Next Stop?  Court. Photo: Justin Walker/ Transit Coalition Discussion Boards

As predicted, the Westside Coalition of homeowners and businesses opposed to the construction of Phase II of the Expo Line at-grade through portions of the Westside have filed a petition to have the certification of the FEIR for the project overturned.  You can read the full, twenty-six page, petition exclusively at Streetsblog, here, but the rationale for the challenge can be found on page three of the document:

This petition challenges the Expo Authority’S February 4, 2010 approvals for the Expo Phase 2 project, as well as the Expo Authority and FTA’s omissions in connection therewith. This petition seeks to ensure that the Expo Authority and FTA fully comply with the requirements of CEQA and NEPA prior to initiating construction of the Expo Phase 2 project. NFSR does not oppose the Expo Line per se, but opposes construction of the project without the opportunity for the public, the Expo Authority, and the FTA to have a proper and legally valid environmental study which, inter alia, factually discusses and considers a reasonable range of alternatives as required, including grade separations at key intersections.

Hearing the case will be Judge David Jaffey, who has previously ruled on transparency issues, and more notably ruled against opponents of the Orange Line in 2004.