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Restoration of Historic Streetcar Services in Downtown Los Angeles APTA A quick overview August 2, 2011. Context: Downtown L.A. Central Business District. Project Study Area (PSA). Back to the Future. Original Los Angeles. Where Will it Go. Started with Core Service Area. 8.
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Restoration of Historic Streetcar Services in Downtown Los AngelesAPTA A quick overviewAugust 2, 2011
Project Study Area (PSA)
Where Will it Go Started with Core Service Area 8
Vehicle Options Historic Modern Replica • New Cars • Quiet, smooth ride, and ADA compliant • Best transportation vehicle • Portland, Seattle, Tacoma • New Cars Built to Antique Design • Good tourist attraction • Tampa, Little Rock, Charlotte, San Pedro • Actual Antiques • Very nostalgic • Expensive to maintain • Philadelphia, Seattle, Memphis, San Francisco
Introduction • Key players • Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) • Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc. (LASI) • City of Los Angeles (CLA) • Federal Transit Administration (FTA) • Metro (MTA)
Purpose and Need • Project purpose? • Restore historic streetcar service • Connect activity centers and districts • Improve surface transit circulation • Support population and employment growth • Support economic revitalization • Support alternative modes of travel within downtown
Streetcar 101 • What is a streetcar? • Fixed-guideway electric rail system • Operates in mixed traffic or pedestrian zones • Can be articulated for tight radii turns • Compatible with on-street parking • Shares lanes and stops with buses • Can be low floor with multiple doors • Bicycles accommodated on board • Capacity ranges from 80 to 130 passengers/vehicle • ..OR A BUS ON METAL WHEELS
Transit & More • Last Mile Solution • Easily integrates with current and future transit systems • Community and Economic Development • 24/7 Neighborhoods • Round the Clock Activity • Eyes on the Street / Safety • Less demand for parking
Advantages The Streetcar is seen as a catalyst to increase investment in the older sections or underutilized sections of downtown LA. It creates a permanent physical presence with in-street rail and catenary wires. It supports the area bus system. It’s a local circulator designed for short trips.
Initial Screening Evaluation criteria:
Expectations The proposed alignments should support 20,000 + riders a day. A big number for streetcars, a small number for downtown bus lines. It will INCREASE bus and rail ridership. One more layer of transit service in an area heavily accessed through transit.
Cost & Funding Estimates Capital Cost = $110MM Operating Cost = $5MM
Development Perspective • Fixed rails promote investor confidence • Encourages, inspires, and attracts mixed-use development • Enhances resident and business owner sense of pride • Attracts visitors who normally would not travel through the area • Encourages multi-modal activity and exploration (and therefore discretionary spending)
Stimulating the Local Economy • Economic Development • 35 million sfis entitled, approved, or planned in DTLA = 100,000+ additional permanent jobs • 90 million sf of developed space within ¼ mile of alignment • DTLA needs “stimulus” of our own and a Streetcar is the vehicle to do it
The Changing Housing Market ¼ of Renters and Buyers will be Looking for Housing in Neighborhoods like Downtown LA Because of Demographic Changes and Traffic • Households are older and smaller • Single households are becoming the majority • Households are more diverse • Technology trends spur transit choices • Unending traffic and congestion
Affordability Translates to Demand Living with One Less Car = $8,500 in Annual Savings • Median income households in Southern California spend $12,000/year on transportation and $12,240 on housing = 52% of household budget • Owning one less car per median income household could reduce housing plus transportation costs to 41% of budget
Instant Marketing Investment Density of People and Activity = Will Increase Property Values and Sales Taxes Received • Projected 10,000 daily ridership used for financial analysis. • More Residents • More Businesses • More Visitors • More Activity
Portland Example In Portland’s Pearl District • 140 projects worth $3.5 billion: 10,000 housing units with 5.5 million sf retail • City met 20-year housing goal in 7 years • 25% of housing is affordable • 11,000 Streetcar riders a day • 400 new businesses along the line: 90% locally owned with mostly women and minority ownership • Major increase in pedestrian traffic