Tacoma Link
Tacoma Link as it exists today is mainly a commercial circulator.  It carries 3,000+ passengers each day along its 1.6 mile route between Tacoma Dome Station, the University of Washington/Union Station, and the Theater District.  This ridership tends to be really lumpy though, it occurs during a burst in the morning, during lunch time and then again during the rush hour home.  To take Tacoma Link to the next level, it needs to connect the downtown core to areas with a significant level of population density.  The color coded map below (click to enlarge) shows areas with low population density in red and higher population density in green.  This information was taken from the U.S. Census.  The areas outlined in purple are the city’s Mixed Use Centers, which are areas that are zoned for new mixed use development.

High Ridership and Economic Development
As you can see, Tacoma Link’s present route doesn’t have much green near it.   If the line is extended north to the Stadium District and then Southwest along Division, South along Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and then out to 6th Avenue to the 6th and Pine Mixed Use Center, the line would run through areas with some of the highest population density in the entire city.  This is the line described by the initiative.  Higher population density tends to produce higher transit ridership, and higher transit ridership makes transit more cost effective, while producing positive economic effects along the entire line.  By linking population centers to Downtown with high frequency transit service, we open up opportunities for new economic development and jobs in four mixed use centers: the Stadium Mixed Use Center, Martin Luther King Mixed Use Center, 6th Avenue Mixed Use Center, and also Downtown Tacoma.

A Streetcar Extension for all Tacomans
Another positive quality of 6th Avenue is that it is a convergence zone that merges the Central Tacoma and North End neighborhood areas.  The proof for this is found in Wright Park, where people of all kinds mix and come into contact with one another.  Yet more proof of this can be found on Pierce Transit’s Route 1, where I see the real face of Tacoma every day.  I see single mothers trying to get to work, students of all ages getting to school, city employees and seniors going to get groceries or to get a coffee or to go to a restaurant or out for a pint at Engine House 9 or to the Farmer’s Market.  On this corridor you experience what it’s like to be a Tacoman.  It’s an unfiltered experience that shows the grit, the down to earth nature, and the tenacity of the people of Tacoma.  So I think that we’ve got the equal access property pretty nailed down.

Where next from here?
This isn’t going to be the end of the line.  We want to be able to use this extension as a springboard to other neighborhoods.  If the route described in the initiative is completed, Martin Luther King to St. Joseph Hospital would only require a one mile extension, which could be paid for in the LID that’s planned.  A single relatively small federal grant could help make that additional extension a reality if we act now.  Going any further beyond MLK and you’d find yourself in the Lincoln International District another mile or so away – opening the door for extensions all throughout the South End.  Old Town would be within a short reach from Stadium, as would the Proctor District.  Lower Portland Avenue, the Emerald Queen Casino and Salishan on the East Side remain potential candidates after this line is built.

Easier to Pass the Voters
Finally, Downtown to TCC via 6th avenue is a regional transportation project, which can be funded using a transportation benefit district.  Funds raised from this district only need a 50%+1 vote to pass, while if we tried to go for any other extension, we would have to either appeal to property owners along the line or ask the voters for a property tax increase that would require 60% to say yes.  So I hope, I really hope that people don’t get hung up on the fact that Morgan and I proposed a route that has already been found feasible by Sound Transit and the City, that we knew that we could fund and that we knew people could think of as a success when it actually does get built.

Build the Streetcar is in the process of scheduling public presentations in various neighborhoods of Tacoma.  At these presentations you will have the opportunity to learn more about the streetcar route and how you can get involved.  Speakers will also be taking questions and listening to concerns you may have.  We will be holding meetings in as many places as we possibly can to help the Tacoma community better understand what streetcars and the initiative are all about.

If you or your organization would be interested in a presentation by Build The Streetcar at your next meeting, please click here to to request one.

We are actively scheduling presentations with several Neighborhood Councils.  The first of these meetings will be held at the University of Puget Sound – with details below.  We hope you’ll join us.

North End Neighborhood Council
Streetcar Presentation

When:  Monday, March 1st, 6pm

Where: Wheelock Student Center

University of Puget Sound

North 15th St. & North Lawrence St.

Photo source:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrolibraryarchive/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Here’s a rundown of the media coverage over the last 72 hours or so.

• The Tacoma Urbanist – Streetcar Initiative Filed in Tacoma (51 comments)
• The Seattle Transit Blog – Tacoma joins Rail Transit Space Race (18 comments)
• Exit133 – Streetcar Initiative Moves Forward (16 comments)
• Exit133 – A Citizen’s Initiative to Build Streetcars (12 comments)
• Tacoma Daily Index – Citizens initiative aims to build Tacoma streetcar
• TacomaTomorrow – “Build the Streetcar files Initiative in Tacoma”
• Update 2/27 – The Tacoma Weekly printed our press release in their Feb 25th edition.

Funding for the plan would come from a relatively new  mechanism called a Transportation Benefit District. Funding  would come from a .2 cents per $10 dollar purchase sales tax  within the Transportation Benefit District. Currently,  Tacoma does not have a Transportation Benefit District.

In 2008, Tacoma residents approved the Sound Transit ST2  ballot measure, which provides over $80 million in matching funds for expanding Tacoma LINK. Those funds have been  accumulating for about a year.

Organizers of Tacoma’s “Build the Streetcar!” initiative hope their effort will result in a similar success. “There are a lot of different pieces in play right  now,” said Morgan Alexander, one of the organizers. “There’s ST2, Pierce Transit doing some major introspection, and the City Manager has been busy  lining up partners and funding. We feel the time is right  for city residents to get involved and help create something  amazing for Tacoma’s future.

The organizers will need to gather over 4,000 signatures by the end of summer