The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce urges your support of the proposed Hollywood Central Park which creates a much-needed street-level public park in one of the lowest resident-to-park space communities in California and the Nation. The concept is to construct a cap over the US 101 Freeway between Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards as the freeway passes below grade through the heart of Hollywood. The project has already garnered support from Federal, State, and Local Government officials including: Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congressman Xavier Becerra, Congresswoman Diane Watson, Former State Senator and LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, California Assemblymember Kevin DeLeon, California Assemblymember Mike Feuer, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge and Caltrans.

The Chamber respectfully requests respectfully Federal funding for Hollywood Central Park for its aggregate direct benefits to the public, economic stimulus, positive environmental impacts, promotion of mass transit through transit-oriented development, promotion of more active and healthy lifestyles and precedent-setting example for new alternative land use in the region.

Hollywood Freeway Central Park Benefits:

Community

• Provides green open space and recreational facilities to more than 40,000 children
• Promotes public health and encourages active lifestyles
• Reunites diverse communities and dense neighborhoods, separated for over 50 years, by the Hollywood Freeway
• Illustrates an efficient and innovative alternative land use
• Serves as a national model for the creation of new green open space in a dense urban environment

Economy

• 45,000 direct and indirect jobs, including 30 percent entry level and apprenticeship programs and local hire components
• Economic stimulus for investment in infill development
• Increased tourism

Energy and the Environment

• Improves air quality and reduces global warming
• Reduces automobile usage, fuel consumption, green house gas emissions, and promotes resource conservation
• Transit-oriented development
• Utilizes cutting-edge environmental technologies

Infrastructure Improvements

• Makes long-needed ramp improvements to the 101 Freeway
• Streamlines freeway functioning
• Improves freeway overpasses