Locals draw line in rail plan

A City Council study session this week on future uses of Measure M transportation funds drew a number of community members concerned about a county study on a light-rail line in Huntington Beach.

About 30 Huntington Beach real estate agents and residents told council members they strongly opposed any use of an old rail right-of-way south of Ellis Avenue and Gothard Street for transit. They asked for assurances the area would be stricken from a future Orange County Transportation Authority-funded study of routes for a possible transit line from Huntington Beach to the Anaheim Metrolink Station, continuing on to Disneyland, as part of its Go Local program.

In addition to residents concerned with the safety issues of light rail passing through their neighborhoods with little space to keep children and the elderly away.

Realtors said word of the study has killed the real estate market in the area because agents must disclose it to potential buyers.

“I support Measure M,” said Huntington Beach resident and realtor Donna Horn. “I also support the study. But we ask that you not spend one dollar of that money in that area.”

Realtor Shari Noriega said the study was focused on the existing rail corridor, something council members dispute.

“We’re not opposed to the Go Local program,” she said. “We’re opposed to the fact that this study is so narrowly focused that it doesn’t consider any other alternatives.”

The county presentation did not otherwise focus on the Go Local program, except briefly when representatives said no city competing for those funds was anywhere near beginning a project.

Later that night, after the council meeting ended, about a dozen citizens voiced more concerns and questioned councilwomen Jill Hardy and Debbie Cook about the study. Both officials urged citizens to wait for the study to begin, when they said public input will be an active part of the process.

Hardy also said that eliminating the transportation corridor from the city’s general plan might cause unintended consequences.

“Transportation doesn’t just mean rail or buses,” Hardy said. “It could mean bicycles, or a walking path — an asset to the community. You wouldn’t want to lose that chance.”