It’s justified for functionality and activation alone. It’s a site bordered on all four sides by geographic obstacles. This doesn’t even address the functionality benefits to the streetcar as well. Both having a terminus stop in an area that will offer significant amounts of parking provides utility for downtown, and its ability for smoother operations with Layover abilities.GRID wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 1:48 pm Unless the buildings in the remaining lots are 40 stories each, the amount of residents that will be added at this point don't justify the streetcar extension cost. That area needed to be built out at a much higher density. Looking at that site plan and how much room there is around the structured parking, they might double the units that have been built so far.
I agree, they need to find a way to rebuild the grid and get the Riverfront connected to Columbus Park.
KC Current is going to pave over all those empty lots for parking and who knows how long they will take to develop.
I still think the streetcar should take a left at the Berkley stop and go across the river to NKC from there and connect to Swift. Rather than having the riverfront a spur or something.
It's still a nice investment though. Got a bunch of money from the feds and building that pedestrian bridge will really improve the entire area.
Until we have regional funding or the state wants to throw money, NKC isn’t happening, and even before this extension came about any NKC proposal included a separate line operating independently from Main.