County supervisors raise concern over proposed light-rail route near neighborhood and school

County supervisors and County Supervisors Association staff raised concerns about a proposed Valley Metro light-rail route that would remove homes and run near a school. Craig Sullivan said the association convened stakeholders, wrote a letter about the route’s potential impacts and arranged follow-up meetings with Valley Metro. “The risk we have is that there's 2 routes. The other 1 goes through a neighborhood, takes some houses, and then goes up by a school,” Sullivan said. He added that stakeholders are meeting with Valley Metro to press for alternatives and that the association will discuss the matter at its board meeting. Sullivan said the association reached out to Arizona Tax Research Association, general contractors, the League of Cities and Towns, and the buyer of a redevelopment property to gather perspectives; he said those parties had not been consulted before the route was proposed. Why it matters: A route that takes houses and runs beside a school could cause property loss, student-safety concerns and community opposition; the association said one mitigation option would be elevating the track to avoid taking property. Sullivan said the association planned another sit-down with Valley Metro and that Penny, a CSA staff member, would attend. Board members and association staff said they planned to discuss the item further at upcoming CSA meetings. Ending: The association will continue stakeholder meetings and bring the light-rail routing question to its board for further review.