Posts about Henry Waxman

Transit

Even Beverly Hills wants a subway

by David Alpert   •   November 30, 2006 2:34 pm

That's a headline you were very unlikely to see twenty, ten, or even five years ago, but things have changed. The LA Times is reporting that city officials are working to make sure that a subway through the Westside includes stops in Beverly Hills. "'There is an incredible sea change of attitude from resistance to support for the subway,' said Allan Alexander, a former Beverly Hills mayor who co-chairs the city's mass transit panel."

Two officials pushing for the subway's construction have transformed from opponents to supporters, reflcting a similar evolution in the mindset of the area's populace as traffic has steadily worsened. Congressman Henry Waxman, who won legislation in Congress in the '80s to make tunneling under Wilshire illegal, is now trying to overturn his ban. And LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who led a referendum in 1998 to ban using the transportation sales tax revenue to pay for building tunnels, now supports the subway (though not overturning the ban).

Development

Thin layer of ice found in hell

by David Alpert   •   January 26, 2006 5:19 pm

Smart growth, transit-oriented development - there are many names for the idea of building mixed-use, walkable communities. Whatever you call it, it's starting to catch on in suburban communities from San Mateo to Silver Spring. But most are areas with existing transit, near to already walkable cities. What about America's great bastions of sprawl?

Whether because of burgeoning traffic, rising gas prices, or sudden bursts of common sense, three areas thoroughly addicted to highways are trying to break the habit.

Northern Virginia's recent gubernatorial election hinged on development and sprawl. Democrat Tom Kaine promised to slow development and encourage more use of transit, and performed extremely well in the traditionally conservative suburbs against Republican Jerry Kilgore and his laissez-faire philophies that would exacerbate Virginia's enormous traffic problem.

Los Angeles is so associated with freeway sprawl that the plot of Who Framed Roger Rabbit actually hinged on the famous destruction of the Red Car trolleys in favor of freeways, recently elected a mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, who supports dense central downtowns, affordable housing, transit, parks, and public spaces. NIMBY residents of LA's Westside and their Congressman, Henry Waxman, blocked construction of the Red Line subway through their area toward Santa Monica in 1986, but this past December those same residents and the same Congressman their stance and now support the subway.

But most amazing of all, the city council and development officials in Dallas - that's Dallas, Texas, the one and only, home of the President George Bush Turnpike - is developing plans to change zoning to encourage pedestrian-friendly districts. Encoruaged by the success of a few TODs like Mockingbird Station or West Village (sounds positively New Yorkian!) Dallas officials have decided that "urban character" is the future of Dallas. And they mean it:

To cynics who believe the comprehensive plan will simply sit on a shelf, think again, said Janet Tharp, the city's interim assistant director of development. The plan's advisory committee will consider the draft in the coming weeks. And the Plan Commission and City Council are expected to approve one- to five-year implementation schedules in March and April.