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PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
APRIL 15, 2026
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Motion by:
DIRECTORS PADILLA, DUTRA, BASS, HORVATH, DUPONT-WALKER, AND YAROSLAVSKY
Develop Well Designed Transfer Hub as Part of Sepulveda Transit Corridor Design Refinements Motion
Van Nuys sits at the convergence of three major regional transit investments at different stages of delivery: the G Line Bus Rapid Transit (under construction), the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project (final design and pre-construction), and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor (environmental review and early design). Together, these represent the most significant transit expansion the San Fernando Valley has seen in generations.
This convergence creates a rare opportunity to establish Van Nuys as a unified regional transit hub linking east-west and north-south travel. The window to act, however, is narrower than it appears.
The G Line is under construction. The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project is deep enough into final design and pre-construction that meaningful changes to its station configuration are no longer practical. The design and construction plans for both projects are effectively locked. That reality shifts the full weight of this motion to the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, which remains in early design and environmental review. Sepulveda is the one project where transfer experience, station design, and hub connectivity can still be shaped from the ground up. Specifically, the Initial Operating Segment must be designed with Van Nuys transfer functions as a core requirement, not a future accommodation. Metro is currently advancing design refinements for the IOS, making this the critical moment to embed hub-quality transfer standards before those refinements are resolved.
Metro's 2018 Transfer Design Guidelines provide the framework: legible wayfinding, safe and comfortable transfer environments, accessible connections, and station areas that function as destinations. Those principles need to be embedded in Sepulveda's IOS design now, while there is still time to get it right.
Van Nuys is also at a broader civic inflection point. The City of Los Angeles is actively analyzing changes to four City-owned parking lots in the neighborhood, and community engagement is underway around the Future of the Van Nuys Civic Center. These parallel processes create a narrow window to align transit planning with land use decisions that will shape the neighborhood for decades.
The San Fernando Valley is one of the most populous and transit-dependent regions in Los Angeles County. Working-class residents, essential workers, students, seniors, and people with disabilities rely on transit daily, often navigating difficult transfers and long travel times. Improving these connections is foundational to equity, ridership growth, and long-term public confidence in the system.
Metro's March Budget Workshop surfaced concrete tools for advancing this vision beyond capital appropriations alone. Joint development at Van Nuys, leveraging Metro-owned land through ground leases and air rights agreements, can generate long-term revenue while activating the station area. Asset monetization strategies, including retail concessions, naming partnerships, and structured agreements with adjacent City-owned parcels, can further reduce net costs and support a vibrant commercial district at the hub.
Subject
SUBJECT: DEVELOP WELL DESIGNED TRANSFER HUB AS PART OF SEPULVEDA TRANSIT CORRIDOR DESIGN REFINEMENTS MOTION
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RECOMMENDATION
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APPROVE Motion by Padilla, Dutra, Bass, Horvath, Dupont-Walker, and Yaroslavsky that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to:
A. Establish Van Nuys as a major regional transit hub connecting the G Line, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project, and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, recognizing that the G Line and ESFV designs are locked and that the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, particularly its Initial Operating Segment, represents the primary remaining opportunity to design for seamless, hub-quality transfers;
B. Direct the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project team to incorporate Van Nuys transfer functions, consistent with Metro's 2018 Transfer Design Guidelines, as a core design requirement for the IOS, including intuitive wayfinding, accessible connections, safe and comfortable transfer environments, and a station area designed as a regional destination, and ensure this work is synchronized with the IOS design refinements currently underway so that hub-quality transfer standards are embedded before those refinements are resolved;
C. Identify near-term strategies to improve rider experience at the existing G Line and future ESFV station areas within the constraints of those projects' current design and construction status;
D. Assess joint development potential and asset monetization opportunities on Metro-owned and adjacent City-owned property near Van Nuys, coordinating with the City of LA's analysis of four City-owned parking lots and the Van Nuys Civic Center planning process; and
E. Report back within 9 months on opportunities, constraints, and recommended next steps for advancing Van Nuys as a regional transit hub, with findings timed to inform and align with the ongoing IOS development process.