Petition Drive Started To Halt Downtown BART Project

A group of residents has begun circulating a petition to put the brakes on a proposal to bring BART to downtown Livermore.

The organization, called Keep BART on 580, began going door-to-door this week to collect enough signatures to put a measure to stop the transit project on the November ballot.

The group needs more than 4,600 valid signatures from Livermore residents by the middle of May to get the proposal on the fall ballot.

Members say their goal is to have Livermore's BART station built on the Interstate 580 corridor, much like the Pleasanton and Dublin stations.

"We think it's a no-brainer to keep it on the freeway," said Valerie Raymond, one of the group's leaders.

The current plan is to build a BART extension from I-580 through the Airway-Portola region to downtown Livermore and perhaps continue it to Vasco Road.

Some of the line probably would be underground, including the downtown station.

Community leaders studied the issue, including nine possible alternatives, for six years before the City Council last year endorsed one of the downtown options.

City officials say the project would turn downtown Livermore into a pulsating transit hub.

The Keep It On 580 group doesn't see it that way.

Raymond said they oppose the downtown alternative for a number of reasons.

The first is the cost, estimated at slightly less than $4 billion. Raymond and her group say there is no way federal or state authorities will hand over that kind of money for a transit project that serves a community of less than 100,000 people.

They also say the station would destroy the character of the downtown region. They say that at least 2,500 parking spaces would be needed. In addition, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of multi-family units would be built.

"The impact on the downtown would be substantial," said Raymond. "It would totally change downtown Livermore. Some of us prefer the small-town atmosphere."

The group also notes construction would take about six years, causing inconvenience, noise and other problems for homes along the route. They estimate at least 80 homes would be razed.

Raymond said many members of the group would support a station along Isabel Avenue, closer to the freeway. That alternative, she said, is considerably cheaper and would not disrupt residential areas.

Supporters of the downtown station disagree with the group on virtually every point.

Mayor Marshall Kamena said building stations on I-580 or along Isabel Avenue isn't feasible because the projects wouldn't get federal or other funding. He said agencies are looking for projects that create transit-oriented development.

The freeway corridor cannot be built near Isabel Avenue because development options there are limited because of the nearby airport.

"Why are they promoting developments that cannot be done?" Kamena asked.

He said the downtown proposal is "the least expensive of the fundable options." He added that it ties in nicely with the the council approved on Monday.

The mayor said only 81 properties would be affected and less than 10 would be demolished. He said those families would be well-compensated.

"It would be the smallest condemnation in the history of mankind," Kamena said.

He added that Livermore has been paying sales tax into the BART system since 1963, and it's time for the city to get something for its money.

The mayor said he believes many members of the opposition group are simply against BART coming to Livermore and that defeating the downtown line is their way of achieving that.

Linton Johnson, BART spokesman, said the agency thinks the downtown line would provide the most ridership potential and the most convenience for transit riders.

Linton agreed that the 580 and Isabel Avenue alternatives probably would not receive funding from outside agencies.

However, Raymond said that part of the Isabel Avenue region could be developed, making the project eligible for funding.

She also said studies have shown the 580 and Isabel Avenue options would create about the same number of riders as a downtown station.

At this point, no money has been allocated, although supporters feel that once a plan is far enough along, the money will surface.

"Where there is a political will, there is a way," said Johnson.