The Press Enterprise: Commission to appeal Perris Valley Line ruling
A regional agency is appealing a Riverside Superior Court decision invalidating an environmental impact report for a $232.7 million project that would bring commuter rail service to Moreno Valley and Perris, and put trains within reach of southwest Riverside County cities.
The Riverside County Transportation Commission, which is planning the passenger rail line, voted in closed session Wednesday, June 12, to appeal last month’s ruling. Papers have been filed with the Fourth District Court of Appeal based in Riverside, said John Standiford, deputy executive director.
The commission had been hoping to launch construction on the Perris Valley Line in July.
However, the agency has been fighting a lawsuit by the environmental group Friends of Riverside’s Hills for nearly two years. On May 24, that legal challenge culminated in Judge Sharon J. Waters’ order to set aside the agency’s July 2011 approval for the crucial environmental report, halting the project in its tracks and potentially jeopardizing $75 million in federal funding.
The project would add a 24-mile spur to Metrolink’s six-county commuter rail system, following an existing freight route. Some track would be replaced. In some areas, a second set of rails would be laid down.
Four stations would introduce service to the UC Riverside area, Moreno Valley, March Air Reserve Base and Perris. Perris would have two stations, including one at Interstate 215 and Highway 74 near Menifee.
Trains would ferry riders to Riverside. From there, they could catch trains to job centers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The number of daily riders is projected to total 4,000.
Perris Mayor Daryl Busch, who sits on the 34-member panel composed of county supervisors and city officials, said after the vote that commissioners are determined to keep the project alive.
“I’m quite upset that the citizens of Perris -- all of the citizens of Perris -- are being impacted by a lawsuit being pursued by a few people in Riverside for their own personal purposes,” Busch said. “I think RCTC has been extremely fair, and has bent over backwards to accommodate this group and move the project forward.”
Standiford said the appeal doesn’t mean the commission is giving up on settling out of court.
“Nothing’s changed there,” Standiford said by telephone Wednesday afternoon. “We think this is an important project and we certainly want to see if we can settle it without more litigation.”
Leonard Nunney, Friends of Riverside’s Hills secretary and UCR biology professor, said it was the commission’s prerogative to appeal.
“We’re glad they are still interested in negotiating to try to reach a settlement,” he said.
On Tuesday, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, sent a letter to Peter Rogoff of the Federal Transit Administration, urging the agency to keep funding intact.
“The Riverside County Transportation Commission has assured me that they are pursuing all options available to ensure that the Perris Valley Line ultimately moves forward,” Takano wrote.
In voiding the report, the judge said the commission failed to adequately explain how many truckloads would be required to remove dirt excavated for the project, address pedestrian safety at informal trail crossings near UCR or evaluate noise from trains rounding sharp turns.
Despite the appeal, Busch said the commission intends to make good on promises to mitigate impacts, including noise. There are plans to build sound walls to shield 67 homes.