HOUSTON -- Metro said it may be meeting sometime this week with people who are concerned about a plan to build five light rail lines in the city.

In the Third Ward, Wheeler Avenue is one of those streets.

The current proposal, which has been voted on already, calls for the University line to run on Wheeler from Main to Ennis, then north alongside Texas Southern University. But that proposal is also lined with plenty of opposition from residents.

Houstonians are proud of their homes and their heritage.

“To me, it’s almost the black River Oaks,” resident Michelle Mays said. “Almost.”

That’s why Michelle Mays is taking a stand. 

“I can’t think of anyone in their right mind that would want a rail going down where they have to live,” she said.

Mays said she’s not only concerned how the rail line will affect neighborhood traffic, but construction would take away a chunk of her front yard.   

“So they would just take the yard,” she said. “They would just take all of this.”

“We need to put light rail where the people are,” Metro spokesman George Smalley said.

Metro leaders say they are listening.

They plan to meet with neighbors later this week and said they are willing to reconsider rerouting the line.

“We’ve been flexible on all the lines and will continue to be so to make sure it’s built in the right place,” Smalley said.

A final decision will have to come in the near future. 

Metro is applying for federal funds to help build this line, and deadlines are approaching.

“I think we’re talking weeks rather than months so that the project can be qualified,” Smalley said.

Mays hopes Metro leaders change their mind

“None of us on this street want this rail,” she said.

She says to help preserve the homes and heritage of Wheeler just as they are. Homeowners plan to hold a neighborhood meeting Wednesday night, and Metro is saying it may meet with neighbors just a few days later.