West Hollywood plans first/last mile improvements near future Metro stops

The K Line may be decades away from reaching West Hollywood, but local officials are already plotting out access the upwards of three stops that could be located within city limits.

The K Line first/last mile early assessment plan, which is to be presented to the City Council for review on February 3,  is a component of the larger rail integration study which West Hollywood has conducted in anticipation of the K Line's northern extension. The study was commissioned to identify ways to improve connectivity for stops at Santa Monica Boulevard's intersections with San Vicente Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue, and La Brea Avenue, with an eye towards pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. It also may give a leg up to the San Vicente-Fairfax route favored by West Hollywood.

San Vicente/Santa Monica Station

The westernmost of the potential stops in West Hollywood, the San Vicente/Santa Monica Station would be built adjacent to the Pacific Design Center and Metro Division 7 bus yard, and offers some opportunities for a joint development at a later date. Planners found that as San Vicente to the north of the station site has a steep incline that may be inhospitable for access to the station, Palm Avenue may be a more appealing route which connects the station with the neighborhood to the north toward Sunset Boulevard. Construction of Class IV protected bike lanes along segments of Beverly Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard at the southwestern corner of the city, adjacent to Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, could further improve accessibility to the station.

Fairfax/Santa Monica Station

At the next stop at Fairfax and Santa Monica, a staff assessment found that most of the local corridors are already pleasant environments for pedestrians and cyclists. However, recommendations include traffic calming enhancements and new crosswalks on Crescent Heights Boulevard, as well as implementing improvements to Fountain and Willoughby Avenues as ways to improve station access. Likewise, Class IV protected bicycle lanes are recommended on the segment of Fairfax which feeds into the station site from the north and south.

Santa Monica/La Brea Station

The last stop at La Brea and Santa Monica sits at the eastern limits of West Hollywood. Due to the busy nature of the intersection, recommended improvements include a scramble crossing and upgrading the existing peak-hour bus lanes on La Brea to 24-hour bus-only lanes. Although fewer store fronts are located in the immediate surroundings of this intersection, future developments in the works nearby include a 34-story tower which would become West Hollywood's tallest building.

Although West Hollywood has its heart set on the 9.7-mile San Vicente-Fairfax alignment, two others are under consideration which would include less track mileage in city limits. The Fairfax alignment would skip the station site at San Vicente Boulevard, while the La Brea alignment would represent the shortest and fastest route for the K Line - albeit one that sits at the far eastern border of West Hollywood. 

Construction of the light rail extension remains decades from completion, although Los Angeles and West Hollywood officials have considered forming an EIFD which could raise billions to fast-track the project's construction.

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