KC Light Rail

Read about it here. We'll post commentary once we're able to see today's working session for ourselves.

Chastain v. City: City wins! The Alternatives Analysis for a revised route continues unabated. Note to Hearne Christopher: Time to remove Chastain from your speed dial to make room for David Cook! Moving on…

Regional v. Starter Line: As an editorial in this week's Business Journal reminds us, this really isn't an either/or proposition. A starter line without a regional vision is dumb and a regional system without a first spike in the ground is impossible. Unfortunately, all of the rhetoric completely ignores the SmartMoves umbrella, even though the lines being drawn on the map are essentially the same. Here's an idea: Create a Plan A and B, then go with Plan B if Plan A fails! May we have our consultant fee now?

Midtown v. Downtown (and everyone else, for that matter): Not much has been made of this topic in the Old School Media, but it just may bubble over soon if 4th District Councilpersons Marcason and Gottstein avoid the tough work of calming down some very animated Hyde Park residents. Fear of encroachment, higher property taxes, and anything else that sounds Super Scary To Neighborhoods may be the thing that unravels the whole project… again. Believe it or not, the East Side "spur" debate is quietly resolving itself through good ol' communication (expect Cleaver, not Linwood). Take heed, Hyde Parkers!

Union Station v. Crown Center: Low on the list to most, but a few vocal proponents insist on the most direct connection possible with the only true bi-state success story (the Station is covering it's own expenses now, thank you very much). Our own informal polling suggests that it's wise to leverage the supposed support of the Hall clan — a first in KC light rail history — versus the symbolic gesture of a shorter walk to another mode of transit. We timed it ourselves and it's a five minute walk through The LINK to the Amtrak ticket counter; future commuter rail operations would likely terminate east of the actual station due to space constraints anyway. Our money's on Crown Center (with good signage pointing the way, never KC's strong point).

Grand v. Walnut v. Main: Oh, those poor parades full of dung-laden horses. Where will they go if light rail steals Grand? Probably the same place they went when we last had light rail (yes, streetcars are light rail… get over it) — it all peacefully co-existed, open-air streetcar-as-parade-float and all. But wait! Downtowners hatched an idea at a recent workshop to use Walnut between Union Station and the River Market as a transit-only corridor. Intended as a way to sway the conversation away from using Main and Walnut as a pair (northbound trains running on one street; southbound on the other — a remarkably dumb idea, but an official "option" nonetheless), it may take on a life of its own. Regardless, our money's on Grand, but expect to see lots of talk on how Walnut might work.

It's big week in transit for Kansas City: Tuesday's bus tax renewal election and light rail workshops in all four "nodes" along the proposed Plaza-to-Northland route. Here's the language that will appear on Tuesday's ballot as "Question 1″:

Shall the City of Kansas City continue a city sales tax for the purposes of developing, operating, maintaining, equipping and improving a bus transit system by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority for Kansas City, Missouri, as authorized by Section 94.605 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri at a rate of 3/8% for a period of 15 years?

YES/NO

Not sure where to vote? Polling locations can be found here.

While a full schedule is here, below are the light rail workshops being held this week:

East Meeting #2 (East of Main Street)
6-8 p.m.
Monday, April 7
Gates Headquarters
4621 The Paseo [map]

Downtown Meeting #3 (Missouri River to Linwood Boulevard)
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9
Scarritt Building (Scarritt Ballroom)
818 Grand Blvd. [map]

Midtown Meeting #2 (Linwood to UMKC)
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 10
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
11 E. 40th St. [map]

Next week is a busy one for light rail planning. Workshops will be held in all four "nodes" along the proposed route. The first meeting in each node is really introductory ("Orientation & Goals"), but the second meeting is where each neighborhood will select their preferred street alignment and station locations.

If you live in the affected area, here's your chance to have a say about the specifics. The full calendar is here, but below are the events coming up next week:

East Meeting #1 (east of Main Street)
6-8 p.m.
Monday, March 24
Mohart Multi-Purpose Center
3200 Wayne [map]

North Meeting #1 (north of Missouri River)
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25
Northgate Middle School
2117 NE 48 Street [map]

Downtown Meeting #2 (River to Linwood Boulevard)
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26
Kansas City Design Center
1018 Baltimore [map]

Midtown Meeting #1 (Linwood to UMKC)
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 27
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
11 E. 40th [map]

The ATA will host the first public meeting of Phase II of the Alternatives Analysis tonight. The agenda is here and the scoping booklet is here. This is your chance to provide your opinion the final route between the Plaza and I-29.

5-8 p.m.
Mohart Community Center
3200 Wayne (between Paseo and Bruce R. Watkins) [map]

The facility is directly accessible from ATA route #28, which terminates at 9th & Main or Blue Ridge Boulevard (or free transfer from MAX at Crown Center). You can also use the Trip Planner.

See you there!

UPDATE: The ATA will be giving two identical presentations tonight, one at 5:30 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m.

Light rail planning kicks in high gear on Feb. 27 with the first public meeting for Phase II of the Alternatives Analysis. The meeting details are:

5-8 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 27
Mohart Community Center
3200 Wayne [map]
Kansas City, Missouri

The scoping booklet is here, but we've pulled some of the most important details that will be hammered out in the coming months, mostly having to do with routing specifics:

1. Northern Terminus - The project team will evaluate a northern terminus in the vicinity of Vivion Road or possibly further to the west and/or north.

2. North Kansas City - Several alignment alternatives will be considered in North Kansas City, located north of the Missouri River; including Burlington between a new Missouri River crossing and the north terminus, and Swift between the River and the north terminus.

3. River crossing - The project team will evaluate the potential to add fixed guideway transit to the existing Heart of America Bridge over the Missouri River, or build a new adjacent transit structure.

4. CBD-Crown Center - Between the Central Business District and Crown Center, the project team will evaluate the feasibility of using either Grand Avenue or the Walnut Street/Main Street pair for a north-south alignment.

5. Midtown - Main Street will be evaluated as the north-south alignment under consideration between Crown Center and the Country Club Plaza.

6. Southern terminus - At least three southern termini options will be evaluated:

• 51st Street/Brookside Boulevard
• Cleaver II Boulevard east of Main Street
• 47th Street west of Main Street

7. Eastern leg to vicinity of Prospect Avenue - The project team will evaluate at least two possible east connections between the north-south transit corridor and Prospect Avenue:

• Linwood Boulevard
• Cleaver II Boulevard/Volker Boulevard

8. Eastern Terminus - Although both eastern legs will be evaluated to the vicinity of Prospect Avenue, alternatives will be reviewed for the specific eastern terminus point.

We'd love to hear your comments on any of the above items.

For those who can't make the Feb. 27 meeting, written comments can be sent to the KCATA project manager through March 17.