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On the second page, it says how $800 million in public investment spurred $1.5B in private investment downtown, and quotes Lifestyle Communities. But it doesn't mention how there is NO rail in Columbus...
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Transit
NYT Article On Rail and TOD...includes Columbus?
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Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Yeah, strange that Columbus would be used as an example in this article.
Which leads me to believe that if we had invested $800 million in public investment in addition to another $100 million on the streetcar we'd have a much higher return in that private investment figure.
Posted 2 years ago # -
dru
IV
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Carrollton, adjoining suburb of my childhood and current home of my parents. I should be able to keep tabs on this project. In the adjacent suburb of Farmers Branch (shared school district w/ Carrollton) a former schoolmate successfully ran for mayor as a Republican largely on a two pronged platform: 1) property restrictions that critics said took aim at immigrants (illegal or not) and 2) bringing FB a light rail station that would mark a modern revival. The Dallas metro area is a great example of a place that embraces sprawl and used to call rail service an illogical expense; but once light rail is started, every community and local politicians of all persuasions start clamoring for it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Totally with you, Dru. It takes some encouragement, but once they do it (you're welcome mom and sis), see how easy, convenient, and CHEAP it is it's almost impossible not to get hooked. Talk about car culture, psssshhh, Dallas puts Columbus to shame. If they can manage to make it work, we should too on an, obviously, much smaller scale.
You know that dood??? How can someone be so right and so wrong all at the same time ;)
Posted 2 years ago # -
dru
IV
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@somer - Tim was 2-years ahead of me, in one of my brother's grade. we played in the same little league, etc...
But here are some quotes from Tim and the mayor of Carrollton -
"Farmers Branch has never had a traditional downtown, but the DART Station has given us an opportunity to create a much-needed urban center, which is serving as a focal point for development in our city," says Mayor Tim O'Hare. "A true downtown is a critical part of the future we envision for Farmers Branch, and the DART Station will help make it a reality."Just to the north, Carrollton has a long history of drawing economic strength from trains and rail systems, and that's happening again in a big way.
"We are once again relying upon them, via the three Carrollton Green Line DART stations, to revitalize some of our aging infrastructure, stimulate our economy, and to share with the world what a tremendous resource we are from both business and quality-of-life standpoints," says Mayor Ronald F. Branson. "When the first trains roll into our new DART stations, Carrollton will have embarked on a new era. Whatever your goals, you can connect them here."
You could sub in Minerva Park for FB and Westerville for Carrollton; or Groveport/Canal Winchester; or Reynoldsburg/Pataskala, etc....
Get it going, and every local mayor is going to want a stop.
and Somer, did you see that they are building a 21-mile rail line/bike trail to connect the last Green line terminal in Carrollton up to Denton and UNT. http://cbs11tv.com/local/carrollton.to.denton.2.1046109.html
the suburbs are beginning to act to connect themselves! But apparently the naysayers can't seem to figure out how this could happen in Columbus.Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Core_Models
Columbus
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Additionally, how do you judge "make money"?
Kenosha's streetcar cost 4 million bucks to build, and has driven 200 million in direct economic development along the track.
Portland's streetcar cost about 80 million to build, and I believe just broke the 4 billion dollar mark for direct economic development.
Tampa spent around 30 million, they're well over the 1 billion in direct development mark.
Just out of curiosity, how much was the 1.5 billion to be spent on the 70/71 split going to bring in return?
Posted 2 years ago # -
gramarye
In Exile
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Well, I agree with the stats about the streetcar system (it's indirect returns, not direct returns, that matter); however, the highway system question was a little unfair. Part of that is to ease the passage of people and goods through Columbus, not just within Columbus; remember, the interstate highway system is just that, and we're expected to do our part for the country's connectivity on that score. In addition, another part of that is not just an economic issue, it's a safety issue: that's the most dangerous stretch of interstate in Ohio. It does need serious work.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Core_Models
Columbus
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Gram, don't get me wrong, I'm actually not questioning the value of the highway projects, more I'm suggesting that asking about the profitability of trains every time it is brought up...but never asking the same question for roads...seems a bit hypocritical.
p.s. I still think 1.5 billion for that split seems insane and excessive, particularly without a real cap.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Columbusite
Minneapolis
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I did a little blog entry on this article, which I somehow stumbled across.
It was nice to finally hear it from Lifestyle themselves when they said that without the road improvements it would have been "difficult" to build the Annex. So there you have it, if Front were to remain one-way, no Annex. You can bet if Gay were to have remained one-way, no Neighborhood Launch either. And no two-way Spring or Long means still no CSCC or CCAD oriented urban development, which I think actually bugs Walker more than it does me.
The bottom line is that while rail would be nice, we can and do attract economic investment with complete/traffic-calmed streets. This should be an urgent priority for all business districts and while the city has any money to invest in such improvements. Not just Downtown, but also those on Broad in Franklinton and Parsons in Southside neighborhoods, for example. If we want any chance of revitalization, the evidence is there that our roads can provide a solid foundation for investment in urban areas if properly tailored to not just cars, but peds and cyclists.
This is the one area where Columbus should go far beyond any other city so that we can claim with certainty that we're the most pedestrian and cyclist-friendly city in the country.
The downside is that outside of Downtown and the well-known gentrified neighborhoods, business districts that are receiving attention (Livingston and Morse) are putting cars first and anything else is an afterthought. Since the first western half of Morse has been made a faux complete street, what investments have been made and what businesses have filled in empty spaces? The city expected to half-ass it and reap the economic benefits that come with streets like Front or Gay. No surprise here that Morse was not the street mentioned in the article.
Posted 2 years ago #
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