Questions about specious cost estimates that were the basis of a ballot initiative to fund a new L.A. streetcar line were kept from voters, a Los Angeles Times investigation has revealed. The project may have to be delayed, shortened, or cancelled.
"When downtown voters agreed last winter to bring back the Los Angeles streetcar, the campaign pitch sounded simple: a $125-million trolley through the heart of the central city, with funding split between federal grants and a new property tax," writes Laura J. Nelson. "Inside City Hall, however, staff members had been quietly warning that the project's price tag was not a detailed estimate and could rise, a Times review of city memos, emails and meeting notes has found."
A "back-of-the-envelope" estimate based on the cost-per-mile construction of Portland's streetcar and a utility relocation estimate that was off of the worst case scenario by $190 million helped contribute to the erroneous estimates. But concerns raised by city staff over potential additional costs before detailed estimates were produced were kept under wraps.
"With no clear way to close what could be a $200-million funding gap, the fear now at City Hall is that the streetcar's shot at a crucial federal grant is in jeopardy, potentially delaying construction by several years."
FULL STORY: City Hall staff kept quiet on L.A. streetcar red flags
L.A. Officials to Look at Possibility of Car-Free Downtown Broadway
Los Angeles may follow in San Francisco’s footsteps by banning cars along a stretch of a downtown thoroughfare.
Mind the Gap: Funding Hole Could Halt Downtown L.A. Streetcar Plans
When voters in downtown L.A. approved a special taxing district to help fund a new $125 million streetcar line, one small detail was left out of project cost estimates - $166 million in potential utility work. Might this gap kill the project?
L.A. Streetcar Gets Go-Ahead from Voters
Voters in downtown Los Angeles have overwhelmingly approved a special property tax to help fund a $125 million streetcar. The results of the special vote-by-mail election were reported last night.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service