Streetcar to the riverfront

[earthling]

Apologies for broken record repeating myself:

City should build large TIF garages near Paseo Bridge...
- Businesses/residents could lease space, reducing need for parking within downtown (perhaps extra secure levels for monthly holders)
- New projects wouldn't need to worry about providing as much if any parking spaces
- Keeps that many cars out of downtown
- Large downtown events could promote parking in these garages and taking streetcar to event

[DaveKCMO]

Apologies for broken record repeating myself:

City should build large TIF garages near Paseo Bridge...
- Businesses/residents could lease space, reducing need for parking within downtown (perhaps extra secure levels for monthly holders)
- New projects wouldn't need to worry about providing as much if any parking spaces
- Keeps that many cars out of downtown
- Large downtown events could promote parking in these garages and taking streetcar to event

That's in the plan if this extension makes it to the casino.

[flyingember]

But not on the scale he's talking about.

Most people arrive downtown and leave within the same hour or so.

Let's say we build a 3000 car garage at the riverfront with a goal of shifting tons of people to it. Let's say the average vehicle occupancy is 1.2 people (for events)

With six trains running we can move this garage worth of cars into downtown in four round trips. That's a little under an hour.
So the streetcar system dedicated to this one location maxes out at 3000 cars.

Then we need bus capacity downtown coming off the line to distribute people. Rough guess, this would take about 1/4 of the total bus system idling along the streetcar ready to load up people coming off the trains.

For the scale and cost of this project we could not build any garages, put the money into making the bus free, buy more busses and run lines with more frequent service to drive ridership citywide.

The only way this idea works is if we pair park and ride at the riverfront with removal of parking spots in equal numbers and funding for the transit system to add equal capacity. Just building garages isn't enough.

[normalthings]

Apologies for broken record repeating myself:

City should build large TIF garages near Paseo Bridge...
- Businesses/residents could lease space, reducing need for parking within downtown (perhaps extra secure levels for monthly holders)
- New projects wouldn't need to worry about providing as much if any parking spaces
- Keeps that many cars out of downtown
- Large downtown events could promote parking in these garages and taking streetcar to event

Downtown has more parking than it will ever need - much of that is less than a 5/10 minute walk from the streetcar. Yet, much of this close to streetcar parking goes unused.A big part of the problem is that everyone wants to park as close as possible to their final destination. I don’t see how massive garages at the river will change this. Developers will build and Tenants will demand parking at/adjacent to their properties.

IIRC, Dave previously mentioned that the city spends $17million on parking garages a year. For a fraction of that, we could have fare free bus service. $17million per year adds up to $700 million over 40 years. That’s enough to build Linwood and Indepence Ave. streetcars. I’d imagine the price of a 3,000+ car garage could buy an extension to Brookside.

We should be getting out of the business of financing,subsidizing, owning parking garages.

[earthling]

^As lots are developed, these garages can offset lost parking. A developer might develop a lot if not having to build their own garage. Thus encourage more development. And it keeps cars out of downtown.

Until we have effective metro transit, parking will be needed downtown. Best to place at the edges.

[normalthings]

^As lots are developed, these garages can offset lost parking. A developer might develop a lot if not having to build their own garage. Thus encourage more development. And it keeps cars out of downtown.

Until we have effective metro transit, parking will be needed downtown. Best to place at the edges.

Why not expand transit in the core using those exact same funds? More and free core transit would significantly reduce parking demands as well. Why cater to just suburbanites coming into downtown.

[earthling]

Can also be used by residents who live and work downtown and don't need car daily.

[beautyfromashes]

Let’s be honest, KCATA and PortKC have a strong working relationship and are trying to help each other in ways that benefit each other. PortKC wants garages for future development and streetcar expansion and “park and ride” are the excuses.

[flyingember]

Let’s be honest, KCATA and PortKC have a strong working relationship and are trying to help each other in ways that benefit each other. PortKC wants garages for future development and streetcar expansion and “park and ride” are the excuses.

Even some shared parking is valuable. But it's not going to replace thousands of spots that can be built on.

[langosta]

In the 6/10 PortKC development meeting, there is a line item for increasing the funding for the Riverfront Extension.

Here is the agenda.

There are no other details there I can find - so I don't know how much or what is being funded by this proposed increase.

KCDowntown

Anyone go?

[flyingember]

In the 6/10 PortKC development meeting, there is a line item for increasing the funding for the Riverfront Extension.

Here is the agenda.

There are no other details there I can find - so I don't know how much or what is being funded by this proposed increase.

KCDowntown

Anyone go?

They gave info on Twitter

$65k to fund additional study around historic preservation the state required.

It goes to the Port KC board for approval.

[WoodDraw]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 37327.html

Any background on if this would be a positive development?

[KCPowercat]

Immediately what I thought about.

[DaveKCMO]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 37327.html

Any background on if this would be a positive development?

Yes.

[langosta]

Isle of Capri Casino Deal Renews Hope for Streetcar Connection.
https://cityscenekc.com/isle-of-capri-c ... onnection/

Conceptual Rendering of a renovated Isle of Capri.

[taxi]

That does not look like a boat.

[kcjak]

That does not look like a boat.

Article says it's an enclosed, lightweight cladding system that would fit over the boat and listed as one of several possible renovation ideas.

[earthling]

Doesn't look tall enough to 'fit over the boat'.

[normalthings]

Doesn't look tall enough to 'fit over the boat'.

At what point do they decide to just start over in a surface parking lot? This level of renovation looks to be extremely intrusive into the day-day operations of the casino

[kboish]

I say tear it down and build a real hotel/casino combo with a streetcar extension.