Richmond Avenue rail debate rages on

(7/19/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- The fight rolls on between METRO leaders and residents along Richmond Avenue, as METRO held its first public meeting on the proposal to put the light rail right in front of their homes.

The proposed route starts at the University of Houston campus and ends in the Galleria area, running entirely down Richmond Avenue.

At METRO's first public meeting about the expansion Tuesday, some residents felt let down. Maps were presented, which were supposed to address the concerns of residents. But some say didn't go far enough.

"None of this is any different from the meetings that we had a year ago," said resident Daphne Scarbrough, who attended the meeting. "All of it's the same."

METRO has spent millions of dollars trying to find a plan that works for everyone. The latest alternatives, they say, not only protect the aesthetics of Richmond, but limit property buyouts. Jason Hose liked what he saw.

"It's critical for Houston to be a world class city in the future, to have a transit system equipped for the needs of our inner loop citizens," he said.

But other residents want the rail to go down Westpark, where there are fewer residential neighborhoods. On Tuesday, METRO conceded that could be a real possibility.

"Are there compromises in the real world? Yes, there are compromises. Is it a perfect world? No," said METRO Chairman David Wolff. "Are we doing the best we can? I think we are."

The compromise would include parts of Richmond and parts of Westpark, but for some who voted for the rail three years ago, it's not a compromise at all.

"I voted for rail. I support rail and mass transit," said resident Robert McLane. "But the referendum was very clear in 2003. It did not state Richmond."

METRO plans to hold two more public meetings before its scheduled vote on its choice of route August 8. METRO wants to begin construction in June of 2008 and have the line operating in December of 2012.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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