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West Hollywood explores taxing pot, other ways to accelerate Metro rail line
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A feasibility study from L.A. Metro shows the five route options for the Crenshaw Line Northern Extension, which is not scheduled for completion until the 2040s.
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LA MTA
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The Crenshaw light rail line to LAX is set to open next year and now Metro is looking at options to expand that line north.
That's potentially good news for West Hollywood. For years, city officials there, including Mayor John Duran, have been pushing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend the Crenshaw line into their city.
"We’ve got the density, the potential ridership and we’re just a good connecting city," Duran said, citing the burgeoning nightlife, shopping, employment and walkable neighborhoods as reasons why the city is a no-brainer for a rail line.
This week, Metro released an initial study of five different route options the agency could build. But under current funding timelines, that work wouldn’t be completed until the mid-2040s.
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"I’m hopeful it’s gonna happen before 2040," Duran said. "I wanna see it."
It’s more than hope the mayor is depending on to make that happen. The West Hollywood City Council voted earlier this year to look for ways to accelerate the project by bringing in extra funding.
A tax on the city’s booming cannabis business is on the table as are private partnerships and bonds.
Metro will work with the cities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles to refine the route options before moving forward with an environmental review process this fall.
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