Residents expressed mixed feelings at a public meeting in the west end Wednesday night over proposed changes to phase two of LRT in their neighbourhood.

The original plan was to run the LRT line directly under Richmond Road for more than half a kilometre between Cleary and Woodroffe avenues.

Now the city proposes to alter the route, shifting it south, beneath Byron Linear Park.

The change is being proposed because engineers are concerned the original line would pass too close to a major sewer called the west Nepean collector.

If that sewer line were damaged during construction, it would affect 200,000 homes.

Re-alignment would come at expense of trees

Nearby resident Larry Ladell said at Wednesday's meeting that the realignment of the route would come at the long-term expense of the park.

"Our community doesn't have very much green space right now ... and that's our only major park. And putting the LRT through it is going to be a major blow for the community and I'm very, very concerned," Ladell said, adding he's particularly worried about the possible loss of some 150-year-old elm trees.

But another resident who attended the meeting, Alexandra Forester, approved of the change.

"So far it looks pretty good. I think that they're making a concerted effort to try to make it go in a direction that doesn't impact too many people," she said. "But there's going to be some impact."

Here's an artist's rendering of what a redesigned Byron Linear Park could look like if phase two of LRT is constructed underneath it. (Supplied)

Change would save money, city says

City staff say the change would see businesses on Richmond Road and residents living nearby facing fewer disruptions, and that construction time would be shorter.

The city would also expect to save $20 million and promises to redirect some of that money to re-design the park. After digging a trench for the LRT, the tunnel would be capped and grassed over.

A report on the proposed changes will go to city council later this fall.

Construction on phase two of LRT in Ottawa is expected to begin in 2018.