David Zahniser and Ari Bloomekatz report on yesterday's release of the EIR for a proposed $1 billion football stadium in downtown LA, by developer AEG, which intends to take significant steps to encourage event-goers to use mass transit.
As is to be expected in a city obsessed with automobile traffic, much of the initial reaction focused on the developer's plans to mitigate the traffic impacts of the proposed 72,000 seat stadium. According to Zahniser and Bloomekatz, "With more than 19,000 vehicles expected to flood downtown for games at Farmers Field, Anschutz Entertainment Group's strategy for traffic hinges, in part, on convincing ticket buyers to travel via the Metro Blue Line, the upcoming Expo Line and other public transit routes."
"That approach made AEG President Tim Leiweke sound more like a starry-eyed urban planner than a hardball negotiator for an NFL team."
AEG's approach is not just a publicity stunt either, the developers are bound by legislation passed last year to speed the project's environmental review process to operate a stadium with fewer car trips than any other NFL facility in the nation, note Zahniser and Bloomekatz.
And despite AEG's plans to spend $35 million on transportation improvements, downtown would still see "significant, unavoidable impacts" at dozens of intersections.
Some of the most vocal critics of the project come from the adjacent low-income Pico-Union neighborhood, who fear being inundated with traffic and light pollution from the 30-plus new digital signs intended for the stadium and convention center.
The release of the EIR sets off a 45-day public comment period, and you're likely to hear much more about its contents as observers digest its 10,000 pages.
FULL STORY: Football stadium plan bets many fans would leave cars at home
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.