New light rail line could raze historic Phoenix homes, residents fear

Valley Metro is planning to add light rail from downtown Phoenix to the Arizona Capitol — but a group of residents worry that one proposed route may require bulldozing local businesses and several historic homes.

On July 30, a collective of central Phoenix residents gathered in the disco ball-adorned space at Club Contact to air their concerns about the light rail expansion. The meeting was held by the Woodland Neighborhood Association, whose neighborhood is a historic district recognized by the city of Phoenix and the National Register of Historic Places. The Woodland neighborhood is bounded by 7th and 16th avenues to the east and west and by Van Buren Street and an alley north of Adams Street to the north and south.

The proposed route, part of Valley Metro's long-awaited light rail expansion known as the Capitol Extension, would require demolishing multiple homes and businesses in the area.

“We are here today to protect Phoenix's history and protect our neighbors’ homes,” said Tommy McKone, a four-year Woodland resident, at the event. “We’re very devastated to hear that this was even a possibility.”

The Capitol Extension has been in the works for a decade. First conceived in 2015, when Phoenix voters approved the city’s Transportation 2050 plan, the project aims to connect existing light rail infrastructure in downtown to the area around the Capitol building and then beyond to the Desert Sky Transit Center in west Phoenix.

But the Woodland neighborhood was not initially in the project’s crosshairs. Valley Metro originally proposed a single-track one-way loop along Washington Street, Adams Street, 19th Avenue and Jefferson Street.

That changed last year, when Maricopa County voters renewed the Proposition 400 transportation tax. A year earlier, in a compromise with Republicans to place the measure on the 2024 ballot, Gov. Katie Hobbs agreed to include restrictions on light rail construction near Capitol buildings.

That forced Valley Metro to rethink its plans. The light rail operator first publicized three new proposals in late April, inviting area residents to provide feedback online and in two meetings that were held in May. Maps of the proposed routes included several buildings shaded in red with a star in the center, indicating a “Potential Building Impact.”

For many in the neighborhood, it was the first time they heard about the proposals.

“It felt like the city officials didn't want to do this,” resident and neighborhood association member Hannah Langmade told Phoenix New Times. “I think the city legislators scared them with their last-minute change to the law of not building 150 feet (from the Capitol) when they had this plan for years.”

Capitol Extension options

The Capitol Extension will be a 1.6-mile loop with split stations and trains running in opposite directions. At issue is by what route that extension will connect to the 10-mile I-10 West Extension, which will be constructed afterward.

Two proposed routes dip south around the Capitol, either at 15th or 16th Avenue, before running along Madison Street and eventually turning north up 19th Avenue. The third, which would affect Woodland, cuts north up 15th Avenue before running east along Van Buren Street. All three proposed routes are being considered for both mostly ground-level or mostly elevated configurations.

All of the pathways would potentially impact at least one building, though some routes endanger more structures than others. The mostly elevated version of the 15th Avenue South pathway affects only one building, with additional potential impacts to a historic cemetery and parking garage. The 16th Avenue South elevated pathway would implicate one building but nothing else.

However, both of the 15th Avenue pathways would cut through the Woodland Historic District, which is dotted with turn-of-the-century bungalows, some dating back to the 1880s. Should Valley Metro choose to build the light rail at ground level west on 15th Avenue, a cluster of homes and businesses near 15th Avenue and several businesses along Van Buren Street would have to go.

Valley Metro would not specify to New Times an exact number of structures that would be affected. But during the meetings in May, officials told residents that the plan would affect five homes. The neighborhood association says three businesses would also be demolished under this plan.

“They would destroy the neighborhood to the point where nobody would want to live here,” Langmade said. “I don’t want the neighborhood to go down.”

Among the businesses at risk is Olla Olla Crepes, a crepe shop and DIY venue owned by Lyndelle Sajuanero Puente. She opened the business three years ago at a different location before moving into her current space on 18th Avenue two years ago.

If Valley Metro were to choose the 15th Avenue at-grade plan, Olla Olla crepes and other businesses — including a hibachi grill, nutrition store and barbershop — could be torn down. Sajuanero Puente loves the working-class community her business serves and notes that Phoenix has been working for years to revitalize the neighborhood.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows that the median household income for the 85007 ZIP code, which includes Woodland, is roughly $55,000, more than $20,000 less than the same metric for the state as a whole.

“To see, three years later, how beautiful it has all turned out very slowly, but surely — you can only imagine what the next three years will look like if they allow us to stay here,” she said. “And we'll only do good for the city.”

Kevin DeMenna, a senior advisor for the firm and a Republican strategist, agrees that the other routes are more appealing.

“Only a government bureaucracy can produce a route like this,” DeMenna told New Times. “It just seems like such an obvious choice, so we're trying to slow things down, get better explanations.”

Still time

Construction isn’t set to begin until next year, so Woodland isn’t doomed yet. But residents hope that voicing their concerns will head off any issues before trains start rumbling down a track.

“(City officials) have been very understanding about our concerns, and we appreciate that,” said Michelle McCormick, a Woodland resident who moved to the area two years ago. McCormick’s house would not be demolished, but she wants to advocate for the homeowners who would be affected.

One of the affected homeowners said that they did not want to comment on this story because they work for the city. The others could not be reached. New Times attempted to reach other affected businesses but did not hear back.

Residents at the Club Contact meeting said they want to make it clear that they’re happy about a new light rail route and they want public transit in their community. “This is exciting for the neighborhood,” Langmade said. “We've always wanted it. We've heard about it. We want them to build it faster.” DeMenna emphasized that although there is controversy around the proposals, he too wants the light rail in the Capitol’s backyard.

“There is so much at the Capitol that presents opportunity,” DeMenna said. “And I don’t want to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Residents just want the line to take a less destructive path.

The neighborhood association’s official preference for the light rail pathway is the 16th Avenue South mostly elevated option. “It destroys the least amount of buildings, (does the least amount of) damage to utility lines, they don't need to add a whole lot of extra lights or crosswalks and it’s mostly elevated,” Langmade said.

In a written statement to New Times, Valley Metro said that residents will continue to have opportunities to voice their opinions about the project.

“Input from residents, including the Woodland neighborhood, property and business owners and stakeholders in/around the State Capitol area continues to play a critical role in project development and identifying our path forward,” said Juliana Vasquez-Keating, a public information officer for Valley Metro. “Valley Metro and City of Phoenix staff continue to evaluate all design possibilities for both the Capitol Extension and the connection with the I-10 West Extension. Additional outreach on design and public art elements is planned for later this year with construction anticipated to begin in 2026.”

More information about the project is available on Valley Metro’s website, including materials from the community meetings. However, it is not clear when residents will have another opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals or exactly when Valley Metro will make a decision.