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15 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 I am Julie McClintock and I've lived in Chapel Hill since 1970. I served on the Chapel Hill Town <br /> 3 Council for 12 years. I supported this rail project when it ran between Raleigh, RTP, Durham <br /> 4 and Chapel Hill. The plan made sense then! <br /> 5 <br /> 6 The burden is on this body to ask questions and understand the consequences of the proposed <br /> 7 plan. Orange County did not prepare the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) or the GoTriangle <br /> 8 Plan, therefore you need to test the conclusions. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 We've heard many claims and counter claims about the light rail benefits and detriments. What <br /> 11 does the very substantial GoTriangle EIS conclude about the issues now debated? I've based <br /> 12 my summary on a detailed review by John Morris, which I've entered into the record. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 • Energy Use: The EIS concludes there is less than a one tenth of one percent <br /> 15 reduction, a meaningless number. So if the EIS is correct, it will take 37 years for the <br /> 16 tiny annual energy savings to total the energy used for construction of the project. <br /> 17 <br /> 18 • Air Quality: The EIS provides no basis to claim that light rail will improve air quality. <br /> 19 There are no data, calculations, or modeling related to significant air quality parameters <br /> 20 in the region or in the rail corridor. Note: there is nothing about this plan that promotes <br /> 21 smart growth; the proposal encourages linear growth line strung out over forests, <br /> 22 wetlands near a water supply watershed. <br /> 23 <br /> 24 • Traffic Congestion: The EIS does not present any evidence that light rail will reduce <br /> 25 traffic congestion on major regional roads including 15-501 or any other thoroughfare. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 • Affordable Housing: Light rail will create a powerful economic force that threatens <br /> 28 affordable housing near the project route. <br /> 29 <br /> 30 "Gentrification, and more specifically a reduction in affordable housing, is a potential effect of <br /> 31 the project because of likely upward pressure on land values and commercial rents that may <br /> 32 occur in station areas." Quote from EIS <br /> 33 <br /> 34 When GoTriangle's consultant met with the Chapel Hill Town Council, a council member asked <br /> 35 about affordable housing around the Orange County stations. The Consultant replied that land <br /> 36 values would rise, and it would take substantial town and county investment to bring affordable <br /> 37 housing near the rail line. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Other speakers have demonstrated that light rail does not serve our transit needs, and that the <br /> 40 huge cost puts our county at financial risk. In conclusion this EIS credits no environmental <br /> 41 benefits to this project. <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Why are we spending all this money on light rail when we could be funding a fantastic <br /> 44 system of electric buses and BRT up and down our major corridors for a fraction of the <br /> 45 cost? <br /> 46 <br /> 47 She asked if the following document could be placed into the public record: <br /> 48 What does the Durham-Orange Light Rail Environmental Impact Study Say? <br /> 49 John Morris <br /> 50 <br />