KC Light Rail

While the idea of another economic stimulus package is floating around Washintgon (socialism! gasp!) some lawmakers are trying to focus the discussion on killing two birds — failing infrastructure and potentially high unemployment — with one stone: a federally-funded infrastructure push similar to the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. After all, if we're going to spend billions bailing out the economy we might as well get something for it besides toxic paper and $600 Treasury checks that no one will spend.

Keep in mind that not only do we have a transit backlog, but both sides of the state line have road and bridge repair backlogs, as well as KC's much-discussed Combined Sewer Overflow replacement project.

Seriously, as if their argument wasn't callous or transparent enough, the lone opposition to light rail in KC is being uncovered for what they really are. The Pitch makes it clear again that we're not dealing with Mom and Pop on Main Street. Some key highlights:

- One business owner is bankrolling the entire campaign.
- Their new car wash, which will take up a half-block of what should be store fronts on one of our busiest commercial corridors, will be totally automated (Are Mom and Pop behind some curtain? Will it breed crime? How do more car washes address KC's goal of becoming a green mecca?).
- Their "campaign's" last ditch effort is to throw out the ballot question on a technicality.

Do they have what it takes to make a compelling case against light rail when the electorate has proven — both at the ballot box in 2006 and in polling earlier this year — that they're tired of talk and want action. The answer is NO. Vote YES on Nov. 4.

The Kansas City Star endorsed the KCMO and NKC light rail questions on its editorial page today, a move that was expected given the broad consensus between elected officials and the business community.

Unlike the 2001 city-backed plan — or any one of the Chastain-backed petition initiatives — the current plan takes the best ideas and distills them down to an easy-to-understand starter route that connects to two major freeways on both ends, crosses the river, and serves KC's top three job centers. In short, it makes sense to all but the most stalwart anti-transit curmudgeons.

Couple all of that with an expected makeover of federal transportation funding, the rapid rise in environmental awareness, and an increase in local transit demand and you've got a great setup for victory on November 4.

Local:

• Light rail ridership forecast won’t be finished before Nov. 4 vote (Kansas City Star)
• Light rail opponents fail to file reports with ethics panel (Kansas City Star)
• Funkhouser: Build light rail, and eco-devo will come (Kansas City Business Journal)
• Mr. Stinky Feet debuts catchy new light rail song (Fox 4 News)
• Subverting democracy on a technicality (Kansas City Post)
• So who is this Patrick Tuohey? (Prime Buzz)
• JoCo’s interest in public transit rises with fuel prices (Kansas City Business Journal)
• Light rail would keep KC working (Kansas City Star)

National:

• Downtown convention hotel opens in Phoenix (Expo Magazine)
• Bringing BART here: "Yes" on B adds connecting rail (Milpitas Post)
• Park-and-ride lots lead to light rail (Arizona Republic)
• Rail plan offers chance to get back on track (Boston Globe)
• Telling D.C. why we need transit money (Hudson Reporter)
• Metro walking a fine line on Prop M (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• To build or not to build? (Denver Daily News)

Since the opposition has made a lot of fuss about the actual construction period of light rail affecting business owners — pay no mind to the long-term benefits to the community — we decided to hit up our City Transit Advocates compatriot at Light Rail AZ to see how Phoenix's outreach program for affected businesses worked for them. Construction on the 20-mile starter line is complete; the line is in testing now and will open in December.

So, straight from the source is a post about their first expansion (already!) and some of the tools Phoenix used to mitigate construction impacts.

Regarding the specifics of financing options for these businesses:

The city of Phoenix offers several different types of loans to corridor business owners.

Expansion Assistance and Development is a collateral reserve deposit that can help Phoenix business owners meet a lender’s collateral requirements. Collateral enhancements up to $150,000 are available at no cost to METRO corridor businesses or to their lenders. These enhancements can be used with any commercial loan, including Small Business Administration loans and lines of credit.

The New Markets Loan provides below-market rates on loans to stimulate economic growth in low-income areas, which includes most of the METRO corridor. Qualifying investments may include office, industrial, retail or mixed-use projects with funding approval for construction, acquisition or rehabilitation. Project minimums are $1 million and loan repayment terms range from one to seven years.

Community-based micro loans are available through the Self-Employment Loan Fund and Prestamos, a lending subsidiary of Chicanos Por La Causa. The Self-Employment Loan Fund helps small businesses access capital in amounts ranging from $200 to $35,000. Prestamos offers loans ranging from $2,000 to $250,000. You can also get free business advice when you apply for these loans.

So there's an easy way to get through this and hard way. What's it gonna be, Main Street?

Pitch Weekly rabble-rouser David Martin provides the fodder that proves ulterior motives are the only reason to be against light rail: the entire operation is bankrolled by the new car wash being built at Linwood and Main.

Maybe you've wondered why such a high profile location was surrendered to such a low use? Yeah, we totally did too. It's no secret that this stretch of Main Street has been in every city-backed light rail proposal since the beginning of time and that a car wash in no way fits with the official vision for the corridor. Pay no mind that a few blocks away the much-maligned Big Bay Car Wash was torn down only last year because it was a target for crime. Anyone see the irony here?

We're quite pleased to read that these Citizens for "Sensible" Transit have finally broken the $50,000 mark in fundraising. They might be able to afford a teevee spot the day before the election.