Just got off the phone with an assignment in hand to kick off our own Streetcar System. Privately funded, with musuem, car shop and down the road a REAL trolley park. The system would seek to be a downtown circulator, then reach the stadiums, arena, Landing, Water St., Bay St. Station, 5-Points, Park and King and Saint Vincents. The firm I am working with would probably blow most of you away... Silence! Hee Hee. Anyway, they asked me that by 3 or 4 pm TODAY, to list 7 positive things that a Heritage Streetcar would bring to Jacksonville... I wanted to give you ALL a chance to voice your opinions. Oh yes, only 5-8 words per item please!
Those are my marching orders, I pass them to you, let's light up this forum NOW!
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Ocklawaha
All you need is found right here in this article:
http://www.realestatejournal.com/propertyreport/newsandtrends/20070626-herrick.html
1. Economic Development (TOD) generator
2. Inner City Revitalization catalyst
3. Increased Tourism
4. An attractive way to connect existing isolated downtown destinations
5. Increased land values for surrounding property
6. A central element in a regional mass transit plan that will be feed riders by other systems.
7. Advertising opportunity for private entities
wait...don't we have downtown circulating trolleys NOW? isn't the good argument "Who wants to go in a circle downtown?" I could see the Park to downtown and King to downtown being useful. Just curious and maybe I am misunderstanding this thing.
Eye appeal...
Hopefully it will include Springfield. It would be nice to jump on it from my house to the Jags game.
Cost effectiveness, it would seem a smaller trolley would not only be easier on the eyes, but also could move about the same amount of people as the half empty buses are moving now!
1. Urban Infill
2. Provide Distribution for commuter rail
3. Attract event organizers
4. Attractive to our blossoming Movie industry
5. Gives developers what they are already asking for
6. Makes city property more valuable
7. Tells feds we are committed to transit
I don't think I can add anything to that.
Ock How much would this Riverside streetcar line cost? How long would it take to build if well funded.
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn72/Vendingman/RiversideStreetcarcopy.jpg)
I think the CSX A line is the most likely commuter rail in Jacksonville's future and this would greatly enhance it's distribution area. This is also the streetcar I would like to see most.