SAC was formed in 2023 to advocate for a bold and equitable future for DTLA.

SAC is comprised of a diverse group of property owners, businesses, residents, and community groups. Mark Falcone, President and CEO of Continuum Partners, is the chairman of SAC.

SAC believes that a well-planned Alameda Corridor unlocks DTLA’s full potential. The first step is to ensure that the public transit infrastructure Metro builds matches the vision and needs of DTLA. An underground line facilitates DTLA’s ability to build needed housing and build it sustainably, generate good-paying jobs, create walkable communities, and spur equitable economic growth. Addressing the region’s most pressing challenges demands bold, collaborative leadership. SAC aims to be that bold, collective voice advocating for a vibrant, thriving DTLA.

There are numerous large, underutilized parcels along Alameda. The recently approved DTLA 2040 community plan has re-zoned many of these parcels to accommodate housing at high densities. There are currently housing, studio, and office proposals for the corridor, with many property owners waiting to see what happens with the Southeas Gateway line. SAC firmly believes that undergrounding will lead to the necessary private investment to address the regional housing shortage.

An aerial alignment will increase traffic, noise, and visual impediments in the middle of the street, and serve as a physical divider of DTLA’s neighborhoods. Specifically, it will reinforce historic redlining practices dividing Skid Row from the Arts District. SAC believes that public transit infrastructure should bring people together, not push people farther apart.

SAC is exploring an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) analysis to support Metro’s efforts in thinking creatively about how to finance this critical piece of regional transit infrastructure. Given the Alameda Corridor’s transformative potential, SAC believed that it would be best to explore a tax capture tool, which leverages future growth to fund infrastructure projects.

o Metro’s Southeast Gateway Line proposal seeks to build a 19.3-mile-long light rail line from Artesia to Downtown LA. Metro is using a phased approach to execute the planning and approvals of this line.

o Phase 1 consists of the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) segment starting in Artesia and stretching 14.5 miles, before terminating at the Slauson/A Line station in unincorporated Florence/Firestone. In January 2022, the Metro Board of Directors approved this segment of the line. Metro expects to release the LPA’s Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report in 2024.

o Phase 2 consists of the remaining 4.5-mile segment from the Slauson/A Line station to Downtown LA’s Union Station. The line was originally planned to be built underground throughout the entirety of Downtown LA. In January 2022, the Metro Board of Directors instructed staff to identify cost-reducing measures for the Southeast Gateway Line. In 2023, Metro staff presented a concept to build an aerial alignment in the middle of Alameda Street through the core of Downtown LA. This aerial alignment and the original underground alignment are currently under consideration.

o The Southeast Gateway Line is projected to open in 2035.

The LPA segment of the line is projected to cost between $7.1-$9 billion. The Slauson/A line Station to Downtown LA’s Union Station segment is projected to cost between $6 billion-$8 billion.

An EIFD is a local tax capture tool used to fund infrastructure just like the Southeast Gateway Line. They can also fund housing, renewable energy projects, and capital improvement projects. EIFDs capture a percentage of property tax revenue in a designated area and reinvest it back into communities by funding these projects.

EIFDs are most viable when:

o The funds generated are used for a specific, focused purpose related to the funding of public improvements with a useful life of fifteen (15) years or more.

o The funds generated are used The designated area is projected to experience significant property valuation increases over the EIFD’s 45-year lifetime.

o EIFD boundaries are formed based on thorough stakeholder engagement with relevant government and community stakeholders.

SAC commissioned David Taussig & Associates (DTA) to conduct a preliminary EIFD analysis. The proposed EIFD would encompass close to 600 acres of currently developed and undeveloped properties approximately bounded on the north by the US 101 Freeway, on the east by the Los Angeles River, on the west by South Central Avenue, and on the south by the Interstate 10 Freeway. DTA’s analysis found that there is between $1.7B and $3.4B in bondable capacity available within the Study Area. The $1.7B represents a City and County participation of 25%, with the $3.4B representing City and County participation at 50%. Depending on City and County preference, these percentages and figures can be increased or decreased to reach a desired bondable capacity.