Obstacles Mount for Transit Mall

By Jorge Casuso

As the City prepares next month's groundbreaking ceremony for the $11.6 million Downtown Transit Mall, opposition to the project is mounting.

Last week, the Bayside District Board of directors pulled its support of the project -- which, among other things, will widen sidewalks, carve out dedicated bus lanes and add trees and benches -- saying the conditions it had placed on its approval last month had not been met.

Meanwhile, opponents of the transit mall, which is slated to begin construction on April 2, said they will file a lawsuit this week charging that the City did not conduct the necessary studies before giving the project final approval.

On Monday, the Bayside District Board submitted Thursday's decision, which did not require a vote, to City officials.

"Although there is support for the concept of the Transit Mall and the improvements it will bring to the Downtown area, the Board's approval was conditional," the board's chair Walter Marks III wrote in a letter to the mayor and City Council. "Those conditions were not met; therefore BDC must go on record to reiterate our lack of support for the project in its current state."

The conditions addressed longstanding issues that were first presented by the board to City officials on May 4, 1999. Among the conditions were that the northernmost lane of Santa Monica Boulevard be widened to at least 10 feet, that alleyways be enhanced and that a timeline -- including enforcement measures and a construction schedule -- be provided by the City.

City officials said they were "disappointed" with the board's action.

"We're disappointed that they took the action," said Judy Rambeau, who is helping to coordinate the outreach efforts for the City Managers office. "We wanted to work with them to make this a positive experience during construction."

Rambeau said that some of the conditions placed by the Bayside board didn't end up as part of the approved transit mall, something that happens with any project. She added that the board's more recent request that the City allocate additional funds for construction mitigation and parking and traffic enforcement were being addressed.

"No extra money was allocated, but if the need arises, it will be there," Rambeau said. "If additional needs arise, we're going to cover it."

While the Bayside board's action sends a strong message, the lawsuit the Santa Monica Transportation Council expects to file this week could halt the project in its tracks if a judge grants a temporary injunction.

"We're working on the complaint," said attorney Tom Larmore, who represents the group, which includes downtown residents and property and business owners. "We have given the City official notice it will be filed. They know it's coming."

The suit will contend that the Bayside District Specific Plan, which was adopted by the City Council in 1996, did not study anything resembling the project, and that the urban design plan approved the following year did not include an environmental analysis.

Planning staff dismisses the allegations, countering that the City conducted a certified Environmental impact report and is now implementing an urban design plan that had been in the works for years.

But at least one council member already is suggesting a contingency plan if the project is halted in the courts.

During Thursday's City Council meeting on Target, Councilman Herb Katz, the former chair of the Bayside board, urged the City to consider hastening the planned synchronization of the downtown traffic signals if construction of the transit mall is delayed.

Still, City officials say the Transit Mall is rolling along on schedule. Transportation officials told the Bayside board on Thursday that they have started ordering, fabricating and storing materials needed for the project.

Next Monday, outreach staff will be going door-to-door to speak with merchants and make sure their concerns heard. The City also will hang banners informing visitors that business during the year-long construction project is being conducted as usual.

"Sixteen months from now we're going to have a great project that's going to make downtown even better, Rambeau said. "It's getting there that's the issue."