8 facts about the Dodger Stadium Gondola (and why you should oppose this project!)
UPDATE: Metro has removed the Dodger Stadium Gondola from the Agenda for the meeting on Thursday, 1/25!
1. The gondola is an amusement park ride to ferry people to Dodger Stadium and a shopping mall Frank McCourt wants to build there.
2. The gondola will travel 1.2 miles from Union Station to Dodger Stadium, then return to Union Station. It will carry about 40 people in each gondola, which they say will depart every 7 minutes. The gondola will run from 6 am to 12 midnight throughout the year, as McCourt’s mall will also operate year-round.
3. A gondola station at Dodger Stadium will technically give McCourt a “Metro stop” at the ballpark, which will permit him to develop an entertainment and retail district like LA Live in the parking lots he owns. McCourt is also buying property around the stadium to develop apartments, restaurants, and so forth, that will totally transform our neighborhood.
4. If McCourt truly cared about traffic and air pollution, he could add electric buses to Dodger Express that runs to and from Union Station.
5. Elysian Park is a “dark park,” meaning it closes at night to give animals and residents a rest. The gondolas will have interior lighting and people inside going to and from the stadium until midnight. The 200 ft. tall towers from which the gondolas are suspended may be illuminated, and undoubtedly the mall itself will be bustling with people, music, and traffic.
6. A gondola station is to be built in the SW corner of LA State Historic Park, which will dramatically impact its airspace. It will then run up alongside Bishop Road, clearing some apartments and houses by just 50 feet, then cut across a portion of Radio Hill and into the parking area at Dodger Stadium.
7. A futuristic, Jetson’s-like gondola station will sit in the middle of Alameda Street obscuring views of historic Union Station and Olvera Street.
8. Construction costs for the gondola are currently estimated at $500 million. That does not include operating costs once it is built, which are estimated at $8 - $10 million per year. McCourt’s LA ART just transferred this project to a non-profit named “Zero Emissions Transit” (ZET), which will enable him to apply for government grants and public funds to run it.
Here’s how you can join us in saying “NO Gondola!”
76% of Angelenos oppose this project, due to the lack of transparency, potential misuse of tax payer dollars, and a plethora of other more logical transportation options. We’re asking our community to join us in standing up against this project.
Sign the petition. It only takes a minute! After clicking “submit” make sure to scroll back up to the top to complete the CAPTCHA.
Follow, like and share posts from Stop the Gondola on Instagram and Facebook. Let’s get the word out about this project and stop it before it’s too late.
Thank you for standing up for our community and park spaces!
