Minnetonka residents filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Metropolitan Council, arguing the agency didn’t take adequate steps to review the environmental impact of the proposed 16-mile Southwest Light Rail line on the woods, parks and a public trail in the west metro suburb.
The lawsuit was filed by the Opus Woods Conservation Association, a group of residents who live in the Claremont Apartments less than 100 feet from the proposed light rail line, which will go from downtown Minneapolis through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. The council wants to start operating the line by 2019.
“The Met Council moved too quickly without adequate review of the impact of the proposed Southwest Light Rail Line upon the adjoining woods, parklands and public trails,” Jerry Kavan, a senior project manager for the apartment owner, said in a prepared statement. “ … Quite simply, the Council overstepped its boundaries, and this omission should be remedied and alternative routes considered.”
In the lawsuit, the association claims that the Met Council violated federal environmental laws and the state’s municipal consent process for light rail projects by seeking approvals for the line before an additional environmental review was completed and made public. The association also says that the Met Council didn’t consider the impact that the proposed rail line would have on the 49-acre Opus Hill area.
“If the rail line is built as planned, we will lose the beauty and peacefulness that this setting offers to all families who live here,” Amanda Carlson, a professional dog walker who lives at the apartment building, said in a statement. “This trail is used constantly by dog-walkers, joggers, and bicyclists enjoying the regional trail system in Minnetonka. The rail line would permanently ruin the sanctity of this special place.”
Another lawsuit was filed late last year by the Lakes and Parks Alliance of Minneapolis, a group of citizens from the Kenilworth neighborhood of Minneapolis. It’s still awaiting a ruling from U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, Tunheim said he would rule in the lawsuit “as soon as possible.”
Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141
Twitter: @kellystrib
Source: southwest - Google News http://ift.tt/1NEW7bD
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