WEST SANTA ANA BRANCH TRANSIT CORRIDOR STATION AREA CONCEPTS VERNON MONTEBELLO FOR THE CITIES OF: MAYWOOD HUNTINGTON PARK HUNTINGTON COMMERCE CUDAHY PARK BELL PICO RIVERA SOUTH GATE UNINCORPORATED WALNUT PARK BELL GARDENS DOWNEY CUDAHY SOUTH GATE LOS ANGELES DOWNEY LYNWOOD FINAL MARCH 2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS CONGRESSMEMBER LINDA SANCHEZ’S CITY OF CUDAHY CITY OF SOUTH GATE Jose Pulido, City Manager Michael Flad, City Manager OFFICE Joe Perez, Community Development Director Yvette Shahinian, District Director, Congressmember Arturo Cervantes, Public Works Director Linda Sanchez CITY OF DOWNEY Alvaro Betancourt, Senior Planner Gilbert Livas, City Manager ECO-RAPID TRANSIT Shannon DeLong, Assistant City Manager Michael R. Kodama, Executive Director Aldo Schindler, Community Development Director LOS ANGELES METRO Fanny Pan, Senior Director, Transit Corridors Planning Karen Z. Heit, Deputy Executive Director Ed Norris, Public Works Director Lillian Burkenheim-Silver, Community Development Mohammed Mostahkami, Public Works Director AECOM Allyn Rifkin, Transportation Planner/Engineer CITY OF HUNTINGTON PARK Nancy Michali, Project Manager Norman Emerson, Emerson & Associates Edgar Cisneros, City Manager Gaurav Srivastava, Lead Urban Designer Rene Bobadilla, City Manager Representative Sergio Infanzon, Community Development Director Catherine Tang Saez, Urban Designer Joel Ulloa, Planner A special thank you to Congressmember Linda Sanchez for sponsoring this project concept in 2005. HPLUL-6065(156) Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act – SAFETEA-LU Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) - LAE1883 Planning Study of Station Area Development for the Orangeline Development Authority, Los Angeles County 2 West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor STATION AREA DESIGN CONCEPTS 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................... 6 1 STUDY PROCESS .......................................... 9 1.1 PREVIOUS STUDY EFFORTS 1.2 THIS STUDY EFFORT 2 WEST SANTA ANA BRANCH CORRIDOR ...................... 15 2.1 CORRIDOR BACKGROUND 2.2 CORRIDOR STATION AREA GOALS 2.3 CORRIDOR STATION AREA CONCEPTS 3 STATION AREA DESIGN CONCEPTS ......................... 21 3.1 RAIL EXPLORATIONS 3.2 PACIFIC/RANDOLPH (HUNTINGTON PARK) 3.3 FLORENCE (CUDAHY) 3.4 FIRESTONE/ATLANTIC (SOUTH GATE) 3.5 GARDENDALE (DOWNEY) 4 NEXT STEPS & IMPLEMENTATION ............................ 81 4.1 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 4 West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor STATION AREA DESIGN CONCEPTS 5 West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor SCAG Alternatives Analysis Recommended Alignments EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the first half of the twentieth century, the Pacific rail system and to the statewide California High-Speed ensure Corridor cities are ready for the future transit housing, retail, commercial, public, and cultural Electric (PE) Railway operated Red Car service along Rail system. Corridor cities have spent countless hours system and the related transit oriented development development. And while station area planning is many rail lines throughout Southern California, including envisioning and planning for the future as documented and revitalization efforts. traditionally done by each city through preparation of one running from downtown Los Angeles to downtown in the Station Concepts Plan prepared as part of the individual station area plans, the WSAB Corridor offers Santa Ana. Today, the northern portion of this former PEROW/WSAB Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) effort. Future rail station area visioning and planning efforts the unique opportunity for a new vision – creation of a PE alignment is used by the Metro Blue Line, and the This AA proved the viability of reintroducing rail service offer the opportunity to focus private real estate and Transit Oriented Development Corridor with all of the southern 20-mile segment, known as the West Santa public investment in a way that best serves each city. cities working together to create a unique Corridor Ana Branch (WSAB) Corridor in Los Angeles County and With adoption of supportive zoning and development identity, while celebrating each city’s unique role and the Pacific Electric Right-of-Way (PEROW) in Orange policies, along with the use of economic development vision. County, is now vacant. Red Car rail service shaped incentives, Corridor cities can encourage private this Corridor’s communities in many ways from the investment creating station areas that provide needed early 1900s through 1961 when it ceased operations. The PE rail system connected the region’s growing communities and created memories of fast, friendly transit service, first homes, walkable downtowns, and reliable transportation to work and shopping. After sitting vacant for more than 50 years, plans are underway to build a new Corridor rail system. Reuse of this once active transit corridor, along with Figure E.1 - Red Car service operating in Corridor in 1950s implementing station area visions and plans, provides the opportunity to recreate the once vibrant “transit and led to development of preferred station locations main street” that connected Corridor communities with and initial station area visions. This study builds on each other and with the rest of the Southern California those previous planning efforts to provide more detailed region – and beyond. Future rail service will connect station area land use concept plans and design plans Corridor residents to the regional five-county commuter for four of the Corridor’s station areas. These plans will Figure E.2 - View of WSAB Corridor today in city of Paramount Figure E.3 - Future Bellflower station area with light rail operation FigureSource: E.4 SCAG - WSAB AA Transit Corridor 6 West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor STATION AREA DESIGN CONCEPTS 7 “Visioning and planning for future WSAB 1 STUDY PROCESS Corridor station areas will focus private 1.1 PREVIOUS STUDY EFFORTS development and local public investment to serve 1.2 THIS STUDY EFFORT each Corridor city.” 8 9 1.1 ECO-RAPID TRANSIT PLANNING EFFORTS This study effort presents station area design concepts investment to serve as a community-driven catalyst for ERT PLANNING EFFORTS AA STATION AREA CONCEPTS The following station area questions focused for four Corridor stations reflecting city-specific creation of economically viable and environmentally Eco-Rapid Transit (ERT) is a joint powers authority As part of the PEROW/WSAB Corridor AA study, possible identification of station area-specific opportunities: visions and a detailed understanding of the existing sustainable cities. Corridor station area land use whose mission is to ensure the development of the new station locations and station area concepts were conditions and future plans for each station area. The planning efforts have been funded or completed by Metro WSAB Corridor transit line and the use of that identified for all Corridor stations as documented in • Identify opportunities to create and/or cultivate resulting concepts provide a land use and urban design SCAG, Metro, and Eco-Rapid Transit. investment to create revitalization opportunities and the PEROW/WSAB Corridor AA Station Area Concepts community identity. framework for local station area economic development healthier communities for Corridor residents. Resulting Report. Local stakeholder groups representing each • Create strategies to integrate future transit stations and revitalization efforts. planning strategies are documented in the ERT Transit- station area were engaged through a series of hands-on to support existing land uses, community plans, and Oriented Development (TOD) Guidebook completed in working sessions. These efforts identified local goals future development opportunities. PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS 2014. The TOD Guidebook provides member cities and and knowledge for each proposed station area through • Build upon and support existing city zoning, general Reuse of the WSAB Corridor for transit operations has stakeholders with innovative planning and economic the eyes of city planners, public works directors, and and specific plans, and overlay zones. been studied through several planning efforts. The development strategies to coordinate the transit other city staff. • Create accessible, multi-modal station areas PEROW/WSAB Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) study Eco-Rapid Transit and economic development planning processes, and connecting into adjacent neighborhoods. completed in 2012 was led by the Southern California Transit-Oriented Development to position the Corridor for transit investment and • Identify opportunities to promote connectivity along Association of Governments (SCAG) with Metro’s Guidebook: Southern Corridor economic development opportunities. ERT has also the Corridor ROW to other destinations. participation. The AA study demonstrated the growing prepared background and policy documents on a wide mobility need for reuse of the Corridor Right-of-way range of related issues, such as parking and parking The resulting station area concept plans highlighted Figure 1.3 - Pacific/Randolph station area sketch form city work session (ROW) for transit service. In a follow-on study, Metro, structure decision-making, environmental justice areas of opportunity for transit-oriented, mixed-use as owners of the WSAB Corridor ROW, completed the concerns, and the use of public-private development development and how future land uses could support WSAB Transit Corridor Technical Refinement Study partnerships. creation of a transit-oriented village around each AA DESIGN