Plan for Loop fits U.S. trend, but skeptics cite costs.
Trolley revival rides on nostalgia, utility
BY TIM BRYANT •
tbryant@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8206 | Posted: Thursday, August 12, 2010 12:05 am
Plans for a Loop Trolley have crept along for years. But on July 8, the U.S. Department of Transportation gave the project a $24,990,000 "urban circulator" grant. Such grants also went to streetcar projects in Cincinnati; Charlotte, N.C.; and two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The department picked the winners from among 65 projects seeking funding.
Unlike other winning projects designed to connect downtowns with other major employment centers, the Loop Trolley would span 2.2 miles and run between the western end of the Delmar Loop in University City and the Missouri History Museum at the northern edge of Forest Park. Plans call for nine stops, including ones at the Delmar and Forest Park MetroLink stations.
Having Joe Edwards as an enthusiastic booster enhances the Loop Trolley's chance of success, Carroll said.
Edwards, owner of the Pageant concert hall, Blueberry Hill restaurant, Moonrise Hotel and other Loop properties, began promoting the Loop Trolley in 1997. He said the trolley "is not a vanity thing on my part" and disagrees with those who say it would do little but draw some tourists.
"It's going to mean a lot for St. Louis financially as far as conventions coming here," he said. "All other things being equal, the trolley could tip the decision in our favor."
Edwards said the line also could spur economic development along the largely desolate area of Delmar east of the Delmar MetroLink station. The Loop Trolley would pass through that area before turning south on DeBaliviere Avenue to Forest Park.
"I think very, very quickly you'll see people investing in not just commercial development but housing, affordable housing and condos," he said.
Edwards hopes trolley construction can begin by late 2011 and be completed in as little as six months. The historic-looking trolleys would be modern, electrically powered streetcars, each costing $1 million to $1.5 million and capable of running on batteries or powered by overhead lines.
Edwards' biggest hurdle now is getting the rest of the financing. Tax credits, corporate support and help from philanthropists "who care enough about St. Louis" are potential funding sources, he said.
Tax credit income could include $3 million from the sale of federal New Markets Tax Credits, according to a memo sent in May to the Federal Transit Administration from Barbara Geisman, the city's deputy mayor for development. Directors of the private Loop Trolley Co. have pledged efforts to raise $5 million to $8 million, the memo said. In addition, the East West Gateway Council of Governments might provide $6 million in future allocations of federal surface transportation and air-quality funds.
Also unresolved is how the privately operated Loop Trolley would mesh with MetroLink and cover its operating expenses. Edwards said those annual costs could reach $4 million, depending on hours of operation and frequency of service.
A transportation development district that levies a sales tax at businesses along the route could provide $500,000 per year to help pay trolley costs, Edwards said. Also available would be $2.5 million in tax-increment financing in the St. Louis portion of the line. Based on projected annual ridership of 800,000 to 1.3 million, fares could produce as much as $2.6 million in revenue.
(Barbara) Geisman said under consideration is a Loop Trolley 'smart card" that would allow a simple fare transfer from MetroLink trains.
Source: Trolley revival rides on nostalgia, utility
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