Little sympathy for Cheviot Hills

Those Cheviot Hills residents who want the Expo Line extension routed away from their neighborhood aren't getting much sympathy. One L.A. couple recounts how moving next to the Gold Line was the best thing they ever did:

We bought the house years ago when the rail line was in the planning stages, anticipating and eventually experiencing higher property values, traffic relief and an easy way to navigate the city. Buying close to transit was one of the best decisions we ever made. But at the Cheviot Hills meeting, I spoke to some who saw rail as some sort of dark force that lowers property values and endangers children. I told them I have yet to see light rail bring down a neighborhood, be it in Portland, Boston, Istanbul or Pasadena.

What do you think? Hit the COMMENT button and have your say!

Comments

[Steve Grosse]

What were you thinking when you bought a house and there were train tracks behind it? Tough Luck. You now will live with a train running behind your house. What is it you say? You don't like that? Well then sell, and next time make sure you aren't dumb enough to buy a house near train tracks.

People just do stupid things, then tell the government to protect them for their stupid choices.

[Friends 4 Expo Transit]

For John Wilson: The Expo Line phase 2 environmental study now beginning will address your #1 (ridership projections of different route options), #2 (parking), and #3 (boulevards with grade separations, following the MTA's 2003 Grade Crossing Policy).

Phase 1 grade separations include an underpass at Flower-Figueroa-Exposition and overpasses at La Brea and La Cienega-Jefferson. Likely phase 2 grade sparations include Washington-Venice, Overland and Sepulveda (if r-o-w option), Sawtelle-Pico, Bundy, and Lincoln.

This will be in the phase 2 Draft EIS/EIR, scheduled to be released for public comment next winter, per http://www.buildexpo.org/phase2.htm.

[DW]

Screw a cut and cover tunnel for these cry babies!

They should elevate the line like they're doing it in the Mid-City/Baldwin Hills section. It would be quicker and cheaper to build because they have tall bushes already blocking the view of the railroad, What will they have to look at? And the railroad space is wider to construct this type of construction leaving more space for a park and open greenspace.

These rich white folks don't deserve special treatment!

[Michael L]

The residents of Cheviot Hills that are opposed to the expo line are an embarrassment to the city of LA. I say we tunnel under their homes cutting them off from the benefits of the rail line and making them pay for the extra cost.

We cannot let these people hurt what will benefit the entire city. Such selfishness astounds me. As LA grows it will continue to become more dense (including their neighborhood). You can only fight progress so long before you are just shooting yourself in the foot.

[Jon E.]

The citizens of Cheviot Hills should visit Garden City, NY. Multi-million dollar homes line the Long Island Rail Road - heavy rail. The parking lots are not big and the trains are full to capacity every day with commuters going into Manhattan. I can't think of any crime related to the train stops being in these towns, and they cross through Queens and end in Hempstead (one of the poorer parts of Long Island).

I'd assume the crossing at Overland would be cut and cover, it seems to make the most sense. I bet the line would garner a large amount of individuals transfering from the Blue Bus lines that run past the Westside Pavilion. Let's not ignore the people in Cheviot Hills that can also WALK to the train.

If we're going to put a line down Venice Boulevard, it should GO TO VENICE -- not be an out of the way detour off the existing right of way to Santa Monica. Keep the line moving faster and let's all hope it will inspire the slow reconstruction of more Pacific Railway routes. I would have loved to taken a train to Santa Monica College instead of sitting in the Blue Bus down Pico for 45 minutes from Beverly Hills.

[John Wilson]

1. Has anyone done a traffic study to determine which location draws the greatest number of commuters?

2. Where would the parking structure be placed for all the commuter vehicles using the Expo route through Cheviot Hills?

3. What about the traffic congestion of having a train cross over Overland, Westwood and Sepulveda Blvds.?

[Darrel Woodward]

Those people in Cheviot Hills are a bunch of NIMBYS,they don't like any kind of needed progress,There so afraid of something intruding into their little Empire they live in.Darrel Woodward Van Nuys,CA

[DW]

G.Asher you're wrong.

The right of way supports more of the higher density areas and more likely users of the Expo Line in Palms. These crybabies in Cheviot Hills should not try to keep a region hostage to serve their shallow interests.

Besides a Sepulveda/Venice diversion would miss the destinations that will more likely serve those folks on either Sepulveda or Venice. For Sepulveda those destinations are towards UCLA/Westwood. For Venice, those destinations are Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey.

Besides, Cheviot Hills residents have thick bushes 25-30' high on along that 200' WIDE right of way. They could elevate the train like they're doing for the Minority residents in the Baldwin Hills (who had no say in the process or for any alternatives like a King Blvd diversion) area and they would still have space for new parks and other recreational items, further increasing land value to those homes.

[G. Asher]

We shouldn't dismiss the efforts of the Cheviot Hills residents to send the Expo line down Venice to Sepulveda. Many more people live along Venice, and if the Cheviot residents don't want the noise of having a nearby rail line, I'm sure the Venice residents will accept the noise in order to be connected into the convenience of the regional rail system.

[calwatch]

Actually, there should be a branch down Venice. It's just that the one to Santa Monica should be built first.

[Doheny]

Thank God that the crybabies of Cheviot Hills are going to be outnumbered by the vast majority of the citizens of LA who are fed up with this awful traffic situation.

And Jon E. raises a great point about Homeowners Associations: They are often the playground of a very very vocal minority of crotchety old rubes who hate progress and love wielding the big stick of citizen complaints. They hold the rest of us hostage whi;e they get off on their own "power." I bet this opposition to the Expo Line is led by a handful of crybabies in their bathrobes.

[movielocke]

the problem with the Venice route is that lovely Venice median covers up a buried heavy utilities corridor, including a chevron refined products pipeline. To reposition the utitlities and pipeline and build the expo on Venice will not just be 100s of millions more, but billions more. not to mention at a minimum doubling construction timeframe (and probably quadrupling it.

It's enough that you'd basically take all of Venice blvd out of commission for the 6-12 years it'll take to build that small segment of the expo line.

[Jon E.]

I think an official city vote should be taken in Cheviot Hills. I've spoken to a few households there who are greatly in favor of it and have voiced that the HOA speaks for a very small percentage of households who are members.

The homeowners that are opposed to the light rail running through the ALREADY EXISTING right of way should have the additional hundreds of millions of dollars it'd cost to have it re-routed applied towards their property tax bill. I bet they'd have a change of hear then. A few (I am really curious who is against it -- the right of way barely touches 15 properties) should not force everyone else to run up $100m+ in construction expenses.

They have already made Motor/Pico impassable at rush hour due to "traffic calming" - let's not make Sepulveda equally impassable. The right of way was there before half these homes. It shouldn't come as any big surprise to expect a train to come on through.

[Vince Busam]

I fully support the efforts of the Cheviot Hills residents to send the Expo line down Venice to Sepulveda. I live two blocks from that intersection, and if they don't want the benefits of having nearby public transportation, I'll gladly take it!