Readers Lean Toward Expanding Proposed Modern Streetcar Line With Connections To MetroLink Light Rail

The poll last week had two related questions, basically how you’d expand the proposed streetcar through north & south city, respectively.

North:

Poll #1/2: From the options below, select how you’d extend the proposed streetcar line further into north city from N. Florissant & St. Louis Ave:

1. N. Florissant>Natural Bridge>UMSL South MetroLink Station 14 [26.42%]
2. None, I’d prefer light rail over modern streetcar 8 [15.09%]
3. None of the above, don’t extend at all 7 [13.21%]
4. Better to expand north from Lindell @ Taylor 7 [13.21%]
5. Cass>MLK/St. Charles Rock Rd>St. Charles Rock Rd MetroLink Station 4 [7.55%]
6. Unsure/No Answer 4 [7.55%]
7. None, I’d take a route not listed 3 [5.66%]
8. Won’t be anything to extend 3 [5.66%]
9. St. Louis Ave>Goodfellow 2 [3.77%]
10. N. Florissant>Goodfellow 1 [1.89%]

The option that was, at least partially, selected for a north extension of our light rail received the highest number of votes, though hardly a consensus. In that plan the light rail turned north at Goodfellow, whereas I proposed continuing west to UMSL. This would be about a 7 mile extension, perhaps built in 1-3 phases. Natural Bridge is excessively wide so the streetcar could run in a median, just as was planned with the light rail.  Nearly the entire route is suitable for densification without displacement. This could bring much needed jobs as well as new housing options.

This alignment would replace the current #4 (Natural Bridge) MetroBus route. Current frequencies range from 27 minutes to one hour, depending upon the time of day.

UMSL is working on a plan to improve Natural Bridge, better connecting to the UMSL South MetroLink light rail station. A modern streetcar could be a great connection, helping deal with that first/last mile to/from light rail.

South:

Poll #2/2: From the options below, select how you’d extend the proposed streetcar line into south city from 14th & Spruce:

1. 14th/Spruce> Chouteau> Jefferson> Chippewa> Lansdowne> Shrewsbury MetroLink Station 15 [28.3%]
2. 14th/Spruce> Lafayette> Tucker> Gravois> Hampton 13 [24.53%]
3. 14th/Spruce> Chouteau> Vandeventer> Southwest> Hampton 7 [13.21%]
4. None, I’d prefer light rail over modern streetcar 5 [9.43%]
5. 14th/Spruce> Chouteau> Broadway > River Des Peres 3 [5.66%]
6. Other: 3 [5.66%]
7. None, I’d take a route not listed 2 [3.77%]
8. Won’t be anything to extend 2 [3.77%]
9. Better to expand south from Forest Park @ Taylor 2 [3.77%]
10. None of these, don’t extend at all 1 [1.89%]
11. Unsure/No Answer 0 [0%]

Three readers provided their owner answers to this question:

1. I’d like to see the route follow Jefferson, but continue south on Broadway
2. 14th/Spruce>Gravois>Jefferson
3. think about the goals of the whole system first

Like The goals for a streetcar go beyond just transit, they include:

• Creating dense corridors.
• Spurring new construction, creating construction & permanent jobs.

Looking at the votes here it looks like readers would prefer the south alignment to get into the heart of the southside rather than stay closet to Broadway/I-55. If we were to build the planned light rail instead it would go down Jefferson to Broadway and terminate in a park- & ride lot at I-55, with further expansion along the I-55 ROW into South County.

The south streetcar alignment that received the most votes would replace the current #11 (Chippewa) MetroBus which does a big “L” by traveling on Jefferson (north-south) and Chippewa (east-west). This would intersect with many existing bus routes, including the very busy #70 (Grand).

Right behind in votes was an alignment that would replace the rest of the #10 (Gravois-Lindell) MetroBus. Part of this bus route would be replaced by the original streetcar route on Olive/Lindell. Going down Gravois would cut through a big section of south city, connecting with east-west & north-south buses.

Thoughts?

— Steve Patterson

Polls: How Would You Expand Modern Streetcar Lines From Proposed Route Into North & South City?

I’m excited about the proposed St. Louis Streetcar, I’m a streetcar fan and the idea of living just a block away from the line has be overjoyed. Like out 20 year old light rail line, the streetcar primarily serves the city’s central corridor — downtown and parts west. North & south St. Louis wouldn’t benefit with the original route. I’ve lived 16 of my 23 years in St. Louis in north (3) and south (13) city, I know what it’s like to see millions spent on transit infrastructure with little personal benefit.

Even living downtown now I use MetroBus way more often than MetroLink, the bus is closer to me and my frequent destinations than light rail.

For the purposes of this post/poll I’ve made the following assumptions:

• The initial streetcar line will open in 2017, aligned as proposed. 
• The #70 MetroBus line on Grand will get longer articulated buses.
• In-street light rail to quickly get north & south county suburbanites to ballgames won’t move forward
• Modern streetcars are as much about economic development as transportation.

The poll this week is broken into two questions: 1) how would you expand the proposed streetcar line further into north St. Louis from the spur at N. Florissant @ St. Louis Ave. and 2) how would you expand the proposed streetcar into south St. Louis from 14th @ Clark.

The north options I’ve listed in the poll are:

• Cass to MLK to the St. Charles Rock Rd MetroLink station. This goes though areas in need of development, investment, & jobs, but doesn’t go very far north
• West on St. Louis Ave to Goodfellow. This goes through areas also needing the above but runs through primarily residential areas while crossing major commercial streets.
• N. Florissant to Natural Bridge, eventually out to UMSL south MetroLink. Natural Bridge is a wide right-of-way, plenty of room for a streetcar in the center.
• N. Florissant past the cemeteries to Goodfellow. This goes farther north than the other options, possible connections to north county bus/streetcar

The south options listed all start by going south on 14th from Clark:

• Chouteau to Broadway to River Des Peres
• Chouteau to Jefferson to Chippewa to Lansdowne to Shrewsbury MetroLink
• Lafayette to Tucker to Gravois to Hampton
• Chouteau to Vandeventer to Southwest to Hampton

Poll questions for both north & south are in the right sidebar. As you can see these vary and cover different parts of the city. Variations in the street network between north & south city plays a role as well.

Please share your ideas for local modern streetcar routes in north & south S. Louis in the comments below.

— Steve Patterson

New Senior Housing A Bright Spot In East Saint Louis

Like every municipality, East Saint Louis Illinois has had ups and downs, unfortunately, the downs have far outnumbered the ups.  A project is nearing completion now that’ll be a big up, building on other ups (MetroLink light rail, new housing at Emerson Park station) of the last 10-12 years. Jazz at Walter Circle is a green modern transit-oriented senior housing development:

The public-private partnership that financed Jazz @ Walter Circle breaks new ground in closing funding gaps for affordable housing. For the first time, the deal integrates HUD mixed-finance development regulations with NMTC multiuse regulations. Public actors such as the East St. Louis Housing Authority (ESLHA), the city of East St. Louis, the state of Illinois, and HUD collaborated with project developer and owner Eco Jazz, Inc.; the national real estate firm Dudley Ventures; the NMTC firm Hampton Roads Ventures; and a not-for-profit affiliate of the ESLHA to reach a deal. In addition to residential space, Jazz @ Walter Circle will house a community center, office and retail space, a grocery store, and community gardens. The project will be the first LEED Gold certified building in East St. Louis, where 35 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level.(HUD)

LEED Gold in East St. Louis? Yep! Not only is it green, it is architecturally attractive and has good urban form.

I’ll do a full review once the ribbon has been cut, but so far I’m pretty impressed.

 — Steve Patterson

Readers: Fixed-Rail Best Way To Improve Public Transit In North & South St. Louis

For the last couple of months I’ve posted development opportunities along the proposed St. Louis Streetcar.  Like our 20 year-old light rail line, this streetcar would also serve the central corridor.  I live in the CC now, and I did when I first moved to St. Louis, but I lived in north or south St. Louis for 16 of my nearly 23 years in St. Louis. I lived in north St. Louis when MetroLink opened in 1993, and south St. Louis when the Shrewsbury extension opened.  I rarely used MetroLink during those years, mostly just the occasional trip to/from the airport.

Though I’ll enjoy the modern streetcar line, if it happens, I know it must be expanded beyond the central corridor into north & south St. Louis, within a few years time. Many readers seemed to agree based on the results of the poll last week.

Nearly half (48.98%) picked answers involving fixed rail, while 45.3% picked answers running through city neighborhoods.

Q: Best way to improve public transit in North & South St. Louis? Pick up to 3

1. In-street modern streetcar lines serving city neighborhoods 70 [28.57%]
2. In-street light rail lines running through the city to connect to the county 50 [20.41%]
3. Bus rapid transit (BRT) lines serving city neighborhoods 41 [16.73%]
4. Run existing buses more frequently 41 [16.73%]
5. Bigger articulated buses for the busiest routes 24 [9.8%]
6. Reduce/eliminate fares 7 [2.86%]
7. Buses that go from diesel in the county to electric via overhead wires in the city 6 [2.45%]
8. Nothing, doesn’t need improving 3 [1.22%]
9. Other: 3 [1.22%]

I’m not a fan of running in-street light rail through the city to reach park & ride lots in St. Louis County. The stops would be spaced so far apart it wouldn’t do much to help city residents, unless you happened to live around one of the few stations. Sorry, I don’t view north & south St. Louis as places county residents should have to get through quickly to reach a game downtown. Transit infrastructure should serve the meeds of the neighborhood it runs through.

A few years ago a friend suggested we run MetroLink down south of Busch Stadium, through the Soulard neighborhood. Really? You want light rail in a dense old neighborhood? Low-floor light rail vehicles w/platforms would consume much of the 12th Street right-of-way, our current high-floor vehicles would require more room. Side streets would need to be cut off to reduce the number of crossing points. In short, light rail in neighborhoods would be a disaster.

Modern streetcars, or decked out BRT (bus rapid transit) is the way to better serve city neighborhoods.

— Steve Patterson

Potential Development Sites Along Proposed Streetcar Line, Part 8: Central Business District

This post is the final in a series looking at potential development sites along the proposed initial route of the St. Louis Streetcar.  Previously I reviewed:

1. Olive 15th-16th
2. Olive 16th-18th
3. 14th & Olive To North Florissant & St. Louis Ave.
4. Olive 18th to Jefferson
5. Jefferson to Compton
6. Compton to Vandeventer
   
7. Vandeventer to Taylor & Children’s Pl
   

I saved the downtown CBD (Central Business District) for last. You may think downtown is done but I found lots of opportunities for additional development.

Coming east into downtown from the west the lines will be in the center of Olive Street. East of 14th the line goes to a single eastbound track to 6th Street, turning right (south) onto 6th, right (west) onto Chestnut St/Kiener Plaza, right (north) onto 7th, left (West) onto Locust to 14th. There are many areas not directly served by this compact loop, but it gets riders within 2-3 blocks of many places of employment/interest.

Ok, let’s start at 14th and Olive and do the loop and end up on the other side of the library at 14th & Locust.

Let me stop the flow of images briefly to talk more about this corner. Looks final, right? Drive to underground garage, stairs up to grade? Parking for commercial tenants and even a couple of lofts? You’re thinking there is no way this going to ever change. Seeing how it was built made me inquire with Louderman developer & resident Craig Heller of Loftworks, here’s his response:

Our plan has always been to build on that lot – parking for Louderman has been built under the lot. When it was built we sank piers to bedrock so that we build a new structure on top.

I had spotted the top of the piers. Folks, this is how you plan ahead! This was done 8-10 years ago and it may well be another 8-10 years before Heller can build on the corner. But when market conditions are right he’ll be able to see a handsome return on the cost of those piers. In the meantime, this would be a good corner for a food cart vendor with a few tables, chairs, umbrellas, etc. Ok, back to the streetcar route…

As you can see there are many opportunities along this route to re-urbanize and densify. Many more opportunities exist 1-4 blocks away from the route.

Here are two sentiments I’ve heard from readers recently:

• “The streetcar should go down Washington Ave.”
• “It would be nice if the activity on Washington Ave. would expand to other streets.”

If we’d put all our eggs into the Washington Ave basket we’d still wish years later the activity would reach other streets. By running the streetcar one and two blocks south of Washington Ave we’ll be expanding the activity while making it easier to get people to their Washington Ave places, like Mosaic.

Tomorrow we look at the entrepreneurial activity taking place on the 12th & 13th floors of the Railway Exchange building.

— Steve Patterson