LAX to Purchase Tiny (but Pricey) Adjacent Lot

LAX's operator, Los Angeles World Airports, is said to be in negotiations to purchase a 21-acre parking lot adjacent to the Southwest Airlines terminal on the east end of the airport, valued at over $100 million. The property, called Park One, is owned by AMB Properties, a San Francisco-based property manager. At over $25/car/day, the lot is said to generate several millions of dollars per annum. It is set to be the largest commercial sale in LA County this year.

For purchases over $150,000, the agency is required to gain permission from the board of commissioners and from the LA city council. While their intended use of the site has not been made public, the agency claims the lot will not factor into their multibillion-dollar plans for renovation and expansion. In a recession economy, parking lots prove a very stable investment, as retail and other tenants will tend to fall back on their payments.

Prior to its parking lot conversion in the 1990s, the spot was an industrial warehouse space that was home to an aerospace manufacturer during World War II. Important then for its proximity to the airport and the rest of the aerospace industry, the lot on the corner of Sepulveda and Century Blvds is exponentially more so today, at the gateway to the largest passenger and cargo airport on the Pacific. Unfortunately LAX received the distinction last week of being ranked the 'nation's worst airport' by Dwell Magazine. Maybe that money can go into the alleged rehab of the airport - lord knows they won't be getting any money from the government anytime soon.

Metro Board Chooses Right-of-Way Option in Expo Phase II

The Metro and Expo authority boards voted unanimously last week in favor of the Metro-owned Exposition right-of-way route for the second phase of the Expo light rail connecting downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. That route follows the rail line that was used by the Pacific Electric red car system that was eradicated in the 1950s. The option is cheaper, faster, more convenient, and would attract higher ridership than the alternative.

Opposition to this route came from residents of the Cheviot Hills area directly to the north of the Exposition right-of-way. That neighborhood is composed predominantly of upscale, single-family homes. Residents have voiced concerns that the light-rail line would be noisy, ugly, and would bring urban blight to the plush region. They tried in vain to convince the board that a route traveling westward on Venice Blvd and then turning northward up Sepulveda Blvd would attract more riders.

The other half of the decision was to route the terminal stretch of the line down Colorado Ave through downtown Santa Monica to end at Ocean Ave at the Pier, as opposed to running down Olympic Blvd. Now, the principle remaining controversy is whether certain stations should remain at-grade or be sunken underground - the safer but more expensive alternative. The construction authority has proposed at-grade stations at Overland, Westwood, Military, Sepulveda, Barrington and Centinela, some of which are high-traffic crossings.

First Century City, then the 10 freeway and now this? Cheviot Hills just can't seem to keep the big, bad city from closing in around it.