The Metro Board of Directors on Thursday approved a motion by Board Members Mark Ridley-Thomas and Diane Dubois to continue to develop a master plan for development at the Rosa Parks/Willlowbrook Blue Line station. The motion is posted after the jump.
Here are renderings of what potential development may look like.
Motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
Metro Operations Committee
February 17, 2011
Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Station: Metro Station Master Plan and
Transit Oriented District
Metro recently completed the Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Station Master Plan,
funded through a Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant.
The Master Plan recommends specific improvements for the Station and sets
goals for developing the surrounding area as a Transit Oriented District.
Implementation of the Master Plan will help improve transportation services in
areas served by the Station and facilitate appropriate transit oriented
development. The Master Plan proposes a series of desired outcomes including
station improvements, design standards to create a cohesive pedestrian
environment, and enhanced linkages to the Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital and
educational resources located in the Willowbrook community.
The Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Station is one of the key stations in Metro’s rail
system, serving as the junction for the Metro Blue and Metro Green Lines. It is
also one of the most heavily used transit assets in the entire system as over
16,500 people board and 14,500 disembark at the Rosa Parks Station each
weekday from the Blue Line, Green Line and a variety of bus lines. Formal
adoption of the Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Metro Station Master Plan and Transit
Oriented District will encourage the development of appropriate land use
standards and help attract the investment needed to create a sustainable transit
station area.
I THEREFORE MOVE, THAT:
1. The Metro Board adopt the Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Metro Station Master
Plan and Transit Oriented District as the guiding document for the Station.
2. Direct staff to report back to the Board, no later than 60 days, with a
proposed implementation and funding plan to achieve the improvements
outlined in the Station Master Plan and Transit Oriented District.
First off I’d like to commend those who put together a plan to address this neglected region of the Metro Rail network. Finally the Blue Line receives some attention where it’s most needed, its second biggest transfer point. Rosa Parks. I like the streamlined name and what the grand vision of this plan is, but I hope that access to the Blue Line station is also improved (as in it should be overall more visible rather than hidden) as is the dark setting on the station platform under the bridge as well as the possibly providing a barrier from the deafening sound of highway traffic on the Green Line platform. This could become a destination in its own right rather than a sketchy transfer point.
Also having walked Wilmington Blvd a distance from this station it wouldn’t hurt to have the rubbish picked up in the adjacent areas of the station and maybe making other use of the Park and Ride lots that go unused for the large part at may Blue Line stations, they could be parks or community gardens instead of underutilized asphalt (at least a reduction could be considered.)
I love the idea. Security issues are big in the area. Willowbrook must again be put in the map!
That’s an interesting way of putting it, I am not sure if I agree.