By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
November 20, 2013

Constructing a streetcar along Independence Avenue is inching closer to reality.

The Independence Avenue Corridor earned a spot in the top three streetcar corridors recommended to be studied in more detail.

Earlier this year, the Streetcar Project Team, comprised of BNIM and its sub-consultants, hosted public meetings and workshops to garner feedback on the proposed extension lines. BNIM was also tasked with evaluating the eight proposed streetcar extension lines and assessing their viability. Results are in, and the corridors earning the highest “impact” scores are Main, 31st/Linwood and Independence Avenue. Other studied corridors included 12th Street West, 12th Street East, 18th Street, Southwest Boulevard and Country Club Right of Way. The Project Team, along with the Technical Committee, Steering Committee and Advisory Committee recommended a further study of the corridors earning the highest impact scores. However, it’s up to the Kansas City City Council to decide which three streetcar lines to study in more detail. City Council members are expected to vote on the issue this week.

BNIM used several criteria to evaluate the proposed streetcar corridors. One of the main criteria included “quality of life” which was broken down into subcategories like economic development, transportation and mobility and land use. Feasibility issues, like engineering constraints, costs and federal funding potential, were also analyzed.

Independence Avenue received the third highest score and received a “high” mark in the following areas: property value and occupancy impacts, historic buildings, transit supportive land use policy and plans, operational efficiency and cost savings, walkability and bikeability, population density, affordable housing and transit-dependent population/access to employment. Independence Avenue challenges include few large employment centers, few defined activity centers and a high number of single-family homes which restrict development potential. Listed strengths included relatively high population density, ethnic diversity and relatively high existing ridership.

To fund additional streetcar lines, Doug Stone of Polsinelli said one recommendation is for the city to finance 50 percent of the construction costs and that 50 percent be funded through a combination of state and federal funding. Constructing the 2.2 mile Independence Avenue line would cost $129 million in 2019 dollars. The 3.5 mile Main Street line would cost $230 million and the 3.1 mile 31st/Linwood line would cost $186 million. In addition to securing a bond to fund the streetcar lines, the city could also form Transportation Development Districts (TDD) to fund operation and maintenance costs. Within the boundaries of a TDD, a one-cent sales tax would be charged, along with special assessments of real property. If the city used rates mirroring those of the downtown TDD, it would cost a homeowner of a $100,000 home $133 annually. A commercial property assessed at $1 million would cost $1,536 annually.

“There is a seed here that with proper watering and attention can grow into a viable finance plan to fund half of the cost of these three extensions and perhaps even further down Main Street down to 75th Street,” Stone said.

“This is a positive step in the right direction and truly a game changer,” City Council member Jermaine Reed said.

City Council member Dick Davis said in the beginning he doubted the financial viability of a streetcar system.

“I had been pessimistic,” Davis said. “(I thought) I think we’ll be lucky if the next phase is one more line. To see that we really have the possibility of significant expansion of the system, I’m just delighted. It’s just great news.”

Kansas City Mayor Sly James said the city is already seeing additional development along the downtown streetcar line. James added that the development didn’t happen by accident and that investors picked those areas because of their proximity to the streetcar line.

“Let me assure you, there’s some more big stuff coming,” James said of new development. “There will be development along the rails. That’s the way it’s always been, and that’s the way it’s always going to be. This was a good idea when we first started; it’s an even better idea now because we can prove it was a good idea when we first started.”