Politics & Government

Casden West L.A. Still Touts Devotion to City's Mass Transit Movement

Despite the Planning Commission overriding glaring concerns in the environmental impact report, LAWeekly reports that Alan Casden's massive mixed-use proposal is still mass transit oriented.

The Casden West L.A. project, a massive mixed-use development along Pico and Sepulveda boulevards under the "transit oriented" label for the upcoming Expo Rail Line, has not received Los Angeles City Council approval, but in February the Planning Commission overrode several "unsolveable problems" in its environmental impact report, according to LAWeekly.

The publication's April 25 report, containing comments from Howard Katz, spokesman for billionaire developer Alan Casden, as well as from city transportation officials and a Westside Community Council member, stirs the notion that this "grand social experiment" will be Los Angeles' "Bermuda Triangle" of traffic.

Situated along the corridor of the Expo Line coming from Culver City, geared with the idea like other transit-oriented developments such as Martin Cadillac's proposal for residents to live nearby to use, Casden West L.A. proposes a 17-story commercial and residential tower with 638 residential apartments and 160,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store, large retailer and neighborhood-serving stores to meet residents’ day-to-day needs.

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It also calls for a six-level subterranean parking structure with 1,795 parking spaces.

City Councilmembers Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz both called the project too large for the congested area in December 2012. Rosendahl said he hoped developers would scale it back to better leverage the transportation assets that Expo Phase 2 and the accompanying bike path will provide."

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LAWeekly's report states the project could generate more than $35 million in city revenue and more living space for low-income seniors, but the EIR report states Casden West L.A., as proposed, would exasperate current traffic congestion levels as it as with its vicinity to the 405 and 10 freeways. Sepulveda Boulevard is used as an alternate route by many local commuters.

The chairman of the Planning Commission admitted they compromised some project elements to get it approved, such as square footage and moving the apartments more than 500 feet away from the 405.

Throughout the report, Katz maintains Casden West L.A. is devoted to the city's mass transit movement, while commenting that it will add cars to Pico/Sepulveda but it should not stop the intersections from working.

For more information on the project, visit its website (and lower the volume for the melody that begins).


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