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Phoenix light-rail expansion plans prove divisive

Phoenix activist opposes proposed route for western extension

by Emily Gersema - Dec. 9, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

A Phoenix man is hoping to derail Metro light rail's plans to lay track through his neighborhood as part of an 11-mile extension to the city's west side.

John Maurin, who has lived in the St. Matthew neighborhood north of the state Capitol for all of his 61 years, has attended several public meetings about Metro's proposal to build the extension on Jefferson Street from Central Avenue, past the Capitol and state buildings, through his neighborhood to Interstate 17, then north to Interstate 10 and west into Tolleson.

Maurin said he repeatedly has asked the transit agency to consider a different route, one that would avoid splitting his neighborhood, from Fillmore to Harrison streets and from the Black Canyon Freeway to 19th Avenue.

He wants to ensure the future of homes as old as 1893. He said his home was built in the early 1900s. Older homes "are not built for that much traffic" to pass, Maurin said.

He's concerned that Metro will need to expand the right of way and cut into properties to make way for the light rail. And he doesn't think Metro light rail and Phoenix City Hall officials are listening to residents' concerns.

So he's collecting petition signatures to fight the plans.

The current line runs 19 miles through west Mesa, Tempe and central Phoenix. The proposed western extension would connect to the rail at Central Avenue near Jefferson Street, near the CityScape retail and office complex.

Metro light rail wants the western extension to be finished by 2021. Construction would begin in 2015, although the price tag has yet to be determined.

Metro light rail plans to hold one or more public hearings about the extension in February. Starting in March, it plans to seek the endorsement of the Phoenix City Council, the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Committee and the Metro light-rail board. The Regional Council for the Maricopa Association of Governments will have the final say.

So far, Maurin has collected 46 signatures, which he can submit as proof of opposition at any of the public meetings, said Metro light-rail spokeswoman Hillary Foose.

Maurin has the backing of a developer, Reid Butler, who is known for several residential developments across the city.

Reid said a different route, along 19th Avenue instead of I-17, would revitalize the avenue and fairgrounds area.

"As a developer . . . I always have to be able to answer: 'What's the position of the neighborhood?' " Reid said. "I was a little surprised to hear from the Metro team that they don't do it that way."

Foose said the agency recently gave a presentation and heard from parishioners of St. Matthew Catholic Church, half a block from Maurin's house.

Metro hasn't done a formal public survey, Foose said.

At the church, "I think the response was largely positive," she said. The agency has spent three years studying potential routes, said Wulf Grote, Metro light rail's project-development director.

He said the preliminary plan to route the light rail through St. Matthew neighborhood could change, but the alternative route that Maurin and his supporters have suggested - along 19th Avenue north to the Arizona State Fairgrounds - was too expensive. Grote estimated the route would cost the agency up to $100 million.

Routing the rail along the freeways would allow Metro light rail to provide a faster commute for residents, Grote said.

St. Matthew neighborhood is dotted with rundown homes and stores. It lacks a historic designation, which would protect it from some development.

Phoenix faced a similar fight over light rail more than five years ago in the Pierson Place neighborhood, southwest of Camelback Road and Central Avenue.

Pierson Place residents eventually were assured protection from light-rail development in their area by obtaining a historic-neighborhood designation.

Grote said Metro light rail was looking at ways to protect the oldest homes before it takes its recommendation to run the extension through St. Matthew neighborhood to the Maricopa Association of Governments, which is led by Valley city leaders who determine transit projects.

New public transit could help poorer residents in the St. Matthew neighborhood commute to their jobs, said Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski, who represents the area.

"There are a lot of single-car homes in that area," he said.

At least two property owners in the St. Matthew neighborhood support the light-rail plan.

Bill Russell owns about 40 properties, all but a few residential, in the neighborhood, where he also lives.

Light rail "would be the best thing that's ever come to that neighborhood," Russell said. "I don't know why John (Maurin) is so opposed. There are so many residents that depend on mass transit."

Vyle Raven-Grey agreed, even though some of her retail projects along Seventh Avenue lost business when Metro was building the light rail near there.

"We would actually love to see it come down Van Buren Street," said Raven-Grey, who has 90 properties in St. Matthew neighborhood and lives there.