In the wake of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) D Line station opening at Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards, business owners in the area have reported little change in customer traffic.
The D Line expansion offers a 22-minute trip from Beverly Hills to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Stations at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue also opened May 8. The Wilshire/La Cienega station will serve as an end-of-line station until the line expands west to future stations at Beverly Drive, Century City and Westwood in 2027.
Revitalizing the area surrounding the station has become a repeated campaign promise from numerous Beverly Hills City Council candidates. Community members and candidates have also expressed concerns regarding the temporary Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Public Safety Center next to the station being staffed with Community Service Officers rather than fully sworn officers.
The BHPD reported 10 arrests during the first three weeks of service at the station as of May 27.
In an interview with the Courier, BHPD Executive Officer Lt. Kevin Orth said the arrests included six instances of narcotics- and intoxication-related offenses, one instance of impersonating a Metro worker, one instance of fare evasion, one instance of probation violation and one arrest tied to an outside warrant from another agency. Orth did not elaborate on the details of the warrant.
Orth said there has been no discernible pattern of when the arrests have been made or where they are taking place in the station.
“That’s one of the things the community has been wondering, and not enough time yet has passed,” he said. “Right now, it’s been the same. We’re still monitoring and it’s too early to know any trends, times or things like that. There’s nothing I can really say that’s concrete on things.”
Arielle Magee, general manager of Panera Bread across the street from the station, said the store has had an influx of customers since the station opened.
“We’ve noticed an increase in foot traffic,” she said. “Our lunches have definitely been more busy, so we’ve seen an increase in sales during lunchtime and dinner as well.”
Magee added there has also been an increase in homeless individuals entering the business since the opening, and she had to call the police once to remove an individual from the store. However, no incidents escalated to any violence or destruction of property.
Other businesses in the area had different experiences since the opening, reporting that the station has not made a significant difference in terms of foot traffic or safety incidents.
Ayman Zu, the floor manager of Sadaf Restaurant in Beverly Hills, said there has been no increase in business in the past few weeks, adding that foot traffic has even been a little slow since the station opened. He added that the business has not had any safety incidents or reports of homeless individuals since the opening.
Benjamin Golbahary, the general manager of Beverly Hills Liquor & Wine, said he was disappointed that foot traffic has remained the same since the station opened, especially since his customers had to navigate increased traffic and construction in the area for years before the opening. Golbahary also said his business was not eligible for a Metro Business Interruption Fund, a fund that supports businesses near major Metro construction zones, due to its status as a liquor store.
“Well, it’s disappointing,” he said. “It took them seven or eight years with all this traffic. When they started, they said they were going to help all the local businesses. When we went to apply, they told us we didn’t qualify because we are a liquor store. We have been here for the last eight or nine years, and people couldn’t get into the shopping center.”
