As the dust finally settles following the return of the Los Angeles Rams, a series of new developments have emerged which could eventually bring Metro Rail to the team’s doorstep in Inglewood. This week, Metro’s Board of Directors is scheduled to discuss how to improve transit access for the $2.66-billion stadium that Rams owner Stan Kroenke is developing on the 298-acre property which formerly housed the Hollywood Park race track.
A motion introduced by Board Members Mark Ridley-Thomas, James T. Butts, John Fasana, Don Knabe, Michael Antonovich and Sheila Kuehl calls on Metro staff to facilitate a feasibility study and a supplemental environmental impact report for a new light rail line that would serve the upcoming sports and entertainment complex. The proposed alignment would extend south from Florence Avenue in Inglewood to the City of Torrance, possibly along Prairie Avenue on the western perimeter of Hollywood Park. The project would be studied as a new alternative for the South Bay Transit Corridor Rail Project, one of numerous light rail extensions funded by the coutywide half-cent sales tax mandated by Measure R. Prior explorations of the South Bay Line have envisioned it as southern extension of the Green Line from its current Redondo Beach terminus to Torrance via the Harbor Subdivision, a historic freight rail right-of-way. In addition to the upcoming stadium, the proposed alignment would also serve the adjacent commercial and entertainment complex which Kroenke is developing in partnership with Stockbridge Capital Group and Wilson Meany. Although final plans for the full development are currently unclear, entitlements would allow for upwards of 2,500 residential units, nearly 890,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, 780,000 square feet of office space, a 300-key hotel and 25 acres of public parks and open space. Nonetheless, Metro riders should not expect a light rail excursion up Prairie Avenue anytime soon. Regardless of its eventual alignment, the South Bay Line is currently scheduled for completion in 2035. However, that timeline could be dramatically shortened with new revenue from a possible transit ballot measure this November. In the more immediate future, a separate motion by Board Members has called for a “Metro Line to the Goal Line,” task force which would explore ways to improve transit access to future NFL games at both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Inglewood Stadium when completed in 2019. Among other options, the task force will study various first mile-last mile transportaiton options, marketing strategies and partnerships with local businesses. Prior reports have indicated that Kroenke and the Rams have considered plans for game-day shuttle buses that could connect to nearby stations on the Green and Crenshaw/LAX lines. Metro already has similar services in place for events at both the Rose Bowl and Dodger Stadium.