Beginning a new era of alternative transportation for Columbus

Memo from Mayor Michael B. Coleman to Council President Michael C. Mentel

As you consider the proposed 2008 Capital Improvements Budget (CIB) for May 5th's meeting, our team appreciates the opportunities Council members have provided for added individual and public briefings. To date, we have carried out four large public briefings, more than 30 small group briefings, nine working group meetings and we are currently booking many more. This outreach includes upcoming briefings for the Central Ohio Restaurant Association, Downtown SID, Downtown Residents Association, Harrison West, Italian Village, Short North Business Association, Short North SID, Short North Foundation, University Area Commission, Victorian Village, among others. If you have additional groups that you would like for our team to meet with, please advise Michael Reese, my Chief of Staff.

I am a strong believer in taking our time to get public input and commend Council of' the important questions it has asked recently as it has deliberated on the proposed CIB.

This memo is to follow up on the Streetcar Public Hearing hosted by City Council on April 28, to provide further background and answer some of the questions posed by members and residents.

After two years of research and debate, 10 years since COTA last put a rail option on the ballot, I believe we are facing a crossroads in Columbus on a critical decision of how we remain competitive. Cities of the future must move forward with new ideas, including innovative and green transportation alternatives that are safe and affordable for residents. This includes biking, with trails and routes, and rail transit, including streetcars, light rail and high-speed rail connecting cities. Columbus is already becoming a national leader in the distribution of freight by rail, but we are ranked dead last among our peers when it comes to moving people by rail. This cannot continue.

STARTING A TRANSIT REVOLUTION
Columbus is over-reliant on the automobile. As gas rises to $4 a gallon and our City continues to grow, I am convinced that the public will be demanding more transportation alternatives. This streetcar proposal should not be viewed in the narrow silo of downtown. Streetcars should be viewed as a first step in an overall vision of an integrated system of rail (streetcars and light rail) throughout the City of Columbus.

It is time to begin a transportation revolution in Columbus to jump start a broader rail system for all of Ohio. I believe "that revolution starts with a streetcar line along the city's spine, connecting our densest job corridor downtown to our densest residential neighborhood around the Ohio State University campus, and helping redevelop the 36 underused acres along Higli Street. This 2.8 mile streetcar line is a conservatively planned first step that will allow us to test rail in Columbus and show that such a system can work, and will allow us to engage in a broader public debate over the future system to add streetcars to other neighborhoods, light rail-to our airport and suburban job centers, as well as fast trains to Cleveland, Cincinnati and the rest of the nation.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
It is clear that in addition to serving as the catalyst for transit, streetcars also will help continue the momentum we've begun in downtown redevelopment, create local jobs, and help leverage economic development, especially in the benefit district. Streetcars are just one more tool in our strategy to increase density, create additional jobs, retail and housing opportunities in downtown, especially along 'The Mile on High." Through the 2012 Bicentennial Commission effort, the beginnings of a downtown master plan is being developed which includes rail transit alternatives, a key component to the economic vibrancy of downtown. This downtown master plan will require more public discussions as well.
Based on the successes in other cities, and research by the Danter Group, we estimate $300-$500 million in local economic impact from new jobs and businesses along the High Street Line, as well as a growth in residential development and tourism activity. Cities must be innovative in fighting for jobs and attracting the creative workforce of the 21st Century, and I've heard clearly that they want better transit.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
To achieve these missions, we must start today. The public is clearly interested in the dialogue, and many of the speakers at your recent hearing agree with me that a broader system beyond the High Street Line is important. Since I am asking Council and our entire City to make a significant commitment for our future, I urge the Council to join me in these action steps:

1. Do not earmark $2 million for Streetcars in the CIB, but instead set the funding aside for Council consideration later in 2008 when the Streetcar Financial Scenario has been refined and adjusted. Frankly, we are not ready to spend these resources. We have an obligation to further educate the public on this proposal's connection to a more comprehensive rail and transit plan citywide and its connection to the master plan for downtown. While these issues are clear to me, our public needs more information.
2. Pass legislation to continue our consulting teams for $200,000 to $250,000 from the City's existing Street Fund to allow us to continue to educate and listen to the public, engage stakeholders, make critical changes to the financial scenario, including the possibility of positioning the City for future Federal funding. After listening to the extensive public comment, it is clear that this additional planning and outreach is needed. COTA recently voted to allocate up to $50,000 to this effort. I am confident the result of our collaboration will be a sound financial plan that we will present in late 2008
3. Create a City Council Rail Transit Development Committee in partnership with MORPC, COTA, the Ohio State University, OROC and other local groups to advance the vision of improved regional transportation, to encourage public engagement and to advocate for 'funding to assist in future research, planning, construction and operations for rail transit alternatives including streetcars.
4. Consider a community visit to Portland or other cities to learn first-hand how streetcars and rail transit can benefit a city.

Our financial scenario, while not final and requiring changes, is a realistic plan for Columbus and will not significantly impact our CIB or our long-term General Fund Operating Budget. The plan we have put forward adheres to the key principles I outlined in 2006, when I first proposed streetcars during my State of the City Address. Our proposal is financed without raising the citywide income tax (or property taxes); it will serve as a catalyst for substantial economic development along the line; and it will reconnect the Downtown area with adjacent neighborhoods as well as connect residents to jobs, entertainment and attractions.

In continuing the discussion, it is important to remember that streetcars will not be funded in the Bicentennial Bond Package that will be presented to voters this November. Streetcars are the first step in shaping our long-term transit vision and building another piece of our economic future.

I look forward to continuing to work on this issue with you and your colleagues.