@Wolvenworks It might be that the link is pretty shaky, so at the moment they can't risk any major reconstruction, since they might lose the link completely. Maybe later, if they can move the anchor to something more reliable.
@Agis Earth is a luxury resort for these people, so it's more like a vacation home? Or it might be more convenient since the gate seems to be able to connect to different places, so living on Earth and going to work through the gate cuts down on commuting time (plus it increases security).
@sarssol It seems they did tell her the truth afterwards.. but yea, it's a bit weird that they didn't to begin with. But given how much attention they gave to her emotions (instead of just having the town claim the area "for a future subway station" and force a deal), perhaps it was much better if she did everything of her own free will. Given that the portal is magic, there might even have been valid reasons for it. (The bad emotions might hurt the connection, or just make it more expensive to keep.)