Red Line (Linthicum: neighborhood, buy, school)

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

There's a lot of commercial vacancy downtown. I think that should be priority number 1.

[BlueSock]

I'm considering moving to Baltimore, and the existence of metro, commuter rail, or light rail stops is very much on my mind when looking for places to live. I now live in Davis Square, Somerville, an area that was boarded up in the 70s and early 80s. In 1984 Davis Square got a metro stop, and it is now arguably one of the best neighborhoods in the Boston area. Somerville has been fighting for years to get additional metro stops.

That's not to say that every neighborhood will benefit in the same way. I think some of the keys to success for Davis Square were:

1) Crime is relatively low compared to many places in Baltimore
2) Property values (and rents) closer to downtown, especially near other metro stops, got very high.
3) The metro is generally faster than driving

I think #1 and #2 will eventually happen for Baltimore. #3 depends on the nature of the public transportation (which is why I am skeptical of the Charles Street Trolley.)

Once Baltimore gets its crime under control and demand for housing shoots up, these metro lines will be incredibly valuable. There are a lot of neighborhoods along the green and red lines with great potential. It takes a long time to plan and develop a rail line, so I'd suggest making the most of every opportunity to do so.

[qjbusmaster]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Some systems need a push to get the TOD started , others it just occurs when the line is completed. Maryland doesn't have a statewide program like NJ or CT , so things often move slower and come out badly. MARC and MTA are run terribly , that also factors into things. If the service is terrible they won't build , or if the connections are bad they won't build. Our Riverline connects 2 bad cities along with plenty of towns in between. Very Few Developments have happen due to the connections in Camden and Trenton. After the Pennsuaken Transfer center was announced , that changed alot of Developers lined up & ridership is expected to soar. Its a combination of alot of things , but it seems like Maryland needs to develop a statewide TOD program and enhance the Baltimore system. The Regional Rail system needs to be expanded aswell , all these Transit improvements and enhancements will lead to more ridership & developments. If The MTA were to replace the older LRT cars , that might increase ridership aswell , there have been alot of issues with those cars , that scares people away....

couldnt say it better myself

[qjbusmaster]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Not true , its Baltimore and Marylands Fault for the lack of Growth.....they haven't developed a TOD policy. The Metro doesn't go anywhere , it should extend to White Marsh and connect to MARC then you'll see Ridership go up. Same with the Light Rail it should connect to MARC. The more connections , the better used and developed your system is.

light rail already connects to MARC its the metro that needs linking.

[qjbusmaster]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

Yeah it seems like all that money that went into widening I-95 NE of Baltimore could have been used better.. Maybe to create a Rail Lane like the Metro Subway along 795. I agree with what tallybalt said... the Metro subway did nothing for NW Baltimore...but then again it was designed as a "park and ride" for suburbanites and not with City development in mind. If a line were built up NE Baltimore along Harford or Belair Road.. it would be underground and shouldnt have any parking (I know it would be expensive) Those neighborhoods would likely fight it as well since it would be disruptive and they may fear that it would not add value to their communities either. Also.. those neighborhoods are more suburban in nature and thus there wouldnt be much TOD unless it was concentrated exclusively along Harford or Belair Roads and does not intrude into the single family neighborhoods... It would be similiar to Arlington, VA along the Rossyln Ballston Metro Corridor. Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rossyln Metro stops are surrounded by midrise apartment and office buildings.. but you go one block off of those main corridors and you have neighborhoods very similiar to what you have in NE Baltimore with single family homes, craftsman cottages and Four Squares. Of course Baltimore is not NOVA.. but it would be nice to see areas like Gardenville and sections of Frankford develop has mini densely populated commercial centers along Belair Road. I wouldnt want the Metro to go up Harford Road.. Lauraville and Hamilton have a nice main street feel that should be preserved.... Belair Road seems more "urban" and has a bunch of places that could be redeveloped.. just my two cents

one problem belair rd has 411 express bus but that bus is useless due to lack of service outside rush hour

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by qjbusmaster

one problem belair rd has 411 express bus but that bus is useless due to lack of service outside rush hour

411 only serves the suburbs.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by qjbusmaster

light rail already connects to MARC its the metro that needs linking.

Light rail only sort of connects to MARC. Once every half-hour trains to penn from the south only? It's a crock. It does connect well to the Camden line, which has half the number of trains as does the Penn.

[Woodlands]

On the news last night.. residents of Linthicum are trying to shut down their Light Rail stop.. If that happens you best believe other areas may follow suit. The MTA may need to be careful in their deliberation of this one.. even limiting the hours could worsen an already poorly designed system.. this station closes at 8pm that one closes at 9pm the system closes at 1am will make the system useless.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

On the news last night.. residents of Linthicum are trying to shut down their Light Rail stop.. If that happens you best believe other areas may follow suit. The MTA may need to be careful in their deliberation of this one.. even limiting the hours could worsen an already poorly designed system.. this station closes at 8pm that one closes at 9pm the system closes at 1am will make the system useless.

This could also be filed under "Why is Baltimore so segregated?"

[Bong477]

Originally Posted by BlueSock

Once Baltimore gets its crime under control and demand for housing shoots up, these metro lines will be incredibly valuable.

You should change "once" to "if."