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MORPC officially takes light rail off transportation plan
None of three transit proposals met federal funding criteria
Thursday, July 26, 2007
JEFF DONAHUE
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has officially removed the proposed light rail transit plan from its Fiscally Balanced Transportation Plan and placed the concept on the commission’s “wish list.”
Ahmad Al-Akhras, assistant director of transportation, recently told the group’s policy committee that MORPC will continue to monitor conditions for the proposed light rail transit corridor and federal policy, but the project cannot move forward without federal support and approval.
The light rail transit plan called for the development of a corridor from south of downtown Columbus, south of Mound Street near the Franklin County Courthouse, north to the Polaris area, north of Lazelle Road.
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MORPC officially takes Light Rail off 2007 transit plan
By: Walker
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That, to me, stings more than not having a downtown streetcar system ever will. By about 80 million times.
Well, if they don’t think enough people will ride it, there’s really no sense in building it right now.
I think it could probably be reapproached after the streetcars go in downtown and see if the public’s thoughts have changed afterwards.
I’m still optimistic. This doesn’t mean it will never happen… just that the federal government isn’t on board at the moment.
Here’s another chicken and egg debate…
Do you build a light rail system and watch development gather around transit stops, or do you keep your fingers crossed and wait for suburbs to spontaneously densify in an organized manner so that you can someday serve them with light rail?
Charlotte seems to have things figured out. They were able to build a small, starter streetcar line, and suddently the rest of the voting public got jealous. Soon after, streetcar expansions and light rail lines were approved by voters and now developers are practically tripping over each other to develop dense housing around transit stops.
By ZACH PATTON
Tracy Finch would prefer to show visitors around the south side of Charlotte by train. But the city’s first light-rail line won’t open until this fall, so for now, Finch is stuck crisscrossing the tracks in her Audi. Stopped at an intersection, she cranes around in her seat, fishing through a mess of rail maps, budget documents and development plans in the back of the car. As she grabs the paper she was looking for, some artist renderings of new buildings, a car honks. Finch sees the green light and heads off, navigating a maze of construction sites strung along the rail line.
â€ÂThat’s going to be 400 apartments with stores on the ground floor,†Finch says, pointing to an empty lot hugging the tracks. “And that,†she says of a low-slung industrial building a little father down, “is going to be 11 stories of mixed-use residential and retail.†Although the line is still months from opening, developers have been staking their claim along it for a few years. In the South End alone, the city is adding nearly 4,000 residential units and almost 400,000 square feet of commercial space. “There’s just so much going on down here right now.â€Â
Finch should know. As Charlotte’s transit-oriented development czar, she has a focused mission: to ensure that dense, pedestrian-friendly villages cluster around rail stations. In a sprawling Southern city of 600,000 people that has grown up entirely around the automobile, that’s a radical new mindset. And it’s working surprisingly well. Developers are investing more than a billion dollars in projects centered around Charlotte’s transit stations — and the trains haven’t even carried a single passenger yet. When the 9.6-mile South Corridor line opens, it will be the first leg of a regional system planned to crisscross Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County with more than 75 miles of light rail, commuter trains, streetcars and bus rapid transit. With a price tag inching toward $5 billion, it’s by far the single biggest infrastructure project in Charlotte’s history.
Charlotte isn’t the only low-density city pegging its future on the rails. Sun Belt cities from Orlando to Phoenix are building out light-rail systems, in an historic break from the car-bound past. Planners in these cities hope transit will ease traffic congestion and help residents travel more efficiently. But if you think this movement is about getting more people to the office during rush hour, you’re missing the point. Places such as Charlotte view transit as a tool for redefining the very nature of the city and how it will continue to grow. These cities are banking on rail to help create a walkable, urban cityscape — a sense of place in the Land of Sprawl.
READ MORE
I agree that starting smaller is the way to go.
As much as I’d love to see multiple light-rail lines zig-zagging all over Central Ohio tomorrow, I’d hate to see them running empty and becoming a bigger joke than COTA’s bus system.
I guess my point is that rail changes development. The federal funding that MORPC and COTA think is necessary to build a system requires density to be there FIRST, which is backwards for sprawled mid-sized cities like Charlotte, Columbus, Denver, and SLC. It’s really set up for large cities like NYC, Chicago, and DC who have the density, but need more rail service.
That’s why I really admire Charlotte in the article I posted above. They had the leadership to think outside the box and get rail built on their own, knowing that dense development would follow. And of course it is.
Interesting article, I am surprised by the number of developments happening before the line actually starts. I wonder how loud the trains are? Some of those apartments are literally right next to the tracks. The development reminds me of the old movies showing how the “els” shook the rooms b/c the places where right up against the tracks. :D I think our downtown streetcar may bring the same public interest as this “trial trolly” did in NC.
Hopefully this competition (link) could bring public interest as well
http://www.columbusrewired.org/
another kick in the transportation nuts. it may still get built, but will be a long while. i just hope the development springs up around the streetcar like i think it will. then maybe we can show MORPC how effective a light rail line could be.
just read an article about columbus coated fabrics and the funding they received to clean up. the developer is planning 500 units. this is the problem. this city has so many brownfields and redevelopment opportunities along rail lines coming out of downtown and this developer is going to waste a high density opportunity by building a measly 500 units. this is one reason why a light rail line will not work anytime soon.
take a look at the 315 tech corridor and the now defunct proposed polaris line. there are more brownfields than you can shake a stick at, which could support thousands of residential units. polaris and its abundance of parking lots could densify if it wanted to.
i just hope this city thinks outside the box, plans for the near future, and doesn’t waste this perfect opportunity.
500 units in that space shouldn’t be too low-density.
The Edwards Gay Street project is putting 260 units in 9 city blocks.
The Coated Fabrics footprint looks like 4-5 blocks worth of land, so 500 units means four times the density of the Gay Street project.
A damn shame. I’m all about TOD.
TOD, thank you columbusite. that’s exactly what needs to be built there. if mass transit is ever going to work it needs to run thru the densest neighborhoods that we can provide, i.e. midrise structures. good example=jeffrey place, harrison park. i still think a pedestrian friendly big box retailer on the old timken site would work great, and again, complement a transit station just across the tracks from a new dense neighborhood. just imagine a light rail line running thru the middle or alongside neighborhoods like those. look at the charlotte developments, no detached single family homes or townhomes in those projects, and i saw one with a home depot and one with a target.
fact of the matter is, transit CANNOT WORK without a high level of density. period.
i like the gay street development, but i do think it is too close to the core of downtown for its density level. i would like to see this built in any of the surrounding neighborhoods, especially near east and franklinton.
Such a shame. More downtown home sales, less sport utility vehicles roaring around… Bring on this light rail system, for gosh sake-
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two “distinct” Columbuses…
One Columbus is composed of Columbus Undergrounders that gets it by “thinking outside the box” and realizes the true potential of street cars AND light rail. CUers investigate/debate the topics.
The other Columbus is composed of Columbus Dispatchers who respond to polls with the same old “what’s wrong with the status quo” and wonder why it takes them an hour + to get home every night.”
As much as light rail is great for higher density development, I don’t think Columbus is ready for this kind of commitment for transit. Must take small steps and start with the streetcars and focus to make that development succeed.
For more information on TOD’s here is a link:
http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/
I know we’ve debated this ad nauseum, but to me the one and only focus at this stage is to get people downtown. That can be achieved two ways (both at the same time); improving the downtown living infrastructure by subsidizing grocery stores, corner markets, etc. and by providing a means of transit to get downtown that does not involve driving and parking. To me, a streetcar system is the “gravy” after you’ve got the people downtown. I think we’re quickly reaching the saturation point as far as downtown residential developments go without a better living infrastructure in place. I also fail to see how a purely downtown streetcar system with be effective when the majority of those who will ride it must ride downtown and park in order to do so. I just don’t see the population density downtown at this point to be able to sustain a streetcar system.
If I were planner, this would be my plan;
1. Improve the living infrastructure and non-automobile transit system to downtown.
2. As downtown becomes more habitable and populated, add a streetcar system.
I also think that areas along mass transit lines would become more populated. As people saw the benefit of being able to hop on a train to get downtown instead of driving, property values would go up in areas around the lines as well as development.
But, as said before it is a chicken before the egg debate. I think the emphasis needs to be getting people downtown before working on how to get around once you’re there. Others want to focus on getting people around downtown then worry about how to get them down there in the first place. I can kind of see either way, but of course I think mine’s better. :twisted:
yeah, this one hurts. i’ve been waiting my whole life for columbus to wise up about rapid transit, and also for the 75% of the population who thinks they are too good for public transit to come off of it.
ugh.
Here is a link for the 2002 traffic study delay of hours in a year.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0855647.html
We are #38, cincy #29, charlotte #23, & denver #11. I haven’t lived in the bad metro traffic areas, but I know our rush hours isn’t nearly to the point to convince the whole population to use transit. To respond to the post above, if we stretch the streetcar lines to our urban neighborhoods, I think ridership numbers would be enough to support the streetcar. Cost specific, streetcar is the public transit to start with.
CbusIslander – That’s because ODOT spends billions every year relieving congestion. Other cities/states are smarter than that. They know that if you build another lane, or more efficient interchange, you’re just enabling sprawl. At some point I think we need choices…that’s what mass transit is all about. It’s not a panacea for all of our problems, but it’s good to have choices about where to live, and how we get around. We’d be stuck holding our car keys if gas goes to $10.
if there is a streetcar line that ends up running where i need it to go (washington beach -> old towne east where i work) and it runs late enough, i’m all about it. but i don’t really see that happening.
Washington Beach? I’m pretty sure it’s not a beach, where is this exactly?
It’s a very new (2004 maybe?) name for the area north of OSU campus, but south of Hudson.
The extremely over the top definition is at the Urban Dictionary:
[url]http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Washington+Beach[/url]
It’s been mentioned a few random other places… I think the name’s pretty well caught on IN that area, but still mostly unknown outside the area.