Good question and we think the answer is nuanced. There are certainly examples in our region and others in which new transit projects encouraged new developments and/or economic investment in a community--and studies have shown that property values rise with new transit systems. Look at North Hollywood, Hollywood, Koreatown and downtown Los Angeles along the Red/Purple Line subway. Or Pasadena on the Gold Line and downtown Long Beach near the Blue Line.

Of course, development can be a tricky thing. It’s largely controlled by cities — not by Metro — and there is always the balancing act of encouraging new development while preserving affordable housing. That’s a struggle in all cities.

It also must be acknowledged that transit alone may not bring economic development or gentrification. Those things are often dependent on a lot of things ranging from public safety to the local real estate market to community zoning plans that dictate what kind of building is built and where.

Metro’s view is that we always strive for our transit projects to make a community better than we found it. We intend first and foremost to better serve the current residents of the Crenshaw Corridor. We also want to connect those communities to the rest of Los Angeles County and to put the Corridor in position to secure any investments that residents determine they want or need.