Beverly Hills' Response to Metro's Delayed Subway Vote

The following is a press release from the City of Beverly Hills.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the location of the Century City station of the Westside Subway Extension and granted the City of Beverly Hills’ request for a public hearing.

The Metro Board of Directors approved the project only up to La Cienega and Wilshire boulevards, and delayed approval of the stations west of La Cienega, including the Century City station. 

“We are very pleased that Metro agreed to delay their final decision on the proposed Constellation Boulevard station and tunnel alignment," said Mayor William W. Brien, M.D. "We look forward to a full public hearing and a more thorough environmental review of the subway project.” 

The City of Beverly Hills is a long-time supporter of the Westside Subway Extension. A citizens committee worked closely with Metro to locate two stops in Beverly Hills: one on Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards, and the other on Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive.

Opposition to the proposed route arose when Metro revealed its proposal to locate a subway stop on Constellation Boulevard, which meant an alignment that . 

A tunnel under the high school would limit the Beverly Hills School District's ability to expand and build for the future. The subway as proposed cuts directly underneath the only area of campus that is suitable for modernizing and expanding the school’s aging and inadequate facilities. 

“Completing the necessary upgrades to our high school according to strict state of California standards—with a subway tunnel in place—would likely either be impossible or too expensive for the district,” Mayor Brien said. 

In addition, the City of Beverly Hills commissioned Exponent Inc. and Shannon & Wilson, two of the most highly respected engineering firms in the business, to analyze the EIR data released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Their experts have about some of Metro’s justifications for locating the subway stop on Constellation Boulevard. In particular, they concluded that had been done to rule out a subway stop along Santa Monica Boulevard, which is the City of Beverly Hills' locally preferred route.