LDS Church opposes current Boulevard Plan (Santa Monica Boulevard to Get a Two-for-One Make-Over Deal)
Los Angeles Times 28Jul99 C6
By Jeffrey L. Rabin: Times Staff Writer

The LDS Church is the most powerful remaining critic of a $68 million plan to rework and beautify a 2 1/2 mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard on the west side of Los Angeles. Concerned about access to the its Los Angeles Temple, the Church would like the plans changed to add a traffic light and new entrance to the Temple, which towers over the boulevard.

The proposed changes to the boulevard would merge Santa Monica Boulevard with its companion, Little Santa Monica Boulevard, creating a heavily landscaped roadway that can handle up to 20% more traffic. The plan calls for bike lanes, broad sidewalks, and, most importantly, fewer intersections to back-up traffic. A dirt median in the roadway that was a railroad right-of-way will also be eliminated, taking out many of the billboards that distract motorists and create a bewildering visual maze. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky says that the plans will create a "beautiful gateway to West Los Angeles rather than the dysfunctional and ugly street it is today."

And because the planners for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have listened to the concerns of residents, neighborhood groups, businesses and property owners, there is little opposition left to the plan. The LDS Church is considered the most powerful critic, and it has hired a major law firm and City Hall lobbyist to represent its interests in the matter.