The Purple Line builders want out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That project is cursed.

The project is mostly cursed by well-funded, well-connected literal NIMBYs.

Yes and I hope that MD state makes Montgomery County pay for most of that $250M charge since the majority of those cost overruns were from the NIMBYs who tried to halt the project so that a train wouldn't go through their back yards. The state should take $200M out of the county budget next year when they apportion the tax money.

As I understand it, the train isn’t going through anyone’s yard, but next to, on land set aside by the government for rail. The residents tried to build sheds and the like on this land to claim it was theirs but in the end no one was having any of it and they lost.

Slippery slope. Be careful what you wish for. Metro access did Tyson's no favors.

Oh yeah Tysons is just horrible now. You should see what’s happened to the property values there.

I live in McLean, so I recognize that, but it was nicer before Metro brought more traffic and crime.

Wait what? Metro brought in more traffic and crime? I'd love to see a citation for that or at least hear your cockamamied anecdotal explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re clearly threatened locally by the construction. Once extirpated from an area, they aren’t likely to return. That makes them threatened.

I’m not a wildlife expert, so that’s a question for the people who understand it better than I.

In any case, the court will have plenty of time to go over all the findings of the survey.

Years, probably.

That's so not the way NEPA works that I don't even have words for it.

Again, I’m not the environmental expert. I just know the results of the survey undertaken, and the four species of local concern that were identified.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the Maryland Department of the Environment to conduct their own studies next year to confirm the results that the survey company we hired found. The courts will surely make time available for them to do so.

I just hope it’s not too late for these poor creatures.

"I just hope it's not too late for these poor creatures." Same could be said of Montgomery County residents' economic prospects after this fiasco...

Uh, I LIVE in MoCo. I pay taxes here, too.

And I didn’t vote for this boondoggle, or anyone who supported it. And I’m doing my best to help shut it down, even though I know it’s wasted my money as a taxpayer.

And the more you fight to shut it down, the more you'll end up paying. The trail lovers have already lost the tunnel that would've gone under Wisconsin Ave.

Wait I'm confused - I thought the people fighting the Purple Line are trail lovers?

http://savethetrail.org/the-benefits/

No the people fighting the Purple Line are privileged Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents whose properties abut the line. They are trying to destroy the project just to prevent a train from running through their backyards. They are very selfish and self-centered people. They bought their properties knowing that these plans were there. Their properties were valued less than similar properties that were further away from the train line and they took that discount. Now they want to stop the line so that their properties will appreciate from NOT being next to a train line and they will take advantage of having prime real estate whenever they decided to sell. For them, they took advantage of the system and now are trying to destroy the original plans.

They will lose, but it will cost the state and counties millions of dollars. I really hope that the counties find a way to penalize the residents that live near the train line for all of the delays and expenses they've caused. They will have deserved it.

It’s probably not totally organic. One of the major goals of the Koch org is to kill public transit projects (for their typical reasons: shrink government to cut taxes on greedy billionaires.)


Also we really really need to fix our zoning codes. NIMBYs shouldn’t be able to block projects like this — and in most other countries, they can’t. Here in the US we sacrifice freedom for all to let individuals object for their own financial interest.

Freedom for all? If it's freedom for all, why can't NIMBYs block projects that are against their own interests? You make no sense. Most people did not want the Purple Line, on either end.

Nope not true - about 4 years ago the Post actually did some polling on this and the PL was very popular - IIRC about 75% in PG supported it and about 65% in Montgomery County did.

And there have been several elections since the PL was approved - I'd be curious if you can point to a politician who ran on killing the PL in either county who won?

[Anonymous]

Al Carr and Jeff Waldstreicher were opposed and they won their races.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Al Carr and Jeff Waldstreicher were opposed and they won their races.

They weren't officially in favor of killing the Purple Line. They were just kind of squishily not-in-favor of the Purple Line.

In any case, the PP is incorrect. According to the data, most Montgomery County residents support the Purple Line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Al Carr and Jeff Waldstreicher were opposed and they won their races.

They weren't officially in favor of killing the Purple Line. They were just kind of squishily not-in-favor of the Purple Line.

In any case, the PP is incorrect. According to the data, most Montgomery County residents support the Purple Line.

And certainly more than the eyesore half development we have now!