Eric Richardson [Flickr]

A streetcar travels through Seattle's South Lake Union district in a 2008 file photo.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The effort to return a streetcar to Downtown took a major step forward today, as Dennis Allen was named Project Manager for the non-profit Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc.. Allen was Director of Acquisitions for the Kor Group from 2004 to 2008, and has a background in real estate development.

Allen was announced today at a meeting of the Bringing Back Broadway Trustees. The streetcar has been a major focus of the Bringing Back Broadway effort.

In a release this afternoon, Councilman Jose Huizar said that Allen's hiring will help make the project a reality. "Dennis will be a great addition to this effort and is ready to help us address and face the challenges ahead," he said, reiterating the goal of having a line up and running by 2014.

As Project Manager for Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc., Allen will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating engineering, planning and outreach work.

A group of Downtown stakeholders visited Portland and Seattle in April of 2008, and those involved in streetcar efforts in those two cities stressed the importance of naming a point person to guide the project.

One of the first tasks on Allen's plate will be bringing stakeholders in the community together to determine a route for the streetcar line and to begin the alternatives analysis and environmental review processes.