Santa Clarita residents concerned about the effect of high-speed rail going through our community may want to attend a meeting tomorrow morning to express their reservations or support.
The California High Speed Rail Authority Board (CHSRA) will meet at the MTA board room in downtown Los Angeles (One Gateway Plaza) at 9 a.m. Thursday. One of the items to be covered during the meeting is the alignment of track between downtown Los Angeles and Palmdale.
A complete agenda and supporting paperwork can be accessed here.
Of relevance to the greater Santa Clarita Valley community is item #6, which deals with recommendations for alignment alternatives for the segment between Los Angeles, Union Station and Palmdale.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s office in both the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys have been working closely with community members and stakeholders over the past several months to identify alignment concerns, leading the Supervisor to recently call on the CHSRA to reevaluate other alternative alignments in order to preserve the quality of life in these communities.
Originally, CHSRA staff was supposed to submit their “recommended alternative alignments” to the CHSRA board at this meeting; however, after hearing community concerns and the Supervisor’s request, CHSRA staff has determined to not make their “recommended alternative alignments” for the Sylmar to Palmdale portion at this time. This, effectively, has bought our communities more time to work with CHSRA staff and our offices.
The public hearing portion of the meeting begins at 9 a.m.