A group of almost two dozen Chevy Chase residents is again threatening to sue the state of Maryland to stop the Purple Line, this time over a wide range of complaints. The Notice of Intent to Sue was sent on Thursday. In it, the group alleges that the Maryland Transit Administration failed to do a comprehensive environmental impact statement (EIS) for the light rail project and that changes to the project since the EIS was issued in August 2013 mean a new study is required. "The State's failure to publish a full and fair environmental effects report, as required by law, has left Maryland's elected leadership, communities and affected citizens with a false impression of nearly every important element of the viable, less expensive and more efficient alternatives to the Project, and most importantly, the likely very serious impacts that going forward with the Project will visit upon the environment, Maryland citizens, and the public interest generally," read the document. It's the second time the group, led by Chevy Chase environmental lawyer John Fitzgerald, has threatened to sue the state over the Purple Line project. Fitzgerald said he never filed the first suit against the state, but that he could still do so. Fitzgerald and others recently expanded their active lawsuit against the federal government to include many of the same concerns. The complaint against the state alleges that the state didn't disclose "runaway stormwater" that would happen as a result of the construction of the 16-mile light rail. It also attacked the state's decision to build the Purple Line on the preferred route, along a former railroad that runs along neighborhoods in Chevy Chase. "Most of Montgomery County's growth in population and development is now occurring north of the proposed Purple Line corridor," according to the notice. "Public statements by developers suggest that they regard the White Flint/Twinbrook area as the center of the County for future development purposes. Jobs are not coming to downtown Bethesda (the western terminus of the Purple LIne)." The group took that argument one step further, claiming that the introduction of Uber and other ride sharing services make the EIS "obsolete." It referred to Uber and "several competing private jitney and motorized 'rickshaw' services." It also alleged that the addition of a private concessionaire to the estimated $2.45 billion project undercuts commitments and cost estimates made in the EIS. The Notice of Intent to Sue also mentioned skepticism of MTA's ridership forecast for the Purple Line, a frequent criticism among Purple Line opponents in Chevy Chase. PDF: Fitzgerald, Notice to Sue Maryland
Chevy Chase Residents Again Threaten To Sue State Over Purple Line
