CYPRESS : Hearing Planned on Proposed Rail Line

After failing to reach agreement on a proposal to bring rail transportation to the city, the City Council this week decided to hold a hearing to let residents air their views.

The council agreed to set the hearing after a heated debate during which Councilwoman Joyce C. Nicholson stormed out of the council chambers.

At issue is a proposal that could bring a light rail system through the city using the existing Pacific Electric rail lines. It is one of two options being considered by the Orange County Transportation Authority to connect the 47-mile Orange County rail system with neighboring Los Angeles. The other plan under consideration would bypass Cypress and would take in the cities of Buena Park and Fullerton.

“We are now evaluating those two alternative connections to Los Angeles,” said Brian Pearson, director of rail programs for the Orange County Transportation Authority. “In May we will recommend adoption of one of those two routes.”

The majority of cities in Orange County affected by the rail line have come out in favor of the idea, according to Pearson. However, the cities of Artesia and Cerritos in Los Angeles County have refused support.

On Monday, the council debated how the rail line could affect Cypress. Members failed to agree on whether to support the proposal.

Mayor Richard Partin and Councilman Walter K. Bowman argued that the line would not only ease traffic problems but would enhance business by bringing people into the city. “It would be a great benefit to the city of Cypress,” Partin said.

Nicholson, who joined ranks with Councilwoman Gail H. Kerry in opposing the plan, said she was afraid that people living near the tracks would dislike listening to trains all day and that it could lower their property values. Nicholson also wondered how it would affect traffic in the city because the rail lines cross major intersections, such as Valley View Street.

“I don’t want to support it in the city of Cypress,” Nicholson said.

During the exchange Partin accused Nicholson, a real estate agent, of letting her profession “skew” her judgment, prompting Nicholson to call for a recess before leaving the chambers.

Although the lines under consideration go through several cities, the decision is left up to the Orange County Transportation Authority and its Los Angeles counterpart, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. The agencies will heed residents’ concerns, Pearson said, adding that they will be holding workshops in April on the plans.

Actual construction on the lines is not expected to begin for at least 10 years.