METRORAIL ANC Endorses Local Metro Stop By Yasmine Noujaim Hoya Staff Writer

The Advisory Neighborhood Council unanimously passed a endorsing a new Metrorail extension plan Tuesday.

While the implementation of the proposed Georgetown station won’t occur for many years to come, ANC wanted to let the neighborhood know that they were in favor of the concept. “This is something that won’t happen for awhile – maybe not until 2015 or 2020,” ANC2E04 commissioner Justin Wagner (COL ’03) said.

It has been thought by a majority of students, that the reason there has been no Metrorail in Georgetown is because the residents have feared that it would bring in too many unwanted people from the city but “that is just a myth,” Wagner said.

“I was positive that the concept would pass. I think people were upset when they missed the opportunity to have a Georgetown station in the past,” ANC2E05 Commissioner Justin Kopa (COL ’03) said.

The Metrorail is still in its preliminary stages but the plan is to extend the Blue line and have a stop at M Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

The proposal officially stated that ANC encourages greater access to public transportation “because of its benefits both to Georgetown and the whole metropolitan region.” Georgetown is a commercial, governmental and residential center of the metropolitan region and is a crossroads for vehicular traffic. Georgetown suffers from acute congestion and parking shortages related to automobile use.

“ANC2E, as the representative of the greater Georgetown community, supports the proposed expansion of the blue line and particularly supports the establishment of a Metrorail station in Georgetown,” the proposal stated.

After the proposal had been read and the floor was open for comments, not one resident objected. Every one of the board members raised their hand in favor of the plan.

“I think it is a great idea,” Commissioner Tom Birch said.

Wagner said, “there has always been this urban legend about why we don’t have a Metro stop – that people here don’t want others from the city coming in. But ANC as a body is in favor of this concept and apparently so is the rest of the community. Hopefully this will give us positive feedback. The reality is that we are going to need everyone.”