Friday, March 25, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Proposed light rail system faces big NIMBY hurdles
Residents turn out to tell committee studying routes, station locations 'not in my back yard'
By OMAR SOFRADZIJA
REVIEW-JOURNAL
A proposed light rail line must be quiet and popular with neighbors, secure and convenient for commuters, and adaptable for planners to pass muster, an advisory committee said Thursday.
But the plan for a light rail line from Henderson to North Las Vegas might have a tough time gaining traction with adjacent residents who fear a steady flow of trains will erode their quality of life.
"It's not so cute when it's literally in your back yard," Amber Varricchio, president of the southeastern valley's Sierra Vista Ranchos Homeowners Association, told the committee advising the Regional Transportation Commission.
The 22-member committee is in the process of trying to establish criteria to evaluate various system options and set goals for the system to accomplish.
"We're trying to come to grips with the needs out there and how that can be integrated by the style of development," said committee Chairman Gary Johnson, who also is an executive with the Las Vegas Monorail's management firm.
Some of his peers acknowledged making a system unobtrusive to nearby residents is key.
"We've all heard NIMBY -- not in my back yard -- and NOTE -- not over there, either," said committee member Mark Paris. "That's what we have to deal with, the noise."
That also includes making sure the line doesn't snarl traffic at places where tracks cross existing streets, and putting stations in popular locations.
"Obviously, the location of stations will have tremendous impact on the success of this system," said Jacob Snow, the commission's general manager.
Other members suggested the system must have well-lit stations for rider safety, and the line's infrastructure should be flexible enough to carry different modes of transport as options evolve.
The proposed rapid transit line, tentatively called CAT Rail, would initially ply a 33-mile route from near the Nevada State College in Henderson along existing Union Pacific Railroad tracks to Frank Sinatra Drive.
The line would then trace Sinatra north to Industrial Road, then to a new transit center planned at Main Street and Bonneville Avenue.
From there, the line would run northeast along Fifth Street, Centennial Parkway and Pecos Road to a North Las Vegas terminal.
If financing is obtained, construction could start as soon as 2009, with an opening no sooner than 2012.
Options include using electric-powered light rail trains, express buses like the existing Metropolitan Area Express line, diesel-powered locomotives, or simply scrapping the project.
"No matter what choice we make -- and that includes nothing -- there's going to be impacts" on the valley's quality of life, said committee member Jane Feldman, a Sierra Club representative.
Some of the roughly two dozen people who attended the meeting were skeptical that the line was needed, and that it wouldn't hurt property values of those living near the tracks.
"Fifty feet from my back wall, I don't think anybody is going to want to buy my property," said one woman in the audience.
The line could cost between $300 million and $900 million to build, depending on whether it's bus- or rail-based. So far, the project has just $1 million in federal seed money.
Officials hope to finalize a concept later this year.
