Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JANUARY 21, 2016
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS RIDLEY-THOMAS, BUTTS, FASANA AND ANTONOVICH
January 21, 2016
Item 58: “Metro Line to Goal Line” Task Force:
Optimizing Public Transit to Support Football in Los Angeles
On January 12, 2016, the National Football League (NFL) owners overwhelmingly voted to bring a NFL team back to Los Angeles. Specifically, the St. Louis Rams will relocate to Los Angeles for the 2016 season and the San Diego Chargers have an option to join the Rams and share a new stadium in Inglewood.
The new Inglewood Stadium, anticipated to open in 2019 on 298-acres adjacent to the former Hollywood Park race track, is expected to be the NFL’s largest and most modern facility. In concert with the development of the new stadium, the Crenshaw/LAX Line is also anticipated to be operational by 2019 and will create a long-awaited connection between the Los Angeles International Airport and the rest of Los Angeles County’s public transit system. Specifically the Crenshaw/LAX Line’s Downtown Inglewood Station will be located within a few minutes’ walk from the new stadium.
While the new stadium is under construction, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, located in Exposition Park and within walking distance to Metro’s Exposition Line. Given that the Coliseum is already home field for University of Southern California football games, and the Los Angeles Football Club plans to open their soccer stadium on the site of the former Sports Arena in 2018, the Exposition Park campus is likely to thrive as a regional cultural and recreational destination.
The stadium in Inglewood is anticipated to seat over 70,000 people, and accommodate an additional 30,000 patrons for larger events. The development will also include a performing arts venue, and is expected to host numerous recreational events, conventions and awards shows. The return of the NFL to Los Angeles along with the development of this area is sure to bring tremendous economic opportunity and civic pride to the region.
Ensuring the success of this highly-anticipated regional asset will require strategic action and a concerted partnership with Metro, as facilitating the transport of tens of thousands of spectators for games and other events will require significant synergy with our growing transportation system.
There are numerous opportunities for Metro to proactively, efficiently and cost-effectively facilitate the transport of spectators in harmony with surrounding communities. A Task Force should be established to assess and address a range of associated issues and opportunities including, but not limited to:
- Opportunities to implement “first/last mile” options to connect public and active transit users to the stadium;
- Developing a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote public transit to events;
- Ensuring that there is sufficient operational capacity to support the anticipated number of riders using public transit to get to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum beginning in Fall 2016;
- Ensuring that there is sufficient operational capacity to support the anticipated number of riders using public transit to get to the new stadium in Inglewood beginning in Fall 2019;
- Facilitating a regional rail strategy, in coordination with Metrolink, to encourage public transportation to both the Coliseum and Inglewood from across Southern California; and
- Expediting Metro-sponsored joint development opportunities in the surrounding areas.
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Ridley-Thomas, Butts, Fasana and Antonovich that the Board of Directors direct the Chief Executive Officer to develop a “Metro Line to Goal Line” Task Force that is charged with identifying and addressing the variety of transit-related issues and opportunities associated with the imminent arrival of the Rams, and potentially the Chargers, to Los Angeles.
The Chief Executive Officer should report to the Executive Committee in February 2016 with an initial scope of work (to include but not be limited to the issues outlined above) as well as the proposed membership of the Task Force, and thereafter report bi-monthly with a progress report.