Less than a week after Metro gave the go ahead on the full nine-mile extension of the Purple Line subway, the Beverly Hills school district has filed suit to stop their plans--the suit was filed the same day the LA Times editorial board excoriated BH for the second time for attempting to stymie the decades-in-the-making project (the LAT basically said Beverly Hills is fighting a losing battle and should be ashamed for wasting education dollars on it). The school board--and many Beverly Hills city officials--don't like that the subway will travel under Beverly Hills High School to reach a Century City station at Constellation and Avenue of the Stars (they say they want a station at Santa Monica Boulevard, though numerous studies show that's not feasible because of earthquake faults). First Beverly Hills's opposition was about potential terrorists, then a desire for underground parking, then an alleged conspiracy with a developer, then the school blowing up (the latest gossip is that it's really about fear of residential property values dropping), but BHUSD's lawsuit basically states that Metro violated the California Environmental Quality Act (the old standby) because they rushed the project and haven't waited for the results from all the scientific studies commissioned by Beverly Hills to come in.
The suit also claims that Metro preordained the Constellation stop years ago and tailored their findings, conducted by people like Dr. Lucy Jones of the US Geological Survey, to make that happen. As Streetsblog points out, the suit, if successful, would mandate more studies and not divert or kill the subway. Meanwhile, challenges based on CEQA over projects that will ostensibly help the environment (public transit) aren't doing so hot in LA.
· Beverly Hills district sues to block subway tunnel under school [LA Times]
· 90210's Way or the Highway Archives [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...