FULLERTON : Some Train Station Construction Halted

Due to resident and City Council criticism, some construction at the city’s train station has been stopped and the design will be reviewed. The north platform at the old Santa Fe Depot, currently used by Amtrak, is in the middle of a renovation.

At last week’s council meeting, residents complained that what is being built does not resemble design plans originally submitted to the city.

“This project should have come back (for review),” agreed Gary Chalupsky, director of the Redevelopment Agency, which oversees the project. “There were substantial changes in the design,” he told council members. “I have to take responsibility for that lapse.”

Chalupsky said the agency normally reviews preliminary plans, but not final ones, unless there are major changes.

The plans for the north platform had to be changed, Chalupsky said, because Santa Fe Railway demanded an extra five feet of clear area on each side of the tracks to give its train employees a better view of train signals. That forced canopies on passenger shelters to be moved away from the tracks, which decreased the amount of shade given to benches underneath.

Councilman Chris Norby said the canopies now seem useless, and suggested that they be scrapped if they’re not going to be practical.

The west half of the project has been completed, but construction at the east end of the platform has stopped.

The project will go back for architectural review by the Redevelopment Agency. Chalupsky said the council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, will likely decide on a new set of plans at the March 16 meeting.

At last week’s meeting, resident David Zenger complained that a proposed large planter will block pedestrian traffic on the platform. He also criticized the placement of trees to be planted in front of the Santa Fe Depot. He said they will obscure the beauty of the historic building.