City Seeks More Cash For Downtown Transit

By ELLEN GEDALIUS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2008

Updated: 12:13 am

TAMPA - City and transportation officials are hoping proposed new rules will allow them to funnel more money to mass transit downtown and in the West Shore business district.

The city charges developers transportation impact fees to help offset the burden new projects have on roads. Now the city wants to spend at least some of that money on building, improving and operating transit facilities and equipment.

"It lends itself to getting cars off the road," said Steve Daignault, administrator for public works and utility services. "It is trying to open the door for transit that hasn't been there much in the past."

Mayor Pam Iorio said the city has been working on the concept for years, with an eye toward using the money to fund circulator systems.

"This is a significant change since in the past the fees could only be used for capital," Iorio said. "If this gets passed, we hope to work with HART in the coming year to have circulators - shuttles, trolleys - in both West Shore and downtown."

Circulators already operate downtown and are run by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit. One line runs during peak times during the work week. The other runs Friday and Saturday nights.

Additional money would allow HART to expand the downtown circulator system while developing one in the West Shore area.

Under the existing rules, up to 10 percent of transportation impact fee money collected downtown can go to HART, which can only use the money for capital expenses. The city proposes allowing as much as 50 percent of money collected downtown and in the West Shore area to go to the transit agency. "Anything that would provide additional revenues would be fantastic," HART chief executive David Armijo said. "This shows the commitment to public transit in the area."

The plan also would allow the city to spend money for land to build an improved mass transit system.

The issue is scheduled for a council vote Thursday.

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at egedalius@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7679.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/20/me-city-seeks-more-cash-for-downtown-transit/?news-breaking

Sounds like a good idea. I hope this goes through...

It better go through! Wow, I cannot wait to hear about this one. I sure hope that Mayor Iorio plans to use some of those funds for the TECO line. The TECO line is a proven system that gets nearly 1/2 a million riders a year, that is a great success for a circulator system like the mayor would like to build in DT and Westshore.

Perhaps, and I am dreaming now, the money could be spent on a LRT or streetcar line in Westshore to connect with the TIA line.....well, we will see. Buses are great and necessary, but fixed guide way attracts riders and would be a great addition to both areas of town. At least some of the money could be spent on expanding the TECO line to Phase 2 to really get it through DT and become a viable transit option for DT residents and workers.

Steve

It won't be that much, but I'm sure that it will be used to garner matching state and federal funds, meaning that something useful (on a small scale) could actually come from it.

So far as Westshore goes, I would really like to see a rail circulator set up, so that it can be tied into the TIA LRT coming in a few years and whatever overall plan finally becomes a reality. I think that it would be extra sweet to have a line in Westshore running from Westshore Plaza up to Ray-Jay/Steinbrenner Field (the west side, where it can be proximal to HCC and Drew Park. With some huuuge luck, it could be built as part of TIA's desired connector out to Spruce. Maybe the city can get some kind of city only, smallish referendum passed to fund it. (the city could pass a gas tax on its territory, right? I wonder how much even a few cents would raise? Like, what would every penny be worth?)

The parking benefits alone among the obvious people magnets along the route I suggest would be reason enough, nevermind the thousands of workers along the route too.

We can only hope....we can only hope. Hmm, when they have the community meetings it would be great to see what they have in mind; that is, if the have community meetings about it.

Steve

^This is the sort of thing that we should actually gather up a group and go to, even if only to watch the entertainment

Absolutely. On March 10th TBARTA is having a community workshop at the Hilton Garden Inn on I-75 and Fletcher from 5:30om-7:30pm. The workshop is to get community ideas about the TBARTA master plan.

Steve

link to TBARTA PDF on the workshop:
http://www.tbarta.com/files/CommunityWorkshopLocations_2008_2-21.pdf

Could be interesting, especially since TBARTA is fairly new (right?) and I have no clue what they can accomplish yet (if anything).

^They won't accomplish anything. I'm a firm believer that the organization was created to obfuscate progress for as long as possible... The old generation of leaders in this state will literally have to die off before this state ever moves forward in a meaningful way.

I think they can do something at least. It may not end up being a huge leap so to speak, but at least something...