Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (and Streetcars!).

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NovakOmaha
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

I love reading the comments regarding today's owh streetcar story. Some of the people commenting have been hibernating since they commented that the proposed Omaha Convention Center/Arena would fail miserably. Nice to see them crawl out of their holes!
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

Omaha Cowboy wrote:From the Sunday W-H:

"People have talked about a modern Omaha streetcar off and on for at least 20 years, but now the discussion is starting to get real.

A financial assessment done for the city lays out numerous options for paying to build a streetcar line, to put trains on the tracks and to operate them.

The analysis, made public here for the first time, is on the Omaha City Council agenda for Tuesday. It estimates it would cost $156 million to build and equip a streetcar line from TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha to 42nd and Farnam Streets in midtown Omaha. It would cost about $7.5 million a year to operate the line.

The assessment leans toward using an assortment of local funding sources, including city money, philanthropic donations and tax-increment financing from real estate developments along the streetcar route.

Several of the funding options would tap real estate development growth expected to be generated by a streetcar — in essence, trying to make the streetcar help pay for itself."..

The complete story link:

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/assessm ... 74c17.html

Ciao..LiO...Peace

That article is full of FAKE NEWS!
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote:From the Sunday W-H:

"People have talked about a modern Omaha streetcar off and on for at least 20 years, but now the discussion is starting to get real.

A financial assessment done for the city lays out numerous options for paying to build a streetcar line, to put trains on the tracks and to operate them.

The analysis, made public here for the first time, is on the Omaha City Council agenda for Tuesday. It estimates it would cost $156 million to build and equip a streetcar line from TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha to 42nd and Farnam Streets in midtown Omaha. It would cost about $7.5 million a year to operate the line.

The assessment leans toward using an assortment of local funding sources, including city money, philanthropic donations and tax-increment financing from real estate developments along the streetcar route.

Several of the funding options would tap real estate development growth expected to be generated by a streetcar — in essence, trying to make the streetcar help pay for itself."..

The complete story link:

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/assessm ... 74c17.html

Ciao..LiO...Peace

That article is full of FAKE NEWS!
Then to appropriately voice your concern(s), WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! Lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

NovakOmaha wrote:I love reading the comments regarding today's owh streetcar story. Some of the people commenting have been hibernating since they commented that the proposed Omaha Convention Center/Arena would fail miserably. Nice to see them crawl out of their holes!
It's definitely a lightening rod issue that's for sure...

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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by choke »

Omaha Cowboy wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:

That article is full of FAKE NEWS!
Then to appropriately voice your concern(s), WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! Lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
Here is what I got back from the city:
The Mayor believes the streetcar could be expanded to many parts of the city once the initial route is operating. There is also potential to extend it into Council Bluffs and Sarpy County. Teams from the city and MAPA have visited several cities, including Kansas City and Salt Lake City to evaluate their systems so there is a lot of study underway.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by BRoss »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:That article is full of FAKE NEWS!
:roll: Wow. How ignorant are you? Just because you don't agree with something doesn't make it fake news.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

There is a $250 million housing development along the new Detroit light rail line that never would have happened without the line. Lot's more coming as well. Would Detroit be experiencing the amazing development that is happening without the line? Yes, but this is spurring even more. The Detroit line also had private investment to make it happen along with a lot of other funding.

I would say that the Omaha streetcar will happen if the big donors want it to. Remember the Clink got $75 million from private donors.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

NovakOmaha wrote:I would say that the Omaha streetcar will happen if the big donors want it to. Remember the Clink got $75 million from private donors.
This ^^^...

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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

I just looked it up. KC's line cost $102 million for 2 miles. Detroit's cost $137 million for 3.3 miles. As near as I can figure the proposed route is over 3.5 miles so $156 million seems to fall in line with the others. To show you how we do things in Detroit the QLine hasn't even started yet but during the testing phase recently it already had graffiti. That's how we do it in the D! (as they say)
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

choke wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:

That article is full of FAKE NEWS!
Then to appropriately voice your concern(s), WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! Lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
Here is what I got back from the city:
The Mayor believes the streetcar could be expanded to many parts of the city once the initial route is operating. There is also potential to extend it into Council Bluffs and Sarpy County. Teams from the city and MAPA have visited several cities, including Kansas City and Salt Lake City to evaluate their systems so there is a lot of study underway.
There seems to be real legs with the streetcar potential this go around.. as Novak stated, if the big $$ movers and shakers in the city want it and contribute, the streetcar vision for Omaha will become reality.. and to the chagrin (it would seem) of a few members here, lol...

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NovakOmaha
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

Omaha Cowboy wrote: There seems to be real legs with the streetcar potential this go around.. as Novak stated, if the big $$ movers and shakers in the city want it and contribute, the streetcar vision for Omaha will become reality.. and to the chagrin of a few members here, lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
I don't know how many here remember the comments on the owh site when the CLink was proposed and voted on but there was one woman who was absolutely positive that no one would come to Omaha for anything and it would be a boondoggle. If she's still around she's salivating about this.

Is this a novelty? Maybe. Or maybe not. It would have looked a lot more like a novelty when the proposal was from the CLink to the zoo. This is a much different proposal. Similar to Detroit's running from downtown to midtown (Detroit) or a bit like KC's.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

NovakOmaha wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote: There seems to be real legs with the streetcar potential this go around.. as Novak stated, if the big $$ movers and shakers in the city want it and contribute, the streetcar vision for Omaha will become reality.. and to the chagrin of a few members here, lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
I don't know how many here remember the comments on the owh site when the CLink was proposed and voted on but there was one woman who was absolutely positive that no one would come to Omaha for anything and it would be a boondoggle. If she's still around she's salivating about this.
If memory serves, the person you're referring to is Diane Marie Hayes.. Her credibility was shot completely to pieces within 12 months after the CLink opened. Of course for us "in the know" it was shot to pieces long before that (as it related to the arena issue at least) :;): ...

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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

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Omaha Cowboy wrote: If memory serves, the person you're referring to is Diane Marie Hayes.. Her credibility was shot completely to pieces within 12 months after the CLink opened. Of course for us "in the know" it was shot to pieces long before that (as it related to the arena issue at least) :;): ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
YESSSSS! THAT'S THE ONE!!! Every day I looked forward to her comments. They were priceless. "White elephant. Loser. Who wants to come to Omaha? Seen our winters? Seen our summers? All the conventions go to Vegas. Orlando. Omaha is a big nothing. Nothing to do. People are boring."

At the time I pictured her sitting in her basement, chain smoking a carton of Parliaments, railing on about everyone being idiots.

I miss Diane. Those were the days...

Her and JoeMoney on the old board. But that's a different story for a different day
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

If the CLINK is not a boondoggle and is so successful then how come it is not even half paid for yet after all these years? :lol:
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

NovakOmaha wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote: If memory serves, the person you're referring to is Diane Marie Hayes.. Her credibility was shot completely to pieces within 12 months after the CLink opened. Of course for us "in the know" it was shot to pieces long before that (as it related to the arena issue at least) :;): ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
YESSSSS! THAT'S THE ONE!!! Every day I looked forward to her comments. They were priceless. "White elephant. Loser. Who wants to come to Omaha? Seen our winters? Seen our summers? All the conventions go to Vegas. Orlando. Omaha is a big nothing. Nothing to do. People are boring."

At the time I pictured her sitting in her basement, chain smoking a carton of Parliaments, railing on about everyone being idiots.

I miss Diane. Those were the days...

Her and JoeMoney on the old board. But that's a different story for a different day
Lol! Indeed, those were the days.. And JoeMoney, ha!.. I wonder how that Ayn Rand lovin' dude is doing these days :lol: ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:If the CLINK is not a boondoggle and is so successful then how come it is not even half paid for yet after all these years? :lol:
Diane? That you? My how you've changed...

Seriously, for those to whom mortgages are not understood, here goes....

One, it opened in 2003, thus it's 13 years old. If the original bonds were still in place it would have just started putting a dent in the principal. Go to Bankrate.com & do an amortization schedule.

Two, the bonds were refinanced by bonds with a lower interest rate.

Three, none of that matters as our friend Grandpasmucker is either a troll or really is a cranky old man and if the Clink were paid off & sending a check to every citizen with profits he'd still complain that the check was the wrong color...
Last edited by NovakOmaha on Sun Feb 26, 2017 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

NovakOmaha wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:If the CLINK is not a boondoggle and is so successful then how come it is not even half paid for yet after all these years? :lol:
Diane? That you? My how you've changed...

You say something about you are in Detroit? Great we got a guy from a city who took out bankruptcy now encouraging Omaha to throw millions down on a Street Car even though we already are having trouble paying our bills as it is.? :what:
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
NovakOmaha wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:If the CLINK is not a boondoggle and is so successful then how come it is not even half paid for yet after all these years? :lol:
Diane? That you? My how you've changed...

You say something about you are in Detroit? Great we got a guy from a city who took out bankruptcy now encouraging Omaha to throw millions down on a Street Car even though we already are having trouble paying our bills as it is.? :what:
Yep, the bankruptcy lasted a year. AND Detroit's getting a streetcar. Neener, neener
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

NovakOmaha wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
NovakOmaha wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:If the CLINK is not a boondoggle and is so successful then how come it is not even half paid for yet after all these years? :lol:
Diane? That you? My how you've changed...

You say something about you are in Detroit? Great we got a guy from a city who took out bankruptcy now encouraging Omaha to throw millions down on a Street Car even though we already are having trouble paying our bills as it is.? :what:
Yep, the bankruptcy lasted a year. AND Detroit's getting a streetcar. Neener, neener

As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Coyote »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
That has been how the Donald rolls for years, Diane.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

Coyote wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
That has been how the Donald rolls for years, Diane.

Were going to build a big beautiful wall along our Southern border we are not going to build a useless Streetcar down Farnam. :mrgreen:
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

Well, at least we've discovered 'ol SMUCKER is Diane Marie Hayes..

My Sunday evening is now complete :lol: ...

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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
You're not in Hooterville anymore, Giligan. It's the big city & we'll squish you like a bug. Got that, Diane?
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by NovakOmaha »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Coyote wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
That has been how the Donald rolls for years, Diane.

Were going to build a big beautiful wall along our Southern border we are not going to build a useless Streetcar down Farnam. :mrgreen:
Lemme get this straight. Is the wall going to keep Papillion & La Vista out or is the wall going to keep Kansas out? I'm so confused. Help me, Diane!
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

NovakOmaha wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Coyote wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:As long as you get a shiny new StreetCar who cares about the creditors and people that Detroit stiffed and screwed out of billions and billions of dollars? :what: Is that how you roll?
That has been how the Donald rolls for years, Diane.

Were going to build a big beautiful wall along our Southern border we are not going to build a useless Streetcar down Farnam. :mrgreen:
Lemme get this straight. Is the wall going to keep Papillion & La Vista out or is the wall going to keep Kansas out? I'm so confused. Help me, Diane!
Well, whoever it is will probably just invest in a couple shovels and tunnel underneath it. Talk about a boondoggle.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by bigredmed »

Can we get this discussion back ON TRACK?
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

This Streetcar Scam we are having run on us here in Omaha is being ran everywhere around the country as discussed in this UTUBE.........

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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by bigredmed »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:This Streetcar Scam we are having run on us here in Omaha is being ran everywhere around the country as discussed in this UTUBE.........

Lord, how I wish the people on this forum would take this to heart. Just because something worked back in the day, doesn't mean that it will work now. We could take this same money and buy a lot of buses and do a lot more transportation, even if we just put the buses in a down town to airport and down town to midtown circuit. It would still be more economical and we could have this up and running faster than a street car.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Garrett »

MadMartin8 wrote:Have ideas of paying for a project via "increased expected development in the area", ever worked out?
Arenas and stadiums never usually do but transit investments almost always meet or exceed expectations.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Garrett »

bigredmed wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:This Streetcar Scam we are having run on us here in Omaha is being ran everywhere around the country as discussed in this UTUBE.........

Lord, how I wish the people on this forum would take this to heart. Just because something worked back in the day, doesn't mean that it will work now. We could take this same money and buy a lot of buses and do a lot more transportation, even if we just put the buses in a down town to airport and down town to midtown circuit. It would still be more economical and we could have this up and running faster than a street car.
If we're talking about modern transit options, BRT and streetcars are complimentary, but are definitely not the same. The reason the one in DC flubbed so badly was because of poor design and implementation, not because of a fundamental flaw with streetcars.

At the most basic level, streetcars/light rail have higher capacity, cost less in the long run because vehicles last longer, consume less energy and use less labor due to their higher capacity. They are also designed to make more frequent stops with far more passengers, making it ideal for inner city areas with lots of riders. It is also psychologically far harder to ignore tracks in the street than it is to ignore a bus you don't see. Streetcars convey permanence, making them attractive to development and residents.

BRT is usually made to go longer distances between stops, around half a mile or so, making it more ideal for low density areas with big hubs, like suburbia. And BRT is not necessarily cheaper, especially within high demand areas.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Garrett »

Now for everyone's favorite thing.... a hypothetical map of Streetcar Lines and BRT!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewe ... 16672&z=14
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Omaha_corn_burner »

Garrett wrote:Now for everyone's favorite thing.... a hypothetical map
Have you ever been to www.urbanrail.net?
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by MadMartin8 »

Garrett wrote:
MadMartin8 wrote:Have ideas of paying for a project via "increased expected development in the area", ever worked out?
Arenas and stadiums never usually do but transit investments almost always meet or exceed expectations.
When I ask this, I am not necessarily doubting you...but do you by chance know of any economic benefit analysis reports that show this?
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Garrett »

MadMartin8 wrote:
Garrett wrote:
MadMartin8 wrote:Have ideas of paying for a project via "increased expected development in the area", ever worked out?
Arenas and stadiums never usually do but transit investments almost always meet or exceed expectations.
When I ask this, I am not necessarily doubting you...but do you by chance know of any economic benefit analysis reports that show this?
Here is a long research article if you feel like some deep reading:

https://www.apta.com/resources/reportsa ... t-APTA.pdf

and something a bit more simple from CityLab:
http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/pub ... hink/6532/

and a story about Kansas City's streetcar:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/kc ... 71319.html
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by MadMartin8 »

Garrett wrote:
MadMartin8 wrote:
Garrett wrote:
MadMartin8 wrote:Have ideas of paying for a project via "increased expected development in the area", ever worked out?
Arenas and stadiums never usually do but transit investments almost always meet or exceed expectations.
When I ask this, I am not necessarily doubting you...but do you by chance know of any economic benefit analysis reports that show this?
Here is a long research article if you feel like some deep reading:

https://www.apta.com/resources/reportsa ... t-APTA.pdf

and something a bit more simple from CityLab:
http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/pub ... hink/6532/

and a story about Kansas City's streetcar:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/kc ... 71319.html

Thanks Garrett!
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by jessep28 »

Financing should be structured in a way that requires voter approval. No backdoor financing through sales taxes, or whatever they did to only require city council approval to green light TD Ameritrade Park. If the voters want to spend $120+ million on a streetcar system, they can only blame themselves when it turns into a colossal money pit.

You can also guarantee that most, if not all development along the streetcar line will be subsidized through TIF, or some other subsidy.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

jessep28 wrote:Financing should be structured in a way that requires voter approval. No backdoor financing through sales taxes, or whatever they did to only require city council approval for TD Ameritrade Park. If the voters want to spend $120+ million on a streetcar system, they can only blame themselves when it turns into a colossal money pit.
They would have no chance of getting voter approval. The only way this can happen is if they back door this and shove it down our throats. Our problem is that they are perfectly content to cheat and lie and shove this down our throats.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by GetUrban »

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
jessep28 wrote:Financing should be structured in a way that requires voter approval. No backdoor financing through sales taxes, or whatever they did to only require city council approval for TD Ameritrade Park. If the voters want to spend $120+ million on a streetcar system, they can only blame themselves when it turns into a colossal money pit.
They would have no chance of getting voter approval. The only way this can happen is if they back door this and shove it down our throats. Our problem is that they are perfectly content to cheat and lie and shove this down our throats.
I predict there wil be some major private donors supporting it. That's how it will happen. The type of street car design they're showing now has a certain coolness factor to it that will prove to be irresistible for all but the most stodgy curmudgeons. It's very comparable to KC's setup, which appears to be a success from what I saw for myself last weekend, and the stats presented so far. I think they'll need to add a connection to the zoo fairly soon after the first phase to help justify it further and hopefully a connection to the airport eventually, then AK village/UNO.
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by Professor Woland »

I keep seeing it said that the advantage of the Streetcar is that it conveys a sense of permanence, which entices developers to build nearby. I think this overstates things. It's certainly possible the developers are that unwise (after all Trump was a developer, and my two year old shows better reasoning ability than that clown), but if the whole thing turns out to be a costly fiasco, the city will just tear up the track; the history of nearly every major city in the United States demonstrates this. Furthermore, if an area sees high ridership, a bus route won't be discontinued. I think the draw is that for the first few years of novelty, they can sell or rent out units until the area reaches a sort of critical mass and when the streetcar ridership begins its steady decline, it no longer matters, the area is permanently established.

My prediction, and I may well end up being wrong, is that in a decade, when most of the millenials and the older part of the following generation are all busy with their kids and have moved out to the suburbs to escape OPS and provide the kids with a yard, the next cadre of young adults who moves into the area won't be nearly as enamored of the streetcar, seeing it more as a lumbering behemoth that doesn't suit their transit needs. The true believers will try desperately to preserve it, but the costs of the first track replacement will be too much to justify and the system will be scrapped. The developers will have waxed fat thanks, in part to the streetcar, the area along the track will have some nice buildings and good restaurants, and the overwhelming majority of the residents will prefer to get around by car. Maybe it will be "worth it", a couple hundred million might be an okay price to pay for a concentration of development as opposed to a similar amount of development dispersed throughout a more diffuse area, that is for each person to decide for themselves.
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OmahaJaysCU
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Re: Official: Omaha Streetcar Discussion

Post by OmahaJaysCU »

From what I've heard some of the large corporations/employers along the line, as well as some foundations, will make up a significant percentage of this bill. Not unlike our other major projects (Holland, CLC, TDAP). Public private partnership gets it done.

This is purely a rumor but I was told Sen. Mellos candidacy moved this process up a bit timing wise and that the mayors office was going to wait until after reelection to push this forward. Much easier to start this conversation now when your "forward thinking" opponent agrees with you (and your core supporters can't vote against you as a statement).
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