A whopping $2.1 billion. That's how much economic development could be spurred in the next 20 years by a proposed streetcar line, according to a recent feasibility study. The five-year projection is $540 million. Those numbers seem pretty lofty for a simple trolley, but backers say URS Corp., the company that completed the study at a cost of $200,000, was careful not to overstate the potential benefits.
The tentative plan is for two lines, one connecting downtown with the Central West End and the other heading from downtown to the north side. In all, the streetcar would pass through the neighborhoods of downtown, Carr Square, St. Louis Place, Old North, Midtown, Grand Center, and the CWE. In theory, the line would become a hub of activity, with business owners flocking and apartment buildings popping up on every corner.
Daily ridership is estimated at 7,700, more than a third of which is projected to be new public transit passengers. The project will be paid for through a mix of federal funding (yet to be secured) and a tax on property near the line (yet to be approved). It will complement MetroLink but be separate from the Loop Trolley. The planning is still in the earliest stages, with officials targeting 2016 for the streetcars to hit the streets.
If you'd like to find out more about all of the wonderful possibilities, there is a public open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today (March 7) at The Moto Museum, 3441 Olive Street.
If I sound a little skeptical, maybe even a touch sarcastic, about the whole thing, well, you have to know where I'm coming from. Last year, I moved to St. Louis from Cincinnati, where a debate over a proposed streetcar has already been raging for years.
Cincinnati's streetcar started out with grand plans, much like this feasibility study. It would connect various parts of town, linking downtown to Over-the-Rhine, a historic neighborhood coming back after falling on hard times, to Clifton, home to the University of Cincinnati. (Sounds a bit like linking downtown to the north side to Midtown here in St. Louis, no?) It would bring so much economic development—retail, restaurants, residential, tech startups galore—that cash would basically ooze out of the rails. Federal, state, and local governments all seemed willing to help foot the bill. Mayor Mark Mallory made the streetcar his signature project.
But then some people started questioning how realistic those economic projections were. After all, streetcars had been running everywhere a few decades ago, and they didn't seem to solve all our problems back then. Anti-tax groups protested the huge price tag, calling the project a boondoggle and saying there were better ways to spend public funds. They came up with ballot initiatives—yeah, more than one—to ban the streetcar from being built.Voters backed the project, but disagreement persisted. Ohio elected a conservative governor, John Kasich, who called the streetcar a waste. Utility companies said it would cost millions to move power lines and water mains. With money tight, the plans were reduced, the line shortened. Hey, it could always be expanded later. And still, after years of debate and angry letters to the editor and at long last a ceremonial groundbreaking, Cincinnati still doesn't have a streetcar.
So St. Louis, if you want to build a streetcar, do it. But learn from the example of Cincinnati. Be realistic. Don't over-promise and under-deliver. I have to say, when you start talking about $2.1 billion, it sounds like you're off to a bad start.
