PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council will vote on Wednesday to go through with the South Central Light Rail extension.
Community leaders and south Phoenix residents held a “Rally for Light Rail” news conference Tuesday to urge the Phoenix City Council to vote for the South Central Light Rail.
“I grew up in a community for so long seemed to be the bastard child of Phoenix. But now we've got a chance to change that direction,” said Perry Elam, a south Phoenix resident.
That direction would extend the light rail through south Phoenix along Central Avenue from downtown to Baseline Road.
They say the light rail will create more jobs and improve the economy in south Phoenix along with offering residents more access to public transportation.
“This is about the single mother who wants to buy groceries and can't do that because the bus takes too long. This is about the young person who wants to go to school and doesn't have that opportunity to go to school because there's no buses to get there,” said Johnny Hernandez, whose family has lived in south Phoenix since the 1960s.
But not everyone in south Phoenix is onboard with the light rail extension.
Many small businesses along Central Avenue say the light rail will hurt south Phoenix because the plan includes knocking the four-lane corridor down to two lanes in some areas.
Celia Contreras who's been operating her window tinting shop, Tony’s Window Tinting, along Central Avenue for more than 20 years says the construction alone will put many out of business.
It was something Contreras saw during previous light rail construction in Phoenix and Mesa.
“When the light rail started. The businesses who stayed their first, don't survive," Contreras said. "They're broken. They go away."
Business owners against the extension say the money for the light rail should be used to improve the existing city bus system.
“What we need is more buses. More buses coming down. Better stops and shade for people waiting for the bus,” said Byron Waldrep, manager of Pete’s Fish and Chips.
Opponents see the light rail bringing more expensive development that will ultimately drive out the current south Phoenix residents.
“Nobody will be able to afford the housing that will come in. They want to tear down the value of the property. So they can put something new for middle-class people. Pushing out the low-income,” Waldrep said.
Contreras says there's no hope for her business if the city goes through with the light rail extension.
“I need to close my doors. I need to relocate to another place or just go. They don't care,” Contreras said.
The extension could lose the funding from the Federal Transit Administration if it is delayed.