(map courtesy of the city of West Hollywood/illustration by Karen Villalpando)

The effort to bring rail to West Hollywood is one step closer to becoming reality after the Aug. 27 meeting of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

The Metro board unanimously voted to award a contract for engineering work and environmental analysis on three potential routes for the Crenshaw Northern Extension rail line, all of which go through West Hollywood.

In 2018, Metro proposed five routes, one of which would have missed West Hollywood entirely by traveling through Koreatown to connect to the Crenshaw/LAX line to the Red and Purple lines at the Wilshire/Vermont station.

Instead, all three proposals – one of which is a hybrid of two alternatives presented in the 2018 study – will allow subway riders to board and disembark in West Hollywood. Currently, the nearest subway station to West Hollywood is Hollywood/Highland, though the Purple Line Extension, which travels along a long stretch of Wilshire Boulevard and will service Beverly Hills, is currently under construction and is expected to open stations at Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo in 2023 and 2025, respectively.

West Hollywood leaders and residents have long hoped to bring rail to the city, Mayor Lindsey Horvath said.

“We couldn’t be more excited in West Hollywood to see what has been a years-long journey coming to be a real thing,” she said.

The three potential routes all would begin where the Crenshaw/LAX line currently ends at Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards, then travel north up Crenshaw Boulevard. After traveling up San Vicente Boulevard, two routes split, one going north up La Brea Avenue and another going up Fairfax Avenue. The Fairfax route would split again at Beverly Boulevard, with the hybrid route heading west until it turns north onto San Vicente Boulevard again, then turns at Santa Monica Boulevard. All three routes run east along Santa Monica Boulevard, then turn north on Highland Avenue before joining the red line at the Hollywood/Highland station.

David Fenn, an associate planner for the city of West Hollywood’s Long Range Planning Division, said the city is most interested in the westernmost alignment options, as those would serve more of the city, and the hybrid route – the westernmost route – “hits all of the major destinations in the area,” from shopping centers like The Grove and Beverly Center to major employers like Cedars-Sinai and West Hollywood attractions like the Pacific Design Center and many bars and restaurants. The subway stops on Santa Monica Boulevard would also be only blocks away from the Sunset Strip, Fenn added.

Horvath said the hybrid route is a popular choice in West Hollywood.

“The line we’ve called the hybrid in many of the public meetings has seemed to get the most public support and seemed to address the concerns of many of the neighborhoods along the route, but we know there’s work to be done. That’s what this process is,” Horvath said.

Patrick Chandler, community relations manager for the Crenshaw Northern Extension, said popularity was a factor in determining which routes would move on for further study, as was the number and type of venues made more accessible by these routes.

“We did some preliminary engineering and also looked at public feedback, and that’s what went into selecting those stations … Looking at potential ridership, as well as commerce centers where people will work and shop, all played a factor,” Chandler said.

The large parking lots at the Hollywood Bowl could be useful for constructing the Crenshaw Northern Extension. (photo by Cameron Kiszla)

In addition to West Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl is another attraction that could potentially be made more accessible by the Crenshaw Northern Extension. The Metro board recommended more study of potentially extending the route beyond the Hollywood/Highland station to reach the historic amphitheater, which is a mile north of the Hollywood/Highland station.

Not only would that extra mile of rail be useful during concerts and events, Fenn said, but there is more open space used for parking and picnics near the Hollywood Bowl, which will be important for “constructability reasons” when the large tunnel-boring machines need to be put into the ground.

“Those same parking lots, once you have a station [and] when there aren’t events happening, those lots could be a ready-made park and ride,” Fenn added.

However, the actual selection of the route – including the feasibility of the Hollywood Bowl extension – and a push by West Hollywood and others to accelerate the project by almost two decades will depend upon several factors.

First, the $50.4 million contract for engineering and environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act was awarded to Connect Los Angeles Partners – a joint venture of AECOM Technical Services Inc. and the American branch of Canadian engineering consulting firm WSP Global – but how much that funding is allotted for work in the upcoming fiscal year depends on Metro’s budget, which is set to be considered later this month at a public hearing on Sept. 16 and the full board meeting on Sept. 24.

Chandler said it’s “too early to say” exactly when the environmental work will begin, and groundbreaking can’t begin until the environmental work is complete.

“We’re looking at a 30-month long environmental analysis, and we hope to begin early next year or next year, reaching out and having scoping meetings, reaching out for public feedback,” Chandler said.

The acceleration of the project also depends on funding. Construction on the project isn’t scheduled to begin until 2041, and the rail line isn’t expected to open until 2047, but with some financial assistance from West Hollywood and other governmental agencies, construction could be accelerated by nearly 20 years, which some hope will have the project completed in time for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles. The sales tax Measure M, which was approved in 2016, provides approximately $2.2 billion for the project, and if West Hollywood can provide up to 25% of the funding that is necessary for the work in the city of West Hollywood – potentially hundreds of millions of dollars – then the project could be fast-tracked by Metro.

City officials have pointed to sales-tax revenue and a potential Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District – a way to fund big projects by leveraging anticipated increases in tax revenue due to infrastructure projects raising property values – as methods of raising the necessary funds. Fenn said fellow governments, including the city of Los Angeles, are also expected to help raise additional funds. Additionally, the Crenshaw Northern Extension’s anticipated high ridership – as much as 90,000 riders per day – and other factors make the project an appealing target for federal and state grants and financing, Fenn said.

The project’s total cost – and how much the city will ultimately have to contribute – is still yet to be determined, said Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo.

“There are so many variables to this, we need to be careful, how we look at it. When we finish the environmental studies, we want to have a more clear picture of how this project will move forward, especially the funding. We need to work on this, and we’re working with the city of West Hollywood and trying to get this done,” Ubaldo said.

Horvath said the project’s acceleration has momentum because of the different governments – such as the city and county of Los Angeles – as well as Metro’s board and CEO Philip Washington, who all want to see this project succeed.

“For all of the disagreement that begins in Washington, D.C, people are interested in getting us federal dollars, and for all of the points of view that exist in Sacramento, we have state leaders who are on our side and looking out for us. There’s a lot of private interest in helping move this project along, which means we hope this project will move along in a timeline that makes sense,” Horvath said.

Regardless of their cause, the delays in timing may ultimately affect the ability of West Hollywood to meet the city’s stated goal of opening the Crenshaw Northern Extension in time for the 2028 Olympics.

“Metro representatives have said in public meetings [opening before 2028] still remains possible,” Horvath said. “If they want to make that their goal, I’m certainly happy to see that happen. We need to move forward with this alignment in a way that makes sense for all the communities it will serve, and hopefully that means an expedited timeline.”

Fenn added that the Olympics are a great way to garner attention from the state and federal government, but even if the project misses the 2028 deadline by a few years, any acceleration over the 2047 opening date would be a boon for many thousands of people who would benefit from better transit options in the area.

“The Olympics is a two-week sporting extravaganza. It’s a great thing for the city, because it makes Sacramento and Washington pay attention, because everyone wants to look good on the world stage. This project makes a ton of sense if it’s done in 2030 or 2028 … We’re trying to get this though in a way that’s responsible for the community and the region’s wider needs … All of the pieces have to come together to make that happen, and the window is closing, but if the Olympics are the catalyst to make this happen, then we’re all for it,” Fenn said.

West Hollywood plans to continue community outreach and study rail integration, Fenn said. Contracts for outreach and the study are expected to be considered during the Oct. 5 West Hollywood CIty Council meeting.