Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield have informed Metro that they are no longer interested in an underground mall entrance from public transportation
By Sam Catanzaro
The owner of Westfield Century City, Unibail, has told LA Metro it does not want to directly connect the future Purple Line extension under construction to the mall.
A UPE Plenum – a portion of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning – was to be located on the property of the Westfield Mall to allow for an underground entrance from the Century City Constellation Station into the Mall. Westfield Mall owners Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield have now informed Metro that they are no longer interested in an underground mall entrance to the station. Therefore, Metro has determined an alternate location for the UPE Plenum in the public right-of-way along Constellation Boulevard to avoid the need for a real-estate easement agreement with Westfield management.
“…an alternate entrance at the intersection of Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars would be just as easily accessible by riders and would eliminate the need for disruptive construction at our center,” Westfield Century City owners told CoStar News.
One of Metro’s priority projects, the Purple Line Extension will provide a high-capacity, high-speed and, dependable alternative for commuters to travel between downtown Los Angeles, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Westwood.
From the current terminus at Wilshire/Western, the Purple Line Extension will extend westward for about nine miles and add seven new stations providing easy access to the Westside, the region’s second-largest job center. Travel time between downtown Los Angeles and Westwood is expected to be about 25 minutes.
The project is being built in three sections. The first section between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega is now under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Section 2 of the Purple Line Extension Project will extend the subway to downtown Beverly Hills and Century City. Section 2 is also currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2025. Sections 1 and 2 are funded primarily by Measure R — the sales tax Los Angeles County voters approved in 2008 — and with a pair of federal grants.
Section 3 will then extend the project to two stations in Westwood. The passage of the Measure M sales tax ballot measure by county voters in 2016 will allow this section to be accelerated. Construction began in 2019. Metro has secured federal funds for the last section of the Purple Line Extension Project.
