With concerns over noise, vibration and air quality due to Purple Line Extension construction underway in Beverly Hills, the City Council continued to hash out a memorandum of agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority during its July 17 meeting.

The memorandum of agreement between Bevrely Hills and Metro will specify terms for construction on the Purple Line Extension, including the Rodeo/Wilshire station, depicted above. (rendering courtesy of Metro)

“Certainly, the council has done a lot of homework,” Mayor Julian Gold said. “I expect we will continue it.”

Once completed, the MOA will provide parameters for factors such as mitigating the construction impacts for nearby businesses and recourse the city will take if there are any violations during construction on the tunnel and the Wilshire/Rodeo station.

Owners and managers of Beverly Hills hotels, restaurants and other businesses were concerned about potential disturbances from construction and road closures to facilitate it.

Todd Johnson, president and CEO of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber is supportive of the subway extension, but “wants to protect the business community through these times.”

The Beverly Hills Unified School District has worried about air quality and potential safety hazards for students and staff with a laydown area adjacent to district property. A lawsuit between the two sides is still ongoing.

“Because of that, air quality is of special concern to the school district and the school district is of concern to the city, because many of them are your residents and children of your residents,” said Terry Tao, district counsel.

Beverly Hills city staff has been attending meetings with local stakeholders to hear their concerns. The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee and the council’s Subway Ad Hoc Committee are two of the groups that have weighed in. Information has also been shared at Beverly Hills’ Public Works Day and Earth Day celebrations, as well as other city events.

“Staff believes that the draft MOA provides significant benefits to the community because it includes stronger enforcement mechanisms and more business mitigation assistance than would otherwise be provided to the community if Metro were to simply obtain encroachment permits in the same manner as other utilities that work in the public right-of-way,” according to a report to council by City Engineer Daren Grilley, City Attorney Larry Wiener and project manager Robert Welch.

Beverly Hills resident Mark Elliot suggested a resident mitigation fund to assist residents within close proximity to construction, in addition to the business mitigation assistance that has been discussed. Elliot said his residence is within 500 feet of construction.

Councilwoman Lili Bosse said she wants to make sure the city remains accessible, especially with another round of BOLD (Beverly Hills Open Later Days) events beginning in August.

“As much as we’re trying, it’s still going to be a painful experience when you’re doing construction,” Bosse said. “For me to be able to support an MOA, it will be the day the people in our council chambers say their needs are met.”

“The people who have spoken need to feel comfortable with the MOA,” Councilman John Mirisch added.

City staff will continue to work with Metro to shore up the language in the MOA. Metro has held regular presentations to keep the community updated, and representatives from the agency have said they’ll continue to work with the local government and residents to curb as many of their concerns as possible.

“The city and Metro will continue to conduct outreach to businesses and residents through direct mailings, door-to-door notice delivery, social media, e-blasts, advertising, meetings with impacted stakeholders, and project hotline and coordination,” according to the city staff report. “Metro will also continue conducting monthly city of Beverly Hills meetings with the community and with the businesses to provide updates on work progress and mitigation coordination.