City eyes streetcar system

By Seth Rosen

Published: June 15, 2008

Advocates of a streetcar system in Charlottesville paint an alluring picture of the city’s future if it installs 3 miles of rail from downtown to Barracks Road.

Quiet, environmentally friendly electric cars swiftly shuttle students and shoppers between the University of Virginia and the Downtown Mall, boosting businesses in both districts. West Main Street is transformed into a vibrant, walkable corridor with young professionals and retirees living in high-rises clustered along the street. And traffic in the area has been drastically reduced, as many residents have forgone cars in favor of a life dependent on an efficient transit service.

With gas climbing past $4 a gallon, this depiction not only sounds more appealing than ever but might attract the backing of a community newly attuned to the benefits of mass transit.

“As we have a combination of increased gas prices and increased concern about climate change, both residents and local governments will have no choice but to look at more creative and less auto-dependent options for moving people around,” said Morgan Butler, who works for the Southern Environmental Law Center and sits on the city’s streetcar task force.

But this enticing vision may be more like a mirage.

The price tag for the 3 miles of track likely will be north of $70 million. That is a hefty sum for a community of Charlottesville’s size, especially with little likelihood of state money materializing in the foreseeable future.

The streetcar has to compete with other transit proposals for local funding and new tax revenue, as area officials are already devising myriad ways to improve the bus system. And many have doubts that there’s enough density and people along the middle stretch of the city to support such a service.

As councilors are set to debate Monday whether to devote any money to a streetcar study that would cost in excess of $200,000, many are saying that the streetcar’s time has yet to arrive.

“I’m skeptical as to whether an investment anywhere near this magnitude makes sense,” said Wade Tremblay, a member of the streetcar committee and general manager for Wade Apartments.

“At some point in Charlottesville’s future a streetcar may well be the right thing, but I don’t think it’s now.”

Positive effects

Streetcar systems across the country have an impressive track record in recent years, though Charlottesville would be the smallest city with one.

Portland, Ore., has seen $2.28 billion in new development within a two-block radius of its streetcar line since it opened seven years ago. And Tacoma, Wash., has experienced a 140 percent spike in transit ridership.

A streetcar line could have, on a smaller scale, a similar effect here, proponents say. It would entice thousands more to ride transit every year and help connect the Downtown Mall and the Corner — two districts that seem to some much farther apart than 1.3 miles.

Just as important, a streetcar would help spark development along a West Main corridor that is in the nascent stage of revitalization. The promise of the streetcar, and the presumption that people would want to live nearby, could entice property owners to redevelop their sites.

“The streetcar has a permanence,” said Gary Okerlund, who will present the task force’s report Monday to councilors. “People know it’s there and know it will stay. It will encourage development along the road.”

A streetcar can do something, supporters say, that even an upgraded bus system cannot: attract those who own cars.

Only 5 percent of city residents and 2 percent of Albemarle County residents ride the bus to work, according to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. And many refuse to hop on public transit to go to restaurants, bars and stores.

Streetcars would not only have a sleeker, more inviting exterior and interior design than a bus, it would be faster, with a dedicated lane on sections of the route.

“There’s a block of people who are turned off by buses,” Okerlund said. “We are interested in getting something that won’t be tangled up in traffic.”

A big investment

Such benefits would not come cheap.

In the beginning, the streetcar line would likely stretch from the Downtown Transit Service to the intersection of Jefferson Park and University avenues, at a cost $20 million to $25 million. The line would then be extended to the Barracks Road Shopping Center, via Emmet Street.

Annual operating costs would likely run between $1 million and $2.4 million, and the city would have to purchase four streetcars at perhaps $2 million each.

Federal grants are available, but it would be hard for the city to compete with larger cities — such as Charlotte, N.C., and Madison, Wis. — that would be vying for that funding.

Because the city cannot count on the state for money, it would have to turn to local sources. Increasing the sales tax by half a percentage point would net the Albemarle and Charlottesville governments $13 million annually, and a 4 percentage point jump in the gas tax would bring in another $9.2 million a year.

But would there be the political will for such increases, especially in tight economic times when gas prices have spiked?

A new tax could be levied on properties near the tracks. And other revenue options include developer contributions, increased parking fees and the selling of naming rights.

Some are not convinced that there’s enough money available.

“I worry we don’t have the type of funding streams other localities have had,” said Councilor David Brown, who was part of a team of area officials who traveled to Portland four years ago to explore its streetcar system.

To study or not to study

The streetcar committee is asking councilors to fund a $200,000 to $300,000 consultant study that will look at the feasibility of such a system.

Councilor Satyendra Huja said he wants Charlottesville to chip in if a matching amount can be found in the private sector.

However, other councilors are reluctant to commit any money. With the downturn in the economy and the drop in the housing market, the next three city budgets are expected to be very tight.

“I think we may have to wait a few years before this is something we can take a pretty good look at,” Brown said, noting that there are cheaper ways to improve the bus system.

Councilor Holly Edwards could not be reached for comment.

Mayor Dave Norris and Councilor Julian Taliaferro both said they want to hold off on the study and wrap it into the larger examination of how to remake transit in the area. The city and county are hoping to get the General Assembly’s permission next year to form a regional transit authority.

“I’m intrigued by the idea but I think it is a very expensive proposition,” Norris said. “So we have to make sure it is financially feasible and see how it will fit into the broader transportation network.”