THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100359
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 86 lines
The City Council on Tuesday indefinitely delayed a vote on a proposed light rail study.
But they didn't kill it outright and passed a motion that seemed to give the proposal another chance, setting conditions under which the matter could be brought up again. The council wants to add routes to the airport and the Norfolk Naval Base in the first phase of the project, instead of some time in the future.
Council member Louisa M. Strayhorn, who has championed light rail, said she considered the delay a major victory. Far better, she said, than the outright rejection she had feared.
Council member John A. Baum said he and several other council members were unwilling to support additional study of light rail if the line only connected downtown Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Oceanfront - as is currently proposed for the initial phase.
``As long as it's part of a bigger system, then we are willing to listen,'' Baum said after the meeting.
The rail proposal had always included legs to the naval base, the airport and other parts of the region, including Chesapeake and Williamsburg, but the council wants to push up the timetable for the first two connections.
The council also demanded that the Tidewater Transportation District Commission consider elevating the rail line at all major intersections, instead of just at Independence Boulevard as proposed.
Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said he would have to discuss the Beach's requests with his council, but said there was ``a message of hope contained in their action.''
``I think those types of requests, once all of the financial implications are considered, will probably be well-received by the Norfolk council,'' he said Tuesday night. ``But the thing is alive, and that's what we were hoping for.''
Last month, the Norfolk City Council unanimously approved further study of the light rail proposal, the same day the Beach City Council asked for a one-month delay.
The 18-month-long study, which will cost $3 million to $4 million, is required if the $376 million project is to be eligible for federal funds.
Council member Louis R. Jones, who led the move to defer a rail vote, said he wanted to ensure the transit system meets Virginia Beach's needs, not just Norfolk's.
``What I want to do is tie Norfolk down to agreeing to an alignment for spurs to the Naval Base and the airport,'' Jones said. ``It's better not to leave anything to chance.''
Strayhorn thanked Jones during the meeting, saying his motion ``saved me from feeling like Don Quixote fighting against provincialism.''
The council members unanimously approved the measure but then had trouble agreeing on what they had just done.
It took almost two hours to redraft the language of the resolution to everyone's satisfaction. The council again voted 9-0 to support the measure. Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf and council member William W. Harrison Jr. were both on family vacations and did not attend the session.
The four-part motion finally approved called for an indefinite deferral until:
The rail proposal is modified to include connections to Norfolk International Airport and the Norfolk Naval Base.
``The City of Norfolk, by resolution of its Council, concurs in this modification and approves inclusion of light rail service to the Norfolk Airport and Norfolk Naval Base.''
The Tidewater Transportation District Commission agrees to buy land for the airport and Naval Base routes during the initial phase of any rail project.
The commission agrees to assess separating the trains from traffic where the tracks intersect Newtown, Witchduck, Rosemont and Birdneck roads, Oceana Boulevard and Lynnhaven Parkway.
Several Beach council members had said they might withdraw their support for light rail after Norfolk released a water study that showed it had millions of gallons more surplus than it has been selling to Virginia Beach.
Beach officials were upset that Norfolk released the report, saying it was inaccurate and gave ammunition to North Carolina's fight against the Lake Gaston pipeline.
Jones said his support for a deferral had nothing to do with the water dispute, but Baum, who also sits on the Beach's Water Task Force, said the report's release made him less inclined to support a rail system that benefited Norfolk.
``The Lake Gaston thing has got to be a huge factor in our minds,'' Baum said.
A system that just connects downtown with the Oceanfront could create problems for the resort strip overwhelming well-paying tourists with day-trippers from Norfolk, Baum said.
KEYWORDS: LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM by CNB