Per no less an authority than the Wall Street Journal --- Streetcars are better for an areas economy than a Ballpark ---
Right now Scott Walker --- who was very eager for taxpayers to pay for a private business ballpark --- is fighting Light Rail in any form --- even if it means the loss of Federal Transporation Dollars.
How about the North Shore Communities along the lake work with Milwaukee for Streetcars down the Northshore into the East Side and into Downtown ??
I bet a Streetcar line would be better for Residents and Businesses in Shorewood than even a Bike Race that the BID uses taxpayer money to fund ..........
Daily Real Estate News | June 21, 2007
Streetcar Lines Used to Spur Redevelopment
A growing number of cities around the country are building streetcar lines as a means of spurring redevelopment, as research reveals streetcars are more effective than ballparks and other large projects at generating economic development.
Rather than provide quick transportation around the city, streetcar lines are designed to slowly transport residents and tourists just a couple of miles in the downtown area. Given that they attract development, experts say streetcar lines help minimize traffic and the need for highway expansions.
Though the 2.4-mile streetcar line running from downtown Tampa to Ybor City in Florida witnessed a dramatic decline in ridership last year, the Teco Line Streetcar System spawned $450 million in development in the city's Channel District; more than $1 billion in residential and retail development is still in the works, with $1.1 billion more still in the planning phases.
Streetcar lines also sparked the development of 400 housing units and a waterfront park in Kenosha, Wis., and gave the Pearl District in Portland, Ore., a vibrant nightlife. However, building streetcar lines poses a challenge, considering they must compete with suburban transportation projects for state and federal funding.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Thaddeus Herrick (06/20/07)
