CENTURY CITY COMMUNITY SPEAKS OUT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSED CENTURY CITY SUBWAY STATION AT CONSTELLATION AND AVENUE OF THE STARS

Century City, Ca (June 9, 2011) – The Century City Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) was joined today by Los Angeles city officials, local business leaders, the Century City Homeowners Alliance and the nearby Comstock Hills Homeowners Association voicing their support for the proposed Constellation Blvd. and Avenue of the Stars subway station (Constellation Station) as part of the Westside Subway Extension.

“The Constellation stop is the most logical place for a Century City Station and I will continue to strongly support this project as long as Metro ensures that the issues of concern to local residents are satisfactorily addressed in future engineering studies,” said Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Councilman, 5^th District. “I look forward to having a safe and reliable transportation alternative that will help link vital city neighborhoods and employment centers such as Westwood and Century City.”

In a combined effort, the CCCC with support from the homeowners associations conducted a study of the area’s workforce population demonstrating that the one-quarter mile radius around the Constellation Station encompasses 11,555,261 square feet of commercial space with 27,263 occupants. This represents a much greater density than either of the other proposed locations on Santa Monica Blvd.

“We feel that the public should understand the facts associated with the Constellation Station and wanted to offer up-to-date information showing the true impact of the proposed locations,” said Susan Bursk, president & CEO of the Century City Chamber of Commerce. “The bottom line is that both the business and the residential communities, those most affected, have agreed that the Century City station should be at the heart of Century City at Avenue of the Stars and Constellation, keeping it close to all major businesses and hotels.”

Bursk cites a May 12, 2011 report titled “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America.” According to the Brookings Institution, “Transportation leaders should make access to jobs an explicit priority in their spending and service decisions, especially given the budget pressures they face. Metro leaders should coordinate strategies regarding land use, economic development and housing with transit decisions in order to ensure that transit reaches more people and more jobs efficiently.”

“The community of Comstock Hills believes the station should be in the middle of Century City where the most ridership will be achieved,” said Jan Reichmann, president of the Comstock Hills Homeowners Association.  “Placing a station adjacent to the LA Country Club Golf Course on Santa Monica Blvd. or anywhere on Santa Monica Blvd. would be foolish since it would not only force employees to wait at long lights and traverse the large double lane highway, but would disrupt the constant flow of east west traffic on the very busy Boulevard.”

The radius map study was conducted by, Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. on behalf of the Century City Chamber of Commerce and the area’s property owners and homeowner associations. The complete radius maps can be viewed at: http://www.centurycitycc.com/wp-content/themes/century-city-chamber/docs/1076_station_locations_final.pdf

Those wishing to show their support for the Constellation Station, can do so by filling out the online petition at: http://www.centurycitycc.com/subway-petition/

About The Century City Chamber of Commerce

The mission of the Century City Chamber of Commerce is to promote the best interests of Century City and its membership, serving as the unifying voice for business development and civic growth, through effective communication, events and programs making Century City the preferred place to live, work, visit and shop within the City of Los Angeles. For more information, please visit, http://www.centurycitycc.com

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