Proposed gondola project connecting Union Station, Dodger Stadium meets opposition from residents

A proposed gondola ride hoping to take fans to Dodger stadium through the air has met opposition from some of the residents who live directly below its path. 

Since 2010 Metro has successfully operated the Dodger Stadium Express busses from Union Station but an outside group proposed to get fans to the ballpark "by air."

This is arguably the most exciting project taking place in CA," said Climate Resolve Executive Director Jonathan Parfrey.

The proposed 1.5-mile gondola ride would fit roughly 70 fans per cab and could take about 5,000 people in an hour according to Parfrey. 

"It'll take around seven minutes from Union Station to get up here," Parfrey said. "It gives people a lot of options to leave the car at home and enjoy Major League Baseball.

Former Dodger owner Frank McCourt and his company McCourt Global have taken on this project with Climate Resolve but the venture has met some opposition from residents living in the nearby neighborhoods.

"We feel like this project is being forced on us," said Solano Canyon resident Phyllis Ling. "One basic thing is that it would go over my neighborhood, specifically over my home."

Ling, a member of the Stop the Gondola coalition, also said that she and her neighbors were not informed about the project until the environmental review. She added that while McCourt initially said it would be privately funded, the company has since partnered with a nonprofit. Among other concerns, Ling said it would bring more traffic to her neighborhood. 

"We think most people will actually drive to the gondola stations," she said. "It would actually bring more traffic and pollution directly into our neighborhood where the gondola stations are."

Nonprofit California Endowment filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Metro to stop the project. 

"It's a great feature for Los Angeles," said LA Metro Chairman Ara Najarian.

However, Najarian admitted that the organization needed to do more community outreach. 

"There's some mixed reviews," he said.

But hoped that residents could soon see the bigger picture.

"Perhaps it's something that they should think about the benefits for the entire city rather than the inconvenience to perhaps their backyard enjoyment," he said. "That's a tough one to sell but it's something you have to balance a little."

Najarian said the board will make its decision on how to proceed following the community outreach attempts and hopefully after clearing any confusion from residents.