The proposed Dodger Stadium gondola hit a major roadblock Thursday when a state appeals court rejected Metro’s approval of the environmental impact report for the project.
The project, proposed in 2018 by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, requires approval from Metro, the Los Angeles City Council, Caltrans and the state parks agency. None of the other approvals have been obtained yet, and the court decision requires Metro to “set aside its certification of the EIR” and “set aside its approval of the project” until a revised environmental impact report can be completed.
Even if the revisions are approved, the delay could jeopardize the potential for the gondola to be up and running by the 2028 Olympic Games, in which baseball will be played at Dodger Stadium.
Nathan Click, spokesman for Zero Emissions Transit, the nonprofit leading the gondola project, said a grand opening in time for the Olympics is “still our goal.” However, the 25-month construction timetable cited in the EIR would require it to begin next spring, and project opponents said Thursday’s decision “potentially allows for another year for serious review.”
“Our communities deserve a process that is transparent and thorough,” said Jon Christensen, spokesman for the Los Angeles Parks Alliance, which joined The California Endowment in filing the lawsuit.
“We cannot allow billionaires like McCourt to usurp public resources, grab taxpayer-funded park space, and irreparably harm historic communities like Chinatown and Olvera Street.”
The appellate court ruled that six of the eight arguments made by the plaintiffs were “unpersuasive,” in particular rejecting the allegation that Metro violated state law by failing to consider “reasonably foreseeable” development of the Dodger Stadium parking lots as an inevitable consequence of the gondola project.
In the absence of such a proposal as part of the project, and given the dining and entertainment plaza that was completed beyond center field in 2020, the court ruled that the inevitability that large-scale development would follow construction of the gondola was “speculative.”
“Evidence shows development projects at Dodger Stadium have moved forward not as a consequence of the project, but independently of it,” the court ruling said.
The court based its decision on agreement with the other two arguments: Metro’s failure to address feasible ways to mitigate the impacts of construction noise and to properly consult with a land conservancy that serves as a trustee to parkland over which the gondola would soar.
“The few issues where the court ordered more work to be done are minor, technical matters, which is a common part of the process for important infrastructure projects,” Click said. “These can be addressed quickly.
“It is clear that Angelenos want and deserve efficient, sustainable transit solutions — and the public support for the Dodger Stadium gondola reflects that.”
The gondola would run from Union Station to Dodger Stadium and cost $385 million to $500 million to build and another $8 million to $10 million per year to operate and maintain, according to the report. Those costs, it said, could be covered by private bond financing, sponsorships, naming rights and fares — although fans have been promised free rides to Dodgers games.
Metro approved the environmental impact report 15 months ago. The California Endowment and the Parks Alliance sued to throw out the report, on the basis Metro had not properly followed state environmental laws in approving it. The bid was denied by the Los Angeles Superior Court last August, but the plaintiffs won their appeal Thursday.
