The Miracle Mile could be home to two trolley systems if a trolley line proposal by Caruso Affiliated and LACMA gets off the ground. The two entities have initiated a feasibility study in hopes of expanding the current trolley at The Grove.
The Mid-City West Community Council recently announced plans to create a rubber-wheeled trolley system that would essentially run a figure eight pattern through the area.
While organizers of the Mid-City West proposal hope to get a pilot program off the ground soon, the proposal by LACMA and Caruso Affiliated may take more time. The feasibility study by URS Corp. commenced this week.
“I think at this point we wanted to focus on connecting two of the most iconic parts of this neighborhood [LACMA and The Grove],” said Samuel Garrison, vice president of civic initiatives at Caruso Affiliated. He added that the company would eventually like to see the proposal become a neighborhood-wide effort.
Garrison said the study is expected to take about six weeks, and should provide a lot of the “baseline information” the two entities would need before meeting with the community and ironing out details to make the proposal a reality.
He said the study will help determine the design and engineering aspects of the proposal. It will also evaluate traffic impacts and community benefits while providing an environmental analysis and a potential implementation plan, Garrison said.
“We want this to be a very open process where we are sharing the facts, the visions and getting input from people who would ultimately use the trolley,” he said.
Caruso Affiliated founder and CEO Rick Caruso had pitched the idea to the Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce in May. He proposed expanding The Grove trolley to the Beverly Center using 3rd Street.
“You know what’s amazing? It doesn’t go anywhere,” Caruso said of the shopping center’s trolley during the chamber meeting. “It’s an incredible thing. It goes 1,600 feet. It’s one of the shortest railroads in the United States. Thank God for the state of California it is licensed as a railroad.”
He said he was asked why he would be willing to help the competing Beverly Center, and he said it would inevitably bring more people to The Grove. Caruso had suggested offering parking for the trolley at The Grove.
“Eventually, people are going to shop at The Grove. Even if they go down and have lunch on Third Street at Toast, they’re still going to come back to The Grove. I’ve got their car,” he said, drawing laughter. “Wouldn’t that be a fun thing down Third Street? Why not do that?”
Since then, the proposal has generated a lot of support from local residents and elected officials alike, Garrison said. He said the community could use additional transit options, especially since the area is becoming the cultural heart of Los Angeles.
“At the end of the day, most great cities have trolleys, and L.A. used to be among them,” Garrison added. He said LACMA and Caruso Affiliated “absolutely” are committed to pursuing the proposal, and will ultimately create what the community wants and will use.
While the two trolley proposals are separate, organizers from both sides have been coordinating on how they could complement one another. Julie Brame, of Mid-City West, said they don’t believe that the two ideas are mutually exclusive.
“We’re hoping to work together to bring public transportation to our neighborhood,” she said, adding that both sets of organizers are pleased to generate dialogue about additional public transportation options in the Mid-City area, as they are very much needed. “We’re really looking forward to seeing a solution as soon as possible.”
Brame said Mid-City West is still working out the logistics of its proposal, and more information should be announced soon.
According to a press release, the Caruso Affiliated and LACMA proposal would serve the Fairfax area and provide a north-south transit option for residents. The project proposes a connection to the future Metro Purple Line station near LACMA.