In early February, the Phoenix City Council set a date for a special election that will determine the future of the South Central light rail extension. Phoenix voters previously approved the use of city money for the extension in Proposition 104 from 2015. Here’s why it’s on the ballot again.
Prop 104
In August of 2015, voters approved Proposition 104 by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin. The proposition imposed a new 35-year long 0.7 percent sales tax, equating to seven cents for every $10 purchase. It was estimated to raise $16.7 billion to pay for plans that are collectively known as Transportation 2050, which called for 15 miles of new light rail tracks.
The South Central Extension
The proposed extension for South Central would run southbound along Central Avenue and end at Baseline Road. The five-mile track would have stations at Lincoln Avenue, Buckeye Road, Broadway Road, Southern Avenue and Baseline Road—all major intersections with Central Avenue.
Opposition Begins
In early 2018, businesses along the Central Avenue corridor in South Phoenix began to speak out against the implementation of the light rail there. The main issue was that it would reduce the total number of traffic lanes from four to two. This opposition initially took the form of a community group called 4 Lanes or No Train.
The group voiced its concerns publicly at a City Council meeting last March, saying that other parts of the city that had added light rail did not see the same lane reductions that South Central would. Many said that the city had been less than transparent in its plans to reduce the number of lanes for vehicular traffic and worried such a move would threaten the viability of their businesses.
“Our whole business is basically vehicles, people driving up and down Central,” said business owner Larry Cohen last March. “They know Central Avenue, people know to come to Central Avenue to do what they have to do, if they’re restricted or not able to get here, they’re not gonna come to us.”
From 4 Lanes or No Train to no trains at all
Opponents of the extension formed the Political Action Committee, or PAC, Building a Better Phoenix, in August of last year. The PAC opposes all future light rail extensions and would like to see funds allocated for the light rail under Transportation 2050 used instead for other infrastructure improvements. A rival PAC called Arizonans for Transportation sprung up in reaction to this. Both sides have faced accusations of being funded by so-called “dark money.”
Building a Better Arizona gathered over 40,000 signatures to put an initiative on the ballot, which, if approved, would stop any funds from the Prop 104 sales tax going toward future light rail extensions. Their ballot initiative was filed at a City Council meeting in November of last year.
The Arizona Association of General Contractors sued Building a Better Phoenix in January, saying the group paid petitioners on a per signature basis, which is illegal under state law.
At a Feb. 6 City Council Meeting, the council agreed to schedule the initiative’s special election date as Aug. 27 of this year.
Contact the reporter at dmperle@asu.edu.
