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Politics & Government

Residents Express Concern at Subway Meeting

Metro's plan to dig train tunnels under private homes faces criticism at a Westside Extension forum.

About 85 Beverly Hills residents and 10 representatives of the Metro Transportation Authority gathered at the Roxbury Park Community Center Monday night to discuss the local effect of the Westside Extension, a subway line that would drastically change the infrastructure landscape of Beverly Hills. Many residents attended to express concern about Metro's plan to dig subway tunnels under private residences, and some did so angrily.

The subway line, now in the early planning stages, is a result of the November 2008 passage of Measure R, which authorized $4.1 billion to extend Metro's purple line from Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue all the way, potentially, to Santa Monica.

The gathering was a special addition to a larger series of Metro meetings around Los Angeles that aim to educate residents about the transportation project and provide a forum for discussion on how best to undertake the construction process. Monday night's meeting pertained specifically to the section of the Westside Extension from the intersection of Wilshire and Rodeo Drive, to  Century City.

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Several local elected officials appeared at the meeting in support of the project and pointed out the long-term economic and environmental benefits of extending Los Angeles' mass transit system into Beverly Hills.

"I'm very excited about this plan, and I'm very positive about it as we move forward," said Willie Brien, a member of the Beverly Hills City Council.

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Brien said he is pleased with the progress of the Westside Extension because of its potential to garner more federal dollars for local transportation. "[Members of Congress] are recognizing the importance of finding a new way to traverse this city," he said.

 Brien and others who support the project aimed to address a range of issues related to the construction process, including tunnel alignment options, earthquake safety and cost analysis, but Beverly Hills residents were almost exclusively focused on the matter of digging tunnels under private property. Many said they fear that if Metro digs tunnels under homes, the chance of property damage during an earthquake would increase. These residents are also concerned that subway movement will cause homes to vibrate disruptively.

"If I'm stammering, it's because I'm angry," said Gloria Seiff, who lives near Wilshire and Rodeo. "The idea of building a subway under our homes really gets to me. If we're going to do this, we have to do it in a way that doesn't affect these homes. They are beautiful, they are great and they have great standing in this city."

David Mieger, project director for the Westside Extension, said Metro would take every measure possible to avoid digging tunnels under houses but that in some cases it would almost certainly be necessary.

"We would prefer not to be under homes whenever possible," Mieger said. "In some cases, we have to be under homes. But our goal is to be invisible."

Mieger also acknowledged that if tunnels are dug under residences, those houses very well might experience vibration from passing subways.

Residents expressed other concerns as well, including the proposed placement of the subway stations. Currently, Metro plans to place one station at the intersection of Wilshire and Rodeo and another at the intersection of Avenue of the Stars and either Santa Monica or Constellation boulevards.

Rose Norton, who lives at Wilshire and Rodeo, objects to the placement of a station there. She said she understands that stations need to be placed near economic centers but believes that Metro is making a mistake in classifying her neighborhood as such.

"I don't believe [Wilshire and Rodeo] is the economic center of Beverly Hills-- it's the shopping center," Norton said. "People who can afford to shop on Rodeo Drive are not going to take the train."

Despite vociferous complaints expressed by many residents at the gathering, some attended to express their support for the growth of the local public transportation system.

Eric Sievering, who lives near Olympic and Pico boulevards, said he has been to several Westside Extension meetings around West Los Angeles  and wants to do all he can as a member of the community to push the project forward.

"I think a lot of people are for this," Sievering said. "A lot more than you might suspect. Sometimes you get some local opposition, but I find from paying attention over the years that those people are a minority of a minority. I mean we have such terrible traffic now. How could you not want something like this?"

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