridor project also comes as transit across the region is getting a financial boost. For instance, the Metro Orange Line, East San Fernando Valley and the Orange/Red Line-to-Gold line transit corridor will benefit from a slice of $1.2 billion in state funding as part of three grant programs designed to modernize transportation infrastructure, reduce congestion and increase transit ridership, officials from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said this month.
All of the projects were funded by Senate Bill 1, which increased the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and raised vehicle registration fees. The bill was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, but faces opposition from Republicans who want to repeal it.
