In today's news of the ironic, and weird, an L.A. car dealer is developing a mixed-use "town center" adjacent to a future light rail station that will be anchored by their auto showrooms. The twist - they want to get people out of their cars.
Jenna Chandler reports on the proposed Martin Expo Town Center project, the brainchild of the Martin Automotive Group, who "wants to rebuild its
Cadillac-Saab-Pontiac-GM showrooms at Olympic Boulevard and Bundy Drive
in West Los Angeles, and erect alongside them, residential units, shops,
restaurants and 'innovative work environments.'" The site of the development is located cross the street from a future station along the Expo light rail line, which is now being built to connect downtown Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica.
"In a YouTube video on the company's website, the Martin family-which
opened its first dealership in the 1950s in Santa Monica-says it
actually wants to get people out of their cars," says Chandler.
"The [development] offers... the ability for people to reduce the
need to be in an automobile," says Dana Martin, "for people to live
here, and work here without getting into a car is a great concept with
the Metro line being so close."
FULL STORY: Car Dealership Plans Mixed-Use Project Just East of Santa Monica
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The $1.5 billion, 6.6-mile light rail extension from Culver City to Santa Monica is projected to double trips on the line by 2030, giving commuters a viable alternative to driving. Just the same, don't expect the extension to reduce congestion.
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