Supporters continue push for Downtown streetcar as vote nears
Courtesy of LA Streetcar Inc.
A rendering of what the downtown L.A. streetcar may look like if it secures funding.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The national and state elections may be over, but the local Downtown streetcar vote is just beginning. Ballots are being sent out this week to all residents within the Community Facilities District (CFD); a designated area in DTLA that encompasses the streetcar's four-mile route.
Downtowners in this area are eligible to vote either for or against a tax that would help fund about $62.5 million of the streetcar's design, engineering and construction costs. This tax would be applied to property owners in the CFD and vary based on the size of the person's land. This size is defined by the square footage of the base plot and doesn't take into consideration the height of the building.
"It doesn't matter whether it's a skyscraper or a grassy lawn," said Shiraz Tangri, general counsel of L.A. Streetcar Inc., the non-profit formed largely by business owners and organizing the streetcar effort.
This vote is entirely by mail -- a decision made by the city clerk's office, according to Streetcar Inc. Ballots will be sent to voters this Tuesday and residents will have until December 3 to send their ballot back to the City to be counted.
But Streetcar Inc. emphasizes that ballots have to be received (not postmarked) by December 3, so they're encouraging residents to get their vote in the mail before Thanksgiving. In an effort to help this cause, the non-profit's organizing a happy hour event this Thursday at Cork Bar and another one at Umamicatessen closer to the final ballot due date.
If passed, the streetcar will most likely be operated by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and be built a block at a time, according to Streetcar organizers. Streetcar cites Portland's streetcar system as an example of efficient construction, which included buildng a block of new track per week. Once completed, Downtown's "new low-profile track" is expected not to interfere with other vehicles' right-of-way on the street, including buses and cars.
The streetcar ballot must be approved by a super majority -- meaning at least two-thirds of people have to vote yes for it to pass. According to Streetcar Inc. there are about 20,000 total residents in the CFD area.
“If it doesn’t pass, there’s no streetcar," Councilman José Huizar told Blogdowntown in September.
The streetcar's total $125 million budget relies on the contribution from property owners, said Huizar, and without it, the project won't have a chance to receive matching federal funds. The councilman said this would leave a gaping hole in the project's budget, stalling it indefinitely.
Supporters of this modern streetcar have touted it's economic benefits for Downtown, as well as its ability to increase Downtown's accessibility for residents and tourists. But opponents say the streetcar will cover ground already served by other public transportation systems, and create a tax that is voted on by current residents but will be the burden of future property owners to come.
If the ballot does pass, construction is expected to begin next year and take about two years to complete.
Arnold Schwarzzie on November 12, 2012, at 04:55PM – #1
I'm not against the street car per se, but if its going to look like what is pictured, lets forget about it. Did the set designer from The Jetsons dream this up?
kety_any (@kety_any) on November 12, 2012, at 06:55PM – #2
It's strange than one state like US, once lider in everything, now can't afford one simple streetcar. Even the poorest countries here in EU have this as standard!
US becomes third world country...
LAofAnaheim on November 12, 2012, at 07:01PM – #3
@kety_any That's because in European countries the gas tax is euros/dollars a gallon, not pennies like us in America. Also, USA prioritizes highways, roads and bridges construction over public transport. It's all a matter of priorities and not wealth.
Dan in LA on November 12, 2012, at 08:40PM – #4
"This tax would be applied to property owners in the CFD and vary based on the size of the person's land. This size is defined by the square footage of the base plot and doesn't take into consideration the height of the building."
So we'll be paying twice as much as the residents of the building across the street, just because our building is shorter?!?!?
I hope I'm just not understanding it.
I'm all for the streetcar, but this makes no sense to me.
Robert90033 on November 13, 2012, at 09:46PM – #5
I wish the streetcars would look more like the ones they have in Toronto, Canada or at least have a single headlight and trolley pole like the old PCC and Huntington Standard streetcars of old Los Angeles.
Morthos on November 14, 2012, at 01:11AM – #6
Gotta agree with Arnold Schwarzzie, I love the idea of having a streetcar, but a proper streetcar, not this eco friendly save johnny polar bear boring modern stuff that has absolutely no design aesthetic whatsoever. Imagine this cold sore going down broadway in front of the eastern columbia building and the orpheum. Its just sad...
People who want a streetcar want a proper decent streetcar like the old pacific electrics, or at least something that has some sense of beauty. They want it because it would add more to downtown aesthetically, it would be one more step to beautifying downtown. This just looks like the fuzz I just picked out from underneath my toenail after I pulled my sock off. And lets be honest, it doesnt take very long to walk around here either...
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on November 14, 2012, at 09:44AM – #7
The streetcars have not yet been designed. What you are seeing above is only an artist's generic rendition of what it might look like.
Matthew McKelligon on November 14, 2012, at 01:31PM – #8
This is not Disneyland. I would only be supportive of using the old streetcars if they had been in continuous service since their inception. You cannot recreate history. Such a mindset creates the Orsinis and Medicis of today.
Morthos on November 17, 2012, at 03:08PM – #9
Matthew McKelligon, I would just like to say that statement is monumentally dumb. In fact I would go so far as to say there are levels of dumbness yet to be discovered that could come anywhere near as close to that statement you just said. So what if the original streetcars havent been in continuous use, that means we should punish ourselves with these creatures? And who says we can not recreate history? What about restoring all the old buildings downtown? I suppose thats all Disneyland business too...In fact, many of those buildings when they were built were made to look like older stuff as well, beaux-arts revival buildings built in the teens and twenties to look like stuff built in the 18th century, or art deco buildings influenced by mayan or egyptian structures.
The Orsinis and Medicis are lame only because they did a halfassed job of making them look decent.
Ugh.
Matthew McKelligon on November 19, 2012, at 12:10PM – #10
Whoa, Morthos. Calm down.
Those beautiful buildings downtown weren't ripped down and are still standing, thus they should be renovated and revitalized. As for locking ourselves down with older streetcars that aren't wheelchair-accessible, are smaller and run more slowly and more loudly--that is 'monumentally dumb'. It's hardly a punishment to be able to fit your bike onto a streetcar. Modern streetcars also have larger windows and higher ceilings that allow you to clearly see where you are, which might be really important to tourists and conventioneers who are otherwise unfamiliar with downtown LA. There is a reason why many cities in Europe have long since scrapped their archaic streetcars for modern ones.