Streetcars - by the numbers, that you may not have thought about...

The Numbers: 1,1,2,60 and 15 (One, One, Two, Sixty; Fifteen)

One:That's the number of streetcars that travel at a time; not 2 or 3 cars strung together as you'll often see with Light Rail.

One: That's the number of dollars it will take to ride the Streetcar.

Two: Your ticket would be good for 2 hours

Sixty: That's the number of people that 1 street car can transport.

And Fifteen:  That's how often Streetcars will come by your stop, about once every 15 minutes.

MORE NUMBERS... 1.67 = 1

$1.67 a day: That 's about what it it will cost residential property owners if the assessment district is approved.  That works out to approximately 1% of the cost of the project.

So let me get this straight; up to 60 people per trip could be traveling throughout the Downtown/Midtown and West Sac communities. At a cost to residential homeowners of less than 1/2 the cost of a Starbucks coffee!

How many passenger cars will that take off the Downtown/Midtown streets? And what will that cost? Priceless!

Streetcars verses Busses, making sense of it...

Some ask: Why not just run a bus line to connect the Central Business District?

Streetcar advocates say:  Because bus lines do not generate economic activity.

Many studies have shown that streetcars generate economic benefits for the districts they serve.  The reason apparently is that developers and businesses know that a fixed transportation line is going to be in place for many ,many years and  so their investment in buildings or businesses have a chance to grow and succeed with a flow of people past their door.  A bus line can be changed fairly easily, leaving a business without a "delivered"customer base.

Here's more information about the "Why's and Wherefore's" of Streetcars verses the bus;  2012 Urban Review study

People Movers - behind the scenes Streetcar financing efforts go on...

"Once bitten, twice shy!" says City Councilman Steve Hansen, referring to ongoing efforts to find a way to finance the construction of a Streetcar system to serve the business districts of Sacramento's Downtown, (eventually) Midtown and the city of West Sacramento.

City leaders are working on a community facilities district financing plan (akin to a PBID (What's a PBID?) that would ask affected property owners to assess themselves to pay the city's portion of the cost to build the service.

Click here for more story details...

Image and additional content from SacBee 

An MLS stadium at the Railyards: Can it be Built?

Can Sacramento support an MLS team and new stadium, financed with no public money?

That's the question being addressed in a feasibility study - the "Critical Mass Report".  The first of five steps being taken this year to move us toward an MLS stadium.  It's all part of the city's desire to build an attractive entertainment, retail and business venue in Downtown/Midtown.  Also known as CBD - Central Business District.

During Downtown Sacramento Partnership's recent exclusive unveiling of the "Indomitable Downtown Report" (AKA the Critical Mass Report) - a privately paid study conducted and presented by Captal PFG of Folsom - guests were given financial projections of the economic impact of a new soccer stadium located at the railyards: And it shows significant potential...

Future MLS stadium site (to right of water tower)

Projections include:
Direct construction spending $112,500,000
Indirect construction spending $86,658,863
Total Potential Gross Spending $199,158,863

Direct construction jobs  1,020
Indirect constructions jobs 735
Total Potential construction Jobs  1,755

In total, the report estimates that construction of a stadium will generate $200 million of gross economic activity during the construction phase.

Local agencies will also benefit from the generation of property taxes directly and indirectly from the new stadium.  More about that in a future Sactown Urban Update...