Here, finally, is a compromise that should go a long way in ending the long-running tug of war over the Western Light Rail project. But Ottawa being Ottawa, and the National Capital Commission being what it is, the saga continues.

In response to concerns raised by homeowners and the NCC, the city will put a 700-metre section of the light rail route, near homes backing onto the John A. Macdonald Parkway, underground to eliminate the noise and visual intrusion of the trains that people have complained about. The city’s revised plan is not exactly the tunnel both the NCC and homeowners have demanded, but a deeper trench that will be covered by grass and trees, leaving only a few openings for ventilation, and perhaps, a glimpse of the river for riders. The new plan will also improve the landscape and access to the adjacent parkway lands. It will preserve the bike path, and with replanting, the trees as well. And it also enhances the crossings of the parkway. In our view, that should placate the NCC and homeowners worried about the impact of the project.

But the NCC says the compromise is not enough, and the residents have also given it a thumbs down.

Remember that the revised route design is expected to cost $80 million more, bringing the final tab to $980 million. Burying the whole track would cost about $1.2 billion, and an alternative mooted by the NCC that would have cut across Rochester Field, is estimated at $1.3 billion.

In an ideal world, the project would have no impact on citizens or the NCC. But this is not an ideal world. We live in a built-up city where projects of this magnitude will affect one person or another. We can understand why residents who bought homes with a panoramic view of the water and hills beyond, would be upset with a project that would blur their view. And we can understand that the NCC has a national mandate to beautify Ottawa, which it takes seriously. But light rail is one of the civic projects that will reshape the capital and enhance its appeal, not only for the people who live in Ottawa, but the visitors who come to enjoy all the wonderful things Canada’s capital has to offer.

The debate over this stretch of the line between Tunney’s Pasture and Baseline Station has gone on for too long. The city has made assumptions about using NCC land that it should not have made, and the NCC has huffed and puffed about what it wants or doesn’t want so often, no one could tell exactly what its real position is. And quite a considerable amount of NIMBYism has gone on, with any number of community groups supporting light rail but only if it is not in their backyard. Enough is enough.

The city has tried as best it can to listen to communities affected, and come up with a solution that addresses many of their concerns. With a project of this magnitude and complexity, it is impossible to satisfy everyone. Nearby residents complained the original plan was too disruptive, and the city has made genuine efforts to mitigate the problem. The NCC objected to too much of its parkland being used for the route and now the city has scaled down things and engineered better use of the land.