Commission approves VIA Green Line stops with historic-preservation conditions after safety, design concerns

The Historic Design Review Commission approved designs for six VIA Metropolitan Transit Green Line stations affecting multiple historic districts on Dec. 3, 2025, but added stipulations intended to protect historic character and pedestrian safety.

At a public hearing, VIA presenters Art Hurrem, director of special projects, and Christine Vina, special projects manager, described the corridor-wide station design and technical changes intended to improve accessibility, including 50-foot platforms and an 11-inch platform elevation to allow level boarding for wheelchair users. Hurrem said the agency had purchased or planned to purchase narrow strips of right-of-way at several stops so platforms could be pushed back from existing walls and increase walking clearance.

Commissioners and neighborhood representatives pressed VIA about specific locations in King William and Monte Vista, where proposed changes would put raised platforms and railings near Bonham Elementary and other high-foot-traffic areas. Lisa Lynn, speaking by voicemail for the King William Association Architectural Advisory Committee, said the group remained "strongly opposed to the proposed stops in the King William area," warning that converting sidewalk space in front of a school could "result in injury or death." The association's president told the commission he feared a four-foot-four-inch pinch point behind railings would channel pedestrians into the street.

Property owner JC Gotten, who said he owns several Monte Vista properties, supported VIA's corridor goals but said property owners had not been adequately consulted and worried the modern shelter design "doesn't really fit in with the historic district at all." He urged VIA to meet directly with owners about encroachment and construction impacts.

VIA replied that most stations follow a systemwide, modern shelter family but that the agency could accomodate color changes and localized informational signs. Christine Vina said artwork panels would reflect nearby schoolchildren where appropriate; Hurrem said the agency aimed to reuse materials when reconstructing failing walls and to rebuild walls behind a newly placed platform where necessary.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the listed individual stations with staff stipulations and to add two extra conditions: require reconstructed historic retaining walls to match their historic appearance and require art-panel artwork to reflect the respective historic districts. The motion was seconded and carried in a roll-call vote.

The commission's action approves the design under the commission's advisory authority; applicants must still obtain building and right-of-way permits and work with the Office of Historic Preservation on final details. VIA's presenters were asked to return to the DRC or consult with staff if further neighborhood-specific modifications are proposed.

The commission also approved the remainder of the consent agenda (items 2'7) with staff stipulations earlier in the meeting.