MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Baldwin: light-rail, paid)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by primaltech

What the hell? MARTA can only serve its member counties, which Gwinnett and Cobb voted against being.

If true, I am utterly perplexed by how stupid that is.

The idea seems to be looking at a new vehicle to unite the area in transit.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by bu2

The idea seems to be looking at a new vehicle to unite the area in transit.

Starts with G ends with ondola.
That or Arjay's scooters.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I would ask that you show that it could be done with P3's & CIDs as you suggest, though. I'd like to see some math on the matter. My gut tells me it'd be good as a padding measure in addition to tax-based funding. It could go to BRT, ART, more light rail, etc.

Well, here's some back of the envelope figuring.

Let's say there is 100 million sf of Class A office space in downtown, Midtown, Buckhead and Perimeter. This is space typically occupied by the largest and most affluent businesses -- banks, elite legal, brokerage and accounting firms, top corporations and so forth.

I haven't looked up the average rent lately but let's say it's $25 per sf here in Atlanta. That's way below heavily developed cities such as Houston, Philadelphia, D.C., Boston, L.A., Miami, Seattle and Chicago. It's not even close to the rent in New York.

So let's propose a very modest $1 per sf transit fee. That's only a 4% rent hike, and our rents would still be far below other big cities.

This alone would generate at least $1 billion over ten years, and be relatively painless.

I still see it as adding unnecessary bindings to your own plans. In all versions of the bills, neither Gwinnett nor Cobb were included, at all. In fact, the bills legally required MARTA to submit project lists and such to any county it wanted to build in, and limited the projects to counties which funded MARTA.

If Cobb and Gwinnett leaders somehow see that as an attempt to build into their regions, then no amount of clarifying (again, by shooting yourself in the foot) will fix that level of disconnected thought.

Well, maybe this is unnecessary language. But it would sure lay to rest any anxieties that Cobb or Gwinnett may have about MARTA coming their way. How could they object if they are specifically excluded?

Here is Technical Memorandum 3: Ridership Modeling Methodology and Results

Page 20 is where the numbers start. It shows that, without expansion, the current streetcar is expected to have 900 daily riders. With the build out of Phase 1 (here model H), the modeling showed just under 14,500 daily riders. I don't know where your boundaries lie, but I say that's respectable. Those numbers could probably be expanded further with more development incentives and more regional transit to feed into / be fed from.

Great, fourthwarden, thank you!

[fourthwarden]

GOP author of MARTA rail bill picks up a primary challenger

Aaron Barlow, 41, is veteran executive with Equifax, Arthur Andersen, and TransUnion who has left the private sector in favor of philanthropy and, at least for the next 77 days, a self-funded candidate for state senator.

Watch who lines up behind whom on this one. It could say much about where transit is headed in metro Atlanta.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

GOP author of MARTA rail bill picks up a primary challenger

Sounds like he is less than gung ho on transit.

Maybe somebody from this board ought to throw their hat in the ring.

[skbl17]

Beach isn't the senator who should be primaried (it should be his colleague to his south); this Barlow guy sounds like he'd be part of the Albers cabal judging by his statements on MARTA.

Originally Posted by bu2

The idea seems to be looking at a new vehicle to unite the area in transit.

Yeah, because we totally don't have an agency whose original purpose was to be that vehicle.

Hopefully, this committee will reach that conclusion: "We don't feel that an additional agency is required, but we recommend that the General Assembly reorganize GRTA for this purpose."

- skbl17

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by skbl17

Beach isn't the senator who should be primaried (it should be his colleague to his south); this Barlow guy sounds like he'd be part of the Albers cabal judging by his statements on MARTA.



Yeah, because we totally don't have an agency whose original purpose was to be that vehicle.

Hopefully, this committee will reach that conclusion: "We don't feel that an additional agency is required, but we recommend that the General Assembly reorganize GRTA for this purpose."

- skbl17

That's my hope too. GRTA could be a heck of a regional entity, though I would rather let MARTA keep the 5 core counties as its operating area, with overlapping commuter rail / buses where they come into the city.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by skbl17

Beach isn't the senator who should be primaried (it should be his colleague to his south); this Barlow guy sounds like he'd be part of the Albers cabal judging by his statements on MARTA.



Yeah, because we totally don't have an agency whose original purpose was to be that vehicle.

Hopefully, this committee will reach that conclusion: "We don't feel that an additional agency is required, but we recommend that the General Assembly reorganize GRTA for this purpose."

- skbl17

MARTA was originally setup to be the regional transit provider, not sure why we need a 3rd?

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

MARTA was originally setup to be the regional transit provider, not sure why we need a 3rd?

Because MARTA is scawy! And. And. It was once run bad so it will always be bad. And the new one, will always be good. Don't you want your tax dollars to go to good things cq?

Really though, it's as B2R said, the northern suburbs don't want to give up their power despite the fact that the city is the regional anchor. They don't want to possibly join MARTA and work to negotiate what they need. They's rather save face for their constituents (well, who they think their constituents are at least) than work with those inner-city, urban Dumbocrats (or some such silliness).

Basically, they're trying to have their cake, and eat it too, so they're attempting to build a new bakery around the old one, thinking it'll do what they want it to.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Because MARTA is scawy! And. And. It was once run bad so it will always be bad. And the new one, will always be good. Don't you want your tax dollars to go to good things cq?

Really though, it's as B2R said, the northern suburbs don't want to give up their power despite the fact that the city is the regional anchor. They don't want to possibly join MARTA and work to negotiate what they need. They's rather save face for their constituents (well, who they think their constituents are at least) than work with those inner-city, urban Dumbocrats (or some such silliness).

Basically, they're trying to have their cake, and eat it too, so they're attempting to build a new bakery around the old one, thinking it'll do what they want it to.

They don't want to play nice with the democrats and AA leadership.