City Withdraws Wilshire Boulevard Widening Amendment

Recent revisions made by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to the Department of City Planning's of Wilshire Boulevard between Barrington and Federal Avenues has been withdrawn and will not appear before city council.

In a letter from Senior City Planner Kevin Keller to those who attended a hearing last month about the proposal, the DOT said they can maintain 10-foot sidewalks along that two-block stretch by making slight modifications to lane widths. If the plan became adopted, which would have triggered provisions to the Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan, the 10-foot sidewalks' width would have been reduced to eight feet to allow for a new lane.

The proposal followed Metro's 12.5-mile Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit Project, contending the area between Barrington Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard (called Federal Avenue to the south) is a crucial choking point that hinders public transportation.

"The initial project would have precluded the ability of future developments to dedicate enough additional right of way to allow for 12-foot sidewalks in the future, and therefore necessitated the adoption of a general plan amendment," Keller wrote.

He noted the development on the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue has already made City Planning's two-foot dedication and the right of way in front of the property is 102 feet.

The Westside Subway Extension is coming to the area, and transit agencies over the years have increasingly looked at bus-only lanes as a viable and cost-effective solution to speeding up services.