BH Files Separate Westside Subway Lawsuit

The city of Beverly Hills filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, , asking a judge to set aside the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's . 

The lawsuit says the project's Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (Final EIS/EIR) violates the California Environmental Quality Act, a statute that requires state and local agencies to identify significant environmental impacts potentially caused by their actions, and how they plan to avoid or mitigate those impacts. 

The Final EIS/EIR calls for tunneling under to reach a subway station on Constellation Boulevard in Century City, which  due to safety concerns.

Beverly Hills' lawsuit argues that Metro should not be allowed to move forward with the extension, :

The certification of the Final EIS/EIR must be set aside due to Metro's failure to comply with certain requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA")... a result of decisions that are not supported by substantial evidence, but that are the result of insufficient, incorrect and conflicting information and a rush to judgment that risks ... the health, safety and welfare of Petitioner's residents.

The city's lawsuit deals with the potential impacts the subway could have within Beverly Hills' municipal boundaries, while BHUSD's lawsuit pertains to the school district's property.

The controversial Westside Subway Extension is a $5.6 billion expansion of the Purple Line to Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and the Veterans Administration Medical Center.

At a public hearing requested by the city of Beverly Hills, attorneys hired by the city presented the Metro Board of Directors with  for reaching a station on Constellation Boulevard that did not require tunneling under BHHS. 

To read Beverly Hills' CEQA challenge against Metro, see the PDF file attached to this article. 

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