The Southland Regional Association of Realtors recently held a meeting where Santa Clarita-area agents were told they must inform prospective buyers about the California high-speed rail project if the house they're selling is along the planned route--though it could be decades before the train is operating in the area--the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reports. The train could bring down values, since Santa Clarita will host tracks but won't have a station itself (the nearest will be in Sylmar). One councilmember says that "houses that are in the path are kind of being held hostage ... If they want to sell their home this is hanging over them." The exact route through Santa Clarita hasn't been hammered out, but one potential option would affect 23 houses, a church, and two schools; another route would closely follow Metrolink tracks and have fewer impacts. Either way, some locals want the train put underground in the city, even though a study during the environmental review process found no rationale for that. In late February, city officials met with members of the California High-Speed Rail Authority and expressed renewed optimism that a tunnel wasn't out of the question.
· Homeowners face challenges from high-speed rail project [Signal]
Filed under:
Loading comments...