Officials Revise Plan for Ventura Metrolink Station

In an effort to appease residents concerned about increased traffic and noise, the Ventura County Transportation Commission is modifying its plan to put a temporary Metrolink station in Montalvo.

Officials with the city and the Transportation Commission said they are drafting a new proposal for the station near Nightingale Road that includes construction of a short road, a wall and lighting.

“I think the residents will support the plan if we address their concerns,” said Ginger Gherardi, the commission’s executive director.

“The most vocal person [at the City Council meeting] came up to staff and said if you can keep the traffic out of the neighborhood, we can live with it,” Gherardi said.

The city does not have a Metrolink station, and Ventura residents need one for commuters who travel to Los Angeles for work, according to Transportation Commission officials.

A 1997 study identified 33 Metrolink passengers who lived in Ventura. Such passengers now must board the train in Oxnard.

Mary Travis, manager of train services, predicts those numbers will grow with the new stop.

“If there was a station closer to home, they might not need to get in their cars and drive at all. A spouse could drop them off, or they could drive the shorter distance to the train station,” Travis said.

Two trains spend the night at the Montalvo station after the last stop in Oxnard, but no passengers are allowed to ride the line that far. Metrolink also stops in Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley.

The current plan, which is not finalized, would put a platform, a ticket machine and parking spots at the Montalvo location. Ideas for updating the plan include running a one-lane road along the north side of the railroad tracks between Ventura Road and Johnson Drive.

A soundproof wall would parallel the road for about 2,000 feet along the train tracks and would also keep traffic from driving through the neighborhood when entering or exiting the station, said Rick Raives, a Ventura city engineer.

“Traffic is our big concern,” said John Wanamaker, a 41-year homeowner in the neighborhood. “If they put up the wall and keep [traffic] out, then it could be all right.”

Although the commission has considered alternate locations--such as the existing train station at the fairgrounds--Gherardi said that site is neither feasible nor desirable.

“This is supposed to be commuter service for people going to work,” she said. “We have to look at where the future growth plans are, and it appears to be on the eastern end of the city.”

Raives agreed, saying that the location of the train station was important for commuters psychologically. “People who live east of Mills [Road] aren’t going to go to the fairgrounds in order to go back toward Los Angeles,” he said.

Gherardi also said the tracks at the fairgrounds are owned by Union Pacific and renting the space would be prohibitively expensive.

While the city is interested in one day having a permanent station at or near the fairgrounds, Gherardi said she did not know if that was feasible. She said the station would be at Montalvo for at least five years.

“The bottom line is the trains sleep at Montalvo, all they have to do is back up a few feet and open the door,” she said. “It’s worth making the walls nice and cleaning up the area. This is our one viable opportunity because we can do it and we have the money.”

The station was pushed through the approval process quickly because $4 million in federal funds is being made available. If action is not taken soon, it will be at least another four years before the city will again have access to federal money, Gherardi said.

Gherardi predicted that building the station at Montalvo would cost about $1 million. The rest of the federal money could be used to build the permanent station and make improvements to the Santa Paula line. She said the new station could be operational by next fall.

Homeowners in the neighborhood are mixed in their feelings toward the station, even with the proposed changes.

“If you poll the neighborhood, 80% feel it’s a done deal and 20% are still up in arms,” said Byron McCracken, a 21-year homeowner in the neighborhood.

“We have to be realistic and realize it’s a fait accompli. When they come in they will be here forever, and we need to get the best deal we can out of it,” he said. “If they put in a block wall and some reasonable lighting system and do the diligence they need to do, then the impact could be negligible.”

Gherardi said Metrolink’s presence does not need to be deleterious to the neighborhood. “Metrolink tries very hard to be a good neighbor. This would probably be an enhancement in terms of service and quality of the area,” she said.

Engineers with the city and Metrolink will present updated plans and options to the community and the City Council in about two weeks.