Santa Monica slaps down Cheviot Hills

Santa Monica officials are speaking out against a proposal by some in Cheviot Hills to have the Expo Line extension end in Venice rather than Santa Monica (this route would also bypass the exclusive L.A. neighborhood, where some worry about noise and safety). But Santa Monica officials tell the Lookout that they have already spent $35 million toward having the rail line end in their town and said it makes no sense to change course:

Council members registered their strong disapproval last month for a route proposed by some Cheviot Hills residents at a packed meeting March 15 that would follow Venice Boulevard and skip Santa Monica altogether, despite years of planning and lobbying by City officials.

Santa Monica says it supports the Exposition Boulevard right-of-way route that some in Cheviot Hills oppose.

What do you think? Hit the COMMENT button and speak out!

Comments

[Carol]

The word entitlement comes to mind when I read about this. Next thing you know, the people of Chevrolet Hills will be complaining about all those darn cars in the road.

And the noise from the freeways.

And all the cars smog they produce.

And can we do something about those airplanes flying above?

I say go with the most sensible and direct route. If the train happens to pass by a few homes, well that's the price one pays for living in such tony neighborhoods. They're probably the same folks who fight for the convenience yet bark when the transit line actually goes by/through their neighborhood. I'd darn near kill to live near a train stop that was convenient for work or running errands!

[bg mendell]

NIMBY! Can Cheviot Hills power brokers continue to line more politicians' pockets than the Republic of Santa Monica power failure brokers can?
Follow the money, the vacation trips, and the second and third resort homes.
We need some different back scratchers.

[Bart Reed]

There are a lot of Cheviot Hills homeowners that favor the Right of Way and have come up with a wonderful proposal to develop a Green Corridor Parkway, Waterway and Transitway, plus solve the Grade Separation issue at Overland and Westwood Blvd. http://www.lightrailforcheviot.org/green.htm It's real sad that anyone listens to the 24 homeowners who are anti Rights of Way, while the more sophisticated neighbors have developed a powerful environmental solution that wins on all fronts.

[JP]

Thank you Santa Monica for standing up to Cheviot Hills homeowners. This rail line is for the good of LA and Santa Monica. It is not about a very vocal minority of people in one neighborhood.