Tucson Citizen.com
Caveat Lector - Politics, Government and the Free Press – by Mark B. Evans

Walkup was right, streetcar is a ‘game changer’

by on Feb. 19, 2010, under Editorials, Politics

CORRECTED VERSION:

Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup has had trains on his brain for four years.

Ever since voters created the Regional Transportation Authority in 2006 the ever-optimistic Walkup has been tooting the horn of the modern streetcar.

He has said he believes the streetcar will be a “game changer” for downtown redevelopment.

It was hard to take him seriously, what with all the rotten Rio Nuevo news the past few years.

But darned if he wasn’t right.

The streetcar will connect the university area to downtown and the downtown to the West Side, a connection riven long ago by Interstate 10.

The RTA, which is supported by a half-cent sales tax, will pay for half of the streetcar’s estimated $150 million construction cost. The city was supposed to supply the rest and has been hoping for a federal appropriation to cover it.

Last week the feds ponied up the city’s half. Well, almost half, about $63 million, but it was enough for the RTA to announce that it will release its half now.

Which means construction can start this year and be done by the end of 2012.

But is it a “game changer?” It sure looks that way. Several developers have plans for significant commercial developments west of I-10 in the Rio Nuevo district, but their agreements with the city have been contingent upon completion of the streetcar. Walkup has said that he has commitments from developers for more than $500 million (yes, half a billion) in new development on the West Side.

The streetcar will make it easy for downtown visitors, especially conventioneers, to cross I-10 to visit their planned shops and restaurants.

Plus, the streetcar will travel what is developing into the city’s primary dining, nightlife and entertainment corridor: Congress Street downtown, Fourth Avenue, the UA’s Main Gate Square bordering University Boulevard, and to a lesser extent, Speedway north of the UA.

Besides the West Side developments, as soon as the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the $63 million for the streetcar, the Arizona Board of Regents issued a statement touting the streetcar and its importance to the UA and its intentions to put student housing downtown, which would be a further boon to downtown shops and restaurants.

And most importantly, if the streetcar spurs these commercial developments, the taxes collected from them will benefit Rio Nuevo, giving it more money to complete several stalled projects, among them the West Side museums, parks and historic gardens.

But while there were back pats all around Thursday at the ceremonial check presentation to the city, significant obstacles remain before any game gets changed downtown.

The RTA and fed money doesn’t pay for a vital bridge across the Santa Cruz River and if there’s no bridge, there’s no streetcar connection to the West Side. Rio Nuevo and the city need to pay for that and right now there’s a question as to whether Rio Nuevo has the money.

The state has taken over Rio Nuevo but has yet to appoint a new board to run the Multi Facilities District. And the state is requiring all Rio Nuevo funds be used to expand the Tucson Convention Center and build a connected hotel first before spending money on other projects.

And there’s a funding gap. Government construction bids have been coming in lately 20 and 30 percent below estimates, which means there’s a chance the streetcar can be built for less than the $150 million estimated in 2006. If not, the city or Rio Nuevo will need to come up with the money but the city’s broke.

All of these obstacles can be overcome, though. The city has the chance to finally turn Rio Nuevo around and put more than a decade of mismanagement and millions of wasted dollars behind it and achieve what it has wanted since the beginning – a revitalized downtown.

Success is within reach, Tucson. Don’t #@%& it up.

More in Pol. & Govt.:

LREs, teachers and students

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 9:56 am and is filed under Editorials, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • vegasallen

    Game changer? Very funny. Just another example of Tucson’s “can’t do” business sense. Very backwards as well as small town thinking.

     Name one other US city where in a streetcar system, built in the last 75 years is relevant, much less a game changer.

  • Eric H

    I still am not seeing the potential with this streetcar and I envision it being a tax siphon on our future.  Only use is to those students not wanting to drive and opting to ride the train to drink at the bars.  How many students work downtown or how many people live downtown and are students… I now am hearing that they envision this extending to the west side, but I feel this to be more Rio Nuevo reteoric which no doubt will see us waste more money on planning for it with the execution failing miserably.  I’m not seeing the need for mass transit in this city especially with the route being so short (isn’t the current street car from 4th to University nothing more than a novelty which probably isn’t self sustaining)… however I would like to see some freeway going east/west but I know that would make too much sense and would likely never happen.

    • radmax

      Ah Eric. You must not be from around here. The way the old Pueblo does things is to plan to oversee the plan, with more planning and oversight, then eventually moving in another direction with a new plan, as the old plan has become obsolete by the time they actually get around to implementing it. ;)
      The common sense approach advocates(evidently a small minority) have been crowing about building some way(freeways) to expedite the traffic commute around here for years, realistically seeing that the automibile is here to stay, for the foreseeable future, only to be shouted and voted down by the tree huggers, NIMBY’S and aging populace( whom I guess figure they shouldn’t pay for it since they won’t be around long enough to see it’s fruition)
      If you are not new to the smallest thinking big city in America, then you are well aware of our frustration, my friend.

  • vegasallen

    Light rail has been a spectacular failure nearly everywhere it’s been built. If there was sufficient demand, private interests and not pie in the sky governments would build it. There’s little reason to expect that it will be any different in Tucson.

    Here’s an article that was originally published in the Kansas City Star: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9644

  • Carolyn Classen

    Does anyone have information on what the fare is going to cost on this modern streetcar?  Just wondering how it will compare to Sun Tran bus which runs several routes from U of A to downtown and a bit out west, for $1.25 one way.

    • Mark B. Evans

      You’re stealing my thunder a little bit, Carolyn. I’m working on another post for Monday about how much the city should charge.
       
      I asked Jim Glock a couple of months ago after an AZ Ill taping and he said the fare would most likely be the same as Sun Tran.
       
      I disagree with that. It should be free. This isn’t a commuter line bringing people in and out of the city from the suburbs, nor is it public transportation intended to move people around the city.
       
      It’s completely tied into the UA and Downtown and is intended to move people back and forth. It should be viewed as a key part to downtown economic development. As such, it should make every attempt to maximize ridership. The key is not how much money gets dropped into a fare box, but how many people ride it to see plays at the Music Hall, eat at Maynards and Delectables or drink at Gentle Bens and Maloneys.
       
      The city should completely subsidize ridership.
       
      As for the comments above yours about light rail being a failure, that perception is always viewed through a fare box lens. There is a misbelief that public transportation MUST be self sustaining, that is, the cost of operating buses and trains must be entirely paid for by the riders. That’s wrong. Public transportation has to be economical to be effective and that means some measure of public subsidy.

      • mleckrone

        Note to every one in our capitalistic system: Public does not mean profit. A public service is not meant to make money, it’s meant to serve the public. For example: public libary, public school, public hospital.
        Somewhat like public servants (that rare breed) who aren’t in it for the money. I’ll be the first to grouse about  Tucson’s performance as a functioning city, having lived here over 30 years, but lets understand that the public that supports (and puts up with) the city is entitled to the occasional consideration of a free trolly ride. The people riding it have alredy spent  and will be spending a good deal more than $1.25.
        And as for Mr. Walkup (mayor only in title and the most do-nothing in a long line of incompetents) he’s never been in “the game” to begin with. He deserves zero credit but much of the blame. 

  • Carolyn Classen

    Didn’t mean to steal your thunder Mark, but as a Sun Tran rider along that route, I couldn’t imagine people riding it if it was more expensive.
    Also I’ve ridden the free light rail in Calgary (inner city only) and a free trolley in Melbourne, and it’s fantastic in getting people around quickly and cheaply.

  • vegasallen

    Wow, in a city that so poor, it can’t afford to repave the streets, it’s ok to build an additional public transportation system that will require permanent taxpayer support? That’s why this country is drowning in red ink.

  • Ntagain

    Hmm..transit will cost around 400 million.  Uhh ..$500 million in commitments less tax break incentives.  Lets see..Reo Nuevo was a “commitment”.  Sounds kinda like a new health plan deal. We’ll have to get back to you on this one..after it’s up and running.

  • bigjohn

    Great. Now Tucson has their own “Bridge to Nowhere” and it’s in the form of a streetcar. If we’re lucky it will roll backward right into the car of Mayor Bob.

  • BPooleAZ

    OK, so now let’s get busy with MY dream – extend the streetcar all the way out Broadway to the East Side and up Oracle to Oro Valley. Make it a commuter’s AND a tourist’s dream come true ;) And, oh yeah. Add the high speed rail line to Phoenix, please. I hate that drive to Sky Harbor.

  • BobB

    The modern streetcar project does not include a bridge over I-10. It goes under I-10 in the Cushing St underpass completed during the I-10 widening project. The bridge that is needed is across the Santa Cruz. According to COT Streetcar folks the bridge will be paid by Tax Increment Financing, which is Rio Nuevo.

    • Mark B. Evans

      You’re correct. Not sure why I wrote I-10, I knew it was the Santa Cruz from reading this page of the city’s downtown projects website for information before writing the op/ed.
       
      I corrected the post above. Thanks for pointing out the error.
       
      As for Rio Nuevo paying for it, it is on the RN list and is budgeted for $14 million but there’s a question about whether RN has the $14M to pay for it and where it will fall on the new board’s priority list. My guess is neither the city or the new RN board will allow the west side projects to fail for want of a bridge, they’ll find the money.

  • http://papatodd.com papatodd

    Why any of us living in Tucson would think that we will get the expected results from this influx of money is pure insanity.  Let’s put it in these terms…..
    You hire a contractor to do work on your house. You pay him in full for project “A” and he never delivers on any of it. Then, foolishly, you hire him again for project “B”, which he quotes you at say, $2000. But the project ends up costing up $3000. would you trust that contractor with your third project?
    It’s not about the money. It’s about the RESULTS being delivered by those who we have put in charge of that money.
    As I understand it, the brand-new-shiny4th ave Underpass needs to be “redesigned” again because the incline is too dangerous for the trolley to travel on it. [Remember the January accident where the trolley jumped the tracks and crashed into three cars?]  http://www.papatodd.com/?p=4634
    Also the trolley route has been “modified”, it will no longer be going through the underpass, because of these safety concerns.
    $200 million for [Project A]Rio Nuevo, we got nothing. $47 million for the ]Project B]4th Ave Underpass, and now it needs to be redesigned.
    Going back to my contractor analogy, looking at the results from said contractor, would any resaonable person hire that contractor again?  I think not. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me the THIRD time, well that’s just plain stupid.

  • tiponeill

    Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me the THIRD time, well that’s just plain stupid.
    I guess you’re right – we shouldn’t ever try to do anything ever again.
    We can Just Say No and feel superior and close up shop.

  • http://papatodd.com papatodd

    Tip, You totally miss the point.  Who is saying to do nothing? I never said that.  It’s the issue of intentions vs. results.
    1st, Tell me true now, do you still trust Tucson’s city council and their ability to deliver the goods after Rio Nuevo and the 4th Ave Underpass project?
    2nd.  If we are going to spend yet another $160+ million dollars, perhaps we should look at projects that will affect more residents of Tucson other than the 4 miles between the UofA and Congress street. Perhaps like BPooles idea,
    OK, so now let’s get busy with MY dream – extend the streetcar all the way out Broadway to the East Side and up Oracle to Oro Valley. Make it a commuter’s AND a tourist’s dream come true And, oh yeah. Add the high speed rail line to Phoenix, please. I hate that drive to Sky Harbor.
    You know, something that will actually have an impact on ALL of Tucson.  Not just the chosen few downtown.
    3rd.  Answer the contractor question.  Would you ever hire that guy again?  In the REAL world,I think not.

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