TransitKC

Landslide streetcar election win, funding gap closed, expansion discussion begins

August 05th, 2012 | Category: Election,Funding,Streetcar

It was another big week for the downtown Kansas City streetcar project:

  • 69% of downtown voters said yes to the Transportation Development District’s formation,
  • The City announced the project’s funding gap has been closed, and
  • Councilman Russ Johnson released a list of proposed Phase 2 expansions.

TDD election successful

While process whittled the number of votes cast to 460 from 603 original requests, the winning result was still a resounding victory that was easily predicted based on past transit elections. Downtowners simply want transit options and are willing to pay for them. The final tally was 319 yes, 141 no. The TDD was officially formed the next day in a ruling [PDF] by 16th Circuit Court Judge Charles Atwell.

The same day the TDD was officially formed, the City formed the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, a new non-profit that will run day-to-day operations of the streetcar and advise the City on remaining engineering and construction activities. [Disclosure: I will be serving on the Authority's Board].

Here’s plenty of coverage from the major outlets:

The formation of the TDD kicks off a host of administrative tasks for that entity. River Market resident Matt Staub will represent residents on the TDD Board, joining Mayor Sly James, and Port Authority President & CEO Michael Collins. A commercial property representative will also join the Board. TDD Board meetings are public; the first meeting should occur in late August.

Funding gap closed

Councilman Russ Johnson announced at the streetcar election watch party that a $25 million gap — left by an unsuccessful application for a federal TIGER IV grant — has been filled by:

The streetcar was the highest scoring (79) project on the Missouri-side STP project list. The next highest ranked project was 71 and the lowest was 33. Per the STP Committee, the highest scoring project has never not been funded (either in whole or part). When engineering completes, additional cost savings may be identified.

Expansion discussion opened

Expansion beyond the 2-mile starter line was always on the table, now Councilman Johnson and his colleagues from the 3rd and 4th Districts have publicly opened that discussion to entice neighborhoods to sign on. A PDF map is here, but the corridors are:

  • Independence Avenue (Grand Avenue to Topping Avenue) – 4.4 miles
  • 12th Street East (Main Street to Jackson Avenue) – 4.2 miles
  • UMKC (Pershing to 51st) – 4.1 miles
  • 18th Street East (Main Street to Benton Boulevard) – 1.8 miles
  • Southwest Boulevard (Main Street to State Line Road) – 3.0 miles
  • 12th Street West (Main Street to Genessee Street) – 1.4 miles
  • North Kansas City (3rd Street to NE 32nd Avenue) – 3.1 miles

Of course, all expansion is subject to additional funding. Got a favorite one? Let’s hear about it in comments.

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