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Inglewood City Council was set to convene this week to discuss the next phase of funding for the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC), a controversial $2 billion project aimed at improving transportation to the city’s sports and entertainment district, but the meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum.
On the agenda was a staff report requesting approval to allocate grant funds—including Measure R Funding and Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grants—to begin the $8 million design phase of the project with a potentiality of costing over $9 million. This design phase will include crucial elements like seismic design revisions and modifications to the maintenance and storage facilities.
However, despite the City’s intent to move forward with this design development, recent rejections from key players, including Hollywood Park, Steve Ballmer of Intuit Dome, and the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), have cast serious doubts on the project’s future.
With this growing opposition, the question remains: Is it wise for the City of Inglewood to continue pursuing the ITC project, especially when both major businesses and community members are voicing concerns about its financial feasibility and long-term impact?
In a letter, Mayor Butts confirmed loss of support for the project and acknowledged that the City is looking at alternative plans:
“Last Thursday, Inglewood lost a vote from the Board of Directors of the Southbay Council of Governments for the final $500 million in matching grant funds to the billon dollar Federal Highway Administration grant and the $900 plus million in state and local grans to complete the project, which had received a qualified bidder.
At this point the City will evaluate its options for reprogramming to a less ambitious, but qualifying project or series of transportation projects. We continue to seek traffic and pollution reducing alternatives to the automobile centric transportation modality that exists at present. Thank you to everyone whose hard work has helped bring us this far.”
Mayor Butts, who has been one of the strongest advocates for the ITC, recently visited the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), requesting nearly $500 million in support from surrounding cities. His request, however, was met with rejection, further complicating the already precarious funding situation. With major businesses declining financial involvement and neighboring cities refusing to chip in, is it time for the City to put their innovative political willpower toward other endeavors?