I meant to do a post last week pointing out that Metro’s Solutions Meetings announcement page has been empty for a while now. No meetings must mean that Houston is feeling all warm and fuzzy with the new and improved Metro Solutions plan.
Today I am reminded of it because KTRK-13 has a story about some Richmond Avenue business owners and residents who are still not happy with Metro’s desire to put a light rail line down their street:
There is brewing opposition by a group of people who say METRO’s plan to expand light rail will hurt businesses along one of its proposed routes.
The METRO light rail system will be branching out throughout he Houston area in the upcoming years. For some businesses along Richmond Avenue, METRO’s proposal to place light rail on their street scares them.
“We would be cut off from our clients. We would be cut off from deliveries,” said business owner Daphne Scarbrough. “We would not be able to get in and out of our businesses.”
[snip]
“This will become three or four years, et cetera, of an area people will not be able to live in and will not be able to do business,” said opponent Christina Campbell.
“Every small business owner won’t have a customer and will be out of business and destroyed, financially destroyed,” added opponent Wilson Gregory.
The reporter, Darren Lyn, then finds some supporters of the Richmond Avenue line — a couple of commuters.
It might be helpful to find out how Main Street business owners fared when the initial light rail line was built. Did any businesses go under during the construction time? Of the businesses that survived, did any struggle to do so? Do the merchants along Main Street see increased business now that they can attribute to the light rail?
