The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted in favor of the San Vicente-Fairfax alternative of the K Line Northern Extension on March 26. (rendering courtesy of Metro Los Angeles)

L.A. County officials are largely celebrating the March 26 approval by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment of the Metro K Line Northern Extension, which will pass by significant Los Angeles landmarks such as the Farmers Market, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and through the city of West Hollywood.

“This is how you build a city where opportunity is within reach, by connecting people to jobs, housing, healthcare and each other through a system that works,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, said. “[The] vote reflects real collaboration.”

Yaroslavsky was among the Metro board members who unanimously approved the K Line, along with several other county representatives, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the entirety of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. One of the most vocal proponents of the alignment was Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, who was previously a member of the West Hollywood City Council.

“This is a transformational moment for Los Angeles,” Horvath said. “[The] approval of the K Line Northern Extension San Vicente–Fairfax alignment will finally connect communities and make it possible to travel from LAX to the Hollywood Bowl on one line. This amendment delivers both urgency and certainty.”

Horvath had previously explained in an interview the unique funding agreement, called an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, which West Hollywood is likely to enter into with Metro Los Angeles to help with the construction of the K Line.

“What that does is capture the value that comes into a region when there’s construction and allows it to be reinvested back into the community,” she explained. “So, West Hollywood is willing to put up money that would have come from the increased value by bringing transportation, instead of allowing it just to go to the city’s coffers. It’s actually being invested back into this project to ensure that the project comes faster. And so, it’s not an additional tax. It’s not new dollars that residents have to spend. That’s what’s exciting.”

According to West Hollywood City Councilman John Erickson, the city’s legislative body will be taking up the issue quickly.

“It’s in our April 6 agenda. I look forward to continuing the great momentum and delivering on WeHo’s promise to finish the line,” he said.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District, touted the additional stop that will connect to the Hollywood Bowl, which will be extended from the K Line where it meets the Red Line at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

“A station at the Hollywood Bowl will be a true game changer,” Barger said. “It represents a long-overdue investment in smart, accessible transit that will ease those impacts and improve how people move through this region.”

Concerns from neighborhood homeowners were taken into account by the board, as well, particularly those in the Lafayette Square and Carthay Circle areas. Those in Carthay Circle will be going through more construction delays, just as the nearby D Line Extension is set to open its first stations in May. An amendment to the K Line approval designated 12 months of outreach in order to preserve historic neighborhoods and to maintain the Midtown Crossing Shopping Center, which is a major hub for groceries and pharmaceutical needs in the community.

“Upon reinitiation of project activities, the Mid-City alignment will be finalized and approved by the board within the first 12 months,” the additional language read in part. “The alignment shall be informed by meaningful engagement with residents and stakeholders; prioritizing preservation of historic neighborhoods through the avoidance and minimization of residential subsurface easements; and include an independent third-party peer technical review of tunneling between Crenshaw/Adams and Wilshire/Fairfax, including potential impacts to historic residential structures, with findings shared publicly to support transparency, community confidence and informed participation. This process shall in no way impede or delay any current efforts to expedite or advance the project, but shall be a means to get people where they need to go and Metro in a position to be a trusted neighbor.”

Prior to its approval, U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) released a statement urging the board to approve the extension.

“I fought to implement the law that unlocked billions in financing for the K Line extension without the need to raise taxes because I believe Angelenos deserve to be able to ride on the public transit they’ve voted and paid for,” Friedman said. “The decision before us is whether we want a better, more connected Los Angeles, or if we’d rather spend more of our lives sitting in smog and traffic.”

Four of the five West Hollywood City Council members attended the March 26 Metro board meeting, voicing their support for the project in a public comment period that included roughly 150 speakers.

“I’m thrilled that the Metro Board has voted affirmatively to move forward with the K Line Northern Extension,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the leadership of L.A. County Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in advancing this project and continuing to expedite the environmental review process. The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment will serve the greatest number of people and connect with key east-west transit lines. It will be truly transformative for West Hollywood and communities across Los Angeles County.”

West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lauren Meister, who did not attend the meeting, expressed caution following the announcement.

“While there are many obvious positives for the city of West Hollywood related to the chosen route, I still have concerns about how the construction will impact our residential and commercial neighborhoods and how the financing mechanism (EIFD) will affect our revenues in years to come,” Meister said. “I have asked our city manager to schedule a study session with council, so all of these questions, especially those related to the financial burden on the city, can be addressed.”

The EIFD and other items related to the K Line Northern Extension will be discussed with the West Hollywood City Council in the months to come. If the EIFD is approved, it would provide over $2 billion to support the construction, which is believed would expedite the process, potentially making rail in West Hollywood possible in the 2030s.