Little Tokyo Gets City to Hit Brake on Subway Plan

0

Japanese businesses in Little Tokyo have avoided a catastrophe in the weeks leading up to New Year’s Day – the most lucrative shopping season of the year for the area’s shops.

That’s thanks to a last-minute decision to push back the closing of the Little Tokyo-Arts District Gold Line Station and nearby streets for construction until after the holiday.

Faced with the threat of a court injunction from the Little Tokyo Community Council to get the work delayed till later next month, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority postponed the work during a closed session board meeting last week, according to Paul Gonzales, who handles Metro’s media relations. The work was scheduled to start last Friday.

The decision is subject to written agreement with the association that it will not file a court challenge to the January closures, Gonzales said.

“We’re going to give them what they want – which is to wait till after Jan. 1,” he said. “They were going to go to court on Friday, Dec. 3, to seek a temporary restraining order on the construction scheduled to begin that night at 9 p.m.”

Metro had originally planned for the revamp to begin in late February or early March, but the agency decided to start in December so the station could be finished by March 5, when the entire extension is expected to be done, Gonzales said. The thinking was that shutting down the Little Tokyo station after the Foothill extension opened would disrupt the entire region.

But a December closure would have prevented Japanese shoppers from getting to the area, potentially cutting into the revenue of roughly 170 traditional Japanese businesses, said Ellen Endo, president of the community council. “We’re very happy,” Endo said of Metro’s decision. “Right now, the attorneys for both sides are exchanging wording so we can come up with mutually agreed-upon wording.”

Endo said about 10,000 to 15,000 people descend upon Little Tokyo to celebrate New Year’s Day. Shoppers start buying special holiday food, serving platters and gifts weeks ahead of the holiday and December sales are a significant chunk of annual revenue for the Japanese businesses.

The intersection of First Street and Alameda Avenue will be excavated in the construction for the underground Regional Connector Transit Project. The Little Tokyo station and several streets are expected to be closed for three months, Metro said. As a result, it will be providing a daily free shuttle with four stops, two hours of free parking at different locations as well as bus service between Union Station and the Pico-Aliso Gold Line Station through the Little Tokyo area.

Ship and Shore

Long Beach’s Queen Mary Hotel is about to get a new leaseholder.

L.A. real estate investment and development firm Urban Commons is in final talks with the city of Long Beach for a new 66-year lease agreement for the hotel and 45 surrounding acres. The City Council approved Urban Commons’ application last month, the company said, but lease terms have yet to be agreed upon.

Miami’s Carnival Cruise Line currently operates at the property and the deal could see its operations expanded under the proposed lease. The Queen Mary will continue to operate as a hotel, said Urban Commons.

“Upon lease transfer, we will work closely with the Queen Mary Land Development Task Force and the greater community to develop a thoughtful plan that honors the rich history of the Queen Mary and addresses any potential concerns from the public,” said Taylor Woods, principal at Urban Commons.

The company will phase in development over the next several years, he added, which will include restoring the ship and building out the 45 acres surrounding it to create an entertainment venue.

Turning On

The Environmental Protection Agency extended its hand to the Port of Long Beach with a $1.5 million grant for electric tractors at a time when California ports are under pressure to eliminate emissions from freight vehicles.

The port will use the money to help buy eight zero-emission electric tractors for $5.4 million and replace eight diesel-powered tractors. The vehicles are for the port’s new $1.3 billion electrically operated Middle Harbor, set to open next year.

The vehicles are expected to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 percent and diesel particulate matter by two tons. They are expected to be delivered in 2017, the port said.

“In addition to the immediate benefits of reducing air-pollution emissions, grants like these help the port and its stakeholders to invest in new clean-air technologies that will help us move toward the goal of a zero-emissions port,” said Rick Cameron, managing director of planning and environmental affairs.

Staff reporter Carol Lawrence can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.

No posts to display