In less than a decade, the 4.8 mile streetcar system serving the City of Portland, OR has spurred nearly $3 billion in urban reinvestment and led the city's spectacular transformation from a declining industrial place into one of the most attractive, sustainable, and economically competitive destinations in the United States.
Bing Goei, chairman of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, recently went there to see it. So did former Mayor John Logie, Rick Chapla, Mark Pursley, and a handful of other distinguished citizens all of whom share the common goal of building the next Grand Rapids.
"We all came back pretty excited about what we saw," said Goei, who also serves as president and CEO of Eastern Floral. "The positive effects of mass transit – and the streetcar in particular – in the City of Portland are very impressive. I think it could work here."
The group expedition last November, organized by The Rapid, the regional bus agency, was symbolic of the soaring local interest in reconstructing Grand Rapids public transit system. The city once boasted an extensive network of street trolleys. But the system was dismantled in the early 1900's to make way for the automobile.
Today, civic leaders are trying to put it back together. The Rapid Board of Directors recently approved a series of recommendations to expand local bus service. Some of the enhancements require no new funding and will take effect as early as May 2007. Others demand as much as $2.2 million in additional annual funding and the Rapid Board now is debating just how to appeal to voters for the money. Two separate agency committees likely will address the issue on January 17 and the final decision will be made at the January 24 Board meeting.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners also is taking an active interest. Under the leadership of commissioners Roger Morgan and Dick Bulkowski, the county recently established a special transit task force to study its role in planning for and investing in countywide service, beyond the borders of the central city.
And after years of study, the Great Transit Grand Tomorrows study group, also managed by The Rapid, soon will identify the specific route and projected cost for both a modern streetcar, like the one in Portland, and a high-speed bus system to serve the central city.
The Mobility Factor
All the action is motivated by the increasing practicality of the argument for modern rapid transit. Transit supporters for decades have maintained that transportation options beyond the automobile are essential to address pressing social issues such as maintaining independence for young people, seniors, and other citizens who can't afford or choose not to drive.
In recent years, transit proponents have added an environmental dimension to the debate, claiming that safeguarding air quality and stemming traffic congestion and sprawl depends to a growing extent on the availability of a variety of easy and affordable transportation choices.
"If our country is going to address the fuel consumption issue," Goei said, "mass transit even becomes a homeland security issue. These are things we need to think seriously about."
Now cities like Portland are helping Grand Rapids understand yet another aspect of the transit debate: economic competitiveness. The 21st century knowledge economy uses information as its essential raw material and is defined by technology and mobility. Modern industries and their workers are no longer bolted to a specific place by the need for resources such as iron ore. They can be almost anywhere.
As a result, quality of life, and especially the presence of vibrant, accessible cities, continually ranks among the critical assets employees and executives cite in choosing where to live and do business. That means modern mass transit, like roads in the 20th century, is an increasingly important asset in the region’s economic development plans.
“The factors driving economic development and quality of life are changing, especially among the outside interests looking to locate in our region," said Rick Chapla, vice president of the Right Place Program, who made the recent trip out to Portland. "Business leaders used to ask about tax incentives and land cost. They still do. But today there’s another, increasingly important question. The new factor is mobility. Now they want to know about traffic congestion, mass transit service, and other options for getting around beyond the automobile.”
The Investment Yields Big Returns
"The successful cities across the United State are engaged in mass transit," said Mark Pursley, a representative of the Wege Foundation, which invests heavily in the local grassroots movement to expand regional bus service and build a light rail system in metro Grand Rapids.
Indeed, modern mass transit is a common denominator that today defines America's most successful regions. Portland. San Jose. Chicago. San Francisco. Phoenix. Denver. Seattle. College grads and high-tech companies regularly cite these metros of means as choice destinations. And all are building or expanding mass transit systems in order to stimulate private development and give people more affordable and convenient options for moving around town.
The strategy appears to be paying off. Streetcar systems are spurring tremendous spin-off private investment in cities across the nation. Little Rock, Ark., opened a 2.5 mile route in 2004 at a cost of approximately $20 million and already has experienced more $1.2 billion in new development. Tampa's 2.3 mile, $56 million streetcar system, opened in 2003, already has leveraged $1 billion in private investment. And Tacoma's $89 million streetcar system, opened in 2003, already has generated nearly $1 billion in redevelopment.
In 1997, Portland originally announced the route of its modern streetcar system, which so far has cost approximately $55 million to build. Since then, 55 percent of all development in the city's central business district has occurred within one block of the route, according to city records. Property adjacent to the route, much of which was vacant or polluted as early as four years ago, has jumped as much as 40 percent in value and is now teeming with new businesses and residences. In total, developers have invested approximately $2.8 billion in new condos, commercial space, and other redevelopment projects within two blocks of the downtown streetcar loop.
"That's an amazing statistic that I wasn’t aware of before the trip," said Goei, who is convinced a major mass transit project could help stimulate and sustain small business in metro Grand Rapids. "If the streetcar system is an economic development tool, and I believe it is, we as a community need to decide where to use it. We need to bring more people to the table."
And, apparently, send more people out to Portland. Goei said local leaders are now planning a second, larger expedition to Portland later this year to continue to build local interest, particularly among developers, in the streetcar revolution.
Photograph descriptions:
Students exit the streetcar near Portland State University
Workers extend the streetcar track into the rising South Waterfront District, the largest economic development project in Portland's history
The Benson Tower represents the boom in new residential construction along the streetcar route
The Everett Street Bistro, one of many new businesses clustering around the streetcar, prepares for the lunch rush
Photographs by Andy Guy - All Rights Reserved