STUDIO CITY : Residents Want Voice in Street Widening

Leaders of the Studio City Residents Assn. have expressed concerns that they were not consulted on a proposal to widen Lankershim Boulevard between Ventura and Cahuenga boulevards. The widening could mean the removal of mature trees in the median of Lankershim Boulevard, according to association President Tony Lucente and board member Patty Kirby.

Lucente said he has heard that the proposal is being discussed by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, MCA Inc. and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

“We feel strongly that we deserve a right to influence any decision affecting this area,” Lucente wrote in a letter Wednesday to Robert Yates, general manager of the transportation department.

“(Association) members who live near this site have expressed their concerns regarding mitigation measures which might be undertaken without our knowledge,” the letter reads. “Please confirm the details of traffic mitigation measures on Lankershim Boulevard, including the impact on the mature trees currently in the median.”

The widening is intended to accommodate increased traffic expected by the planned Metro Rail station in Universal City, Lucente said.

Kirby said that removing the median and the trees would give the area a “hard commercial appearance” and could reduce safety for pedestrians crossing the street. Acknowledging that traffic is congested in the area, Kirby said she nonetheless believes that the residents association should be allowed to have input into the discussions.

Yates said Thursday that he had not received Lucente’s letter and that although he was aware of the widening project he knew few details about it. Yates referred questions to transit chief James Okasaki, who could not be reached Thursday afternoon.