More Parking Ordered for Subway Stop

The Los Angeles City Council ordered transit officials Wednesday to provide 250 parking spaces at the Universal City subway station when it opens, or risk loss of city funds.

The ultimatum comes after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority infuriated subway neighbors by avoiding a commitment to provide enough parking to keep subway commuters from leaving their cars on area residential streets.

The San Fernando Valley’s two Red Line stations, which could be the last subway terminals built for years, are due to open in early summer.

Although MTA officials said they believe they can meet the ultimatum, some neighbors of the station said 250 spaces is still not enough, and they called on the transit agency to consider delaying the planned June opening.

“They are going to have a serious shortage of parking, which is going to lead to gridlock,” predicted Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn.

“They seriously need to consider when they are going to open that station. Unfortunately it [delay] has to be one of their options,” Lucente said.

The council also Wednesday approved $2 million to assist more than 100 merchants who lost business during construction of the North Hollywood subway station.

Officials said the parking problem was caused by delays in awarding construction contracts and a contractor’s need to use half of the parking lot as a staging area for building a bridge over the Ventura Freeway. The project was put six months behind schedule when the MTA was forced to rebid the contract.

Eventually, the subway station was proposed for 437 spaces but officials disclosed earlier this month that only about 220 were expected to be ready in time for the opening.

The MTA planned to phase in the remaining spaces, but all of the station’s parking--and 236 spaces proposed in an auxiliary lot planned for Ventura Boulevard--will not be available until March 2001.

That alarmed city and county officials, who held high-level talks on Tuesday to push for a resolution to the parking issue.

“The potential lack of parking at the Universal City station will discourage the use of the Red Line and undermine the very purpose of the significant contribution of public dollars to its construction,” Councilman Hal Bernson said.

The council approved Bernson’s proposal to condition its allocation of $34 million in transit tax money for the subway project on the MTA providing at least 250 parking spaces when the Universal City station opens in June.

Marc Littman, an MTA spokesman, said in order to comply, the contractor may be required to use a smaller staging area, but he also said the MTA has the option of moving back the date of the Universal City station opening.

Initially scheduled to open in May, the estimates were later moved to mid-June. Littman said no firm date has been set and the MTA management will probably evaluate the progress of construction and testing in April before setting a firm opening date.

Legally, the MTA has until December to open the station and comply with agreements signed for federal funding of the project, Littman said.

The transit agency is also looking to see if auxiliary parking might be available at a Caltrans park-and-ride lot nearby and at the Hollywood Bowl, in which case shuttle buses would be provided to get commuters to the Universal City Station.

Merchants’ complaints of lost business from subway construction have been voiced for years. More than 100 merchants along Lankershim Boulevard and on cross streets say they suffered a significant loss of business during the North Hollywood subway construction, which at times forced closure of the streets.

To make amends, the City Council Wednesday approved $2 million that will be used to create a Business Improvement District to upgrade storefronts, beautify pedestrian areas and market the area as a place to visit and shop.

The money will allow North Hollywood merchants “to recover from the damage they suffered,” said Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents part of the area.

Council President John Ferraro, who represents the rest of North Hollywood, said the Business Improvement District will help the merchants take full advantage of the increased business that will be generated when the subway station opens.

“More people will be riding the Red Line and frequenting the merchants in the area,” Ferraro predicted.