WASHINGTON DC — Coalition for Smarter Growth Policy Director Cheryl Cort issued the following statement today in response to the Gray Administration’s release of the DC inclusionary zoning annual report and the administration’s proposed revisions to the program:
Category: News
Editorial: Enter Hogan
The organization supports the county’s signature big-money transportation project, the Purple Line. “If Larry Hogan is worried about Maryland losing jobs to Virginia then I can think of no better project to move forward than the Purple Line. We have faith when he says economic development is his number one focus,” said Alex Posorske, managing director of the coalition.
Was reelection of Vihstadt in Arlington a referendum on streetcar?
Coalition for Smarter Growth executive director Stewart Schwartz acknowledges that if Howze had won, advocates for the streetcar would have interpreted it as a win for the project.
“It would have a been a positive for the streetcar for sure,” Schwartz says. But he also says that supporters of the streetcar do not view Vihstadt’s victory last week as a sign that voters are rejecting the streetcar.
Letter to the Editor: Inclusionary zoning is working for renters
While the program needs to be strengthened, inclusionary zoning is showing benefits. Moderately priced housing units are being integrated into nearly every new residential development. That means desirable neighborhoods such as Chevy Chase, Dupont Circle, 14th and U, and NoMa will be affordable for more people.
Inclusionary zoning is a work in progress, but it’s already delivering on its promise to make exclusive and rapidly changing neighborhoods more accessible for working-class and middle-class residents.
Columbia Pike streetcar project, Baileys Crossroads revitalization could be in peril
In the days following Vihstadt’s re-election victory, the Coalition for Smarter Growth – which supports the streetcar – said the election shouldn’t be taken as a de-facto referendum on the project. “We are confident that the streetcar will continue to stand up to scrutiny,” the organization said. Its executive director, Stewart Schwartz, said he couldn’t get into the politics of the matter because he worked for a non-profit that isn’t allowed to take political stances. But he said the organization would “join with Arlingtonians in making a substantive case for this as a critical long-term economic-development and transportation investment.”
Analysis: Demise of Columbia Pike streetcar now possible, but not imminent
In the days following Vihstadt’s re-election victory, the Coalition for Smarter Growth – which supports the streetcar – said the election shouldn’t be taken as a de-facto referendum on the project.
“We are confident that the streetcar will continue to stand up to scrutiny,” the organization said.
Its executive director, Stewart Schwartz, said he couldn’t get into the politics of the matter because he worked for a non-profit that isn’t allowed to take political stances. But he said the organization would “join with Arlingtonians in making a substantive case for this as a critical long-term economic-development and transportation investment.”
Arlington election shouldn’t stop streetcar
But a hard look at the streetcar and the record of transit and transit-oriented development in the region demonstrates that new transit investments are a critical economic development tool for Northern Virginia, according to the coalition. A 2013 study for the U.S. calculated that the economic value of transit for a jurisdiction could be up to $1.5 to $1.8 billion.
Public meeting on high speed rail held in Richmond
Stewart Schwartz, who lives on Church Hill and works in Washington, believes that what’s important to businesspeople is not necessarily speed but reliability. “If you can know that you’re going to be 90, 100 percent reliable, then you can make your meetings in Washington or vice versa,” he said. “But you won’t take the train if the train is routinely late. We know now that (Interstate) 95 is completely unreliable from Fredericksburg north in terms of on-time performance. What would make the train competitive is reliable on-time performance.” Schwartz is executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth and commutes to Washington three times a week.
Purple Line advocates try to put a happy face on Hogan’s victory
The Coalition for Smarter Growth press release said that might not be the case, citing a Hogan radio interview in October in which he said he was “not really opposed to either project,” and that both the Purple Line and Red Line are “worth considering.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, Hogan deflected questions about the fate of the Purple Line.
“No one would deny that Hogan is more skeptical about the project than Brown and has expressed that skepticism forcefully at times,” read the release. “But to declare the project terminated before the day-after-the-election is even over is, to say the least, wildly premature. It is important to remember that there is a big difference between campaigning and governing.”
RELEASE: Columbia Pike Streetcar will prevail because it is the key to economic growth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2014
CONTACT
Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth
(703) 599-6437
VIRGINIA — It would be reading too much into Arlington voters’ intentions to ascribe the election of John Vihstadt to a full term on the Arlington Board over Alan Howze primarily to the debate over the Columbia Pike streetcar. Streetcar opponents linked the price tag of the streetcar to general concerns over government spending and the state of the economy. But a hard look at the streetcar and the record of transit and transit-oriented development in the region demonstrates that new transit investments are a critical economic development tool for Northern Virginia.
A 2013 study for the US calculated that the economic value of transit for a jurisdiction could be up to $1.5 to $1.8 billion.[1] A study this year estimated around 50,000 new jobs created for every $1 billion invested in transit.[2]
In the Washington region, a recent study found that 84% of current office development is within ¼ mile of Metro stops.[3] A 2011 WMATA study noted that the real estate located within ½ mile and ¼ mile of Metrorail stations generated approximately $3.1B and $1.8B in property tax revenues, respectively, for the Washington area in 2010.[4] People and companies have certainly been voting with their feet and flocking to walkable, transit-oriented communities in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria.
In Arlington County, just 11.4 percent of its land area — in its two Metro corridors — generates 50% of its property tax base, producing revenues for the schools, libraries, recreation centers, police, and fire services. In the 1970s, Arlington allocated an extra $100 million and the federal government an extra $200 million to put the Orange Line underground, and in the process the county generated billions of dollars in real estate value, stemmed an economic decline, and created the most vibrant and successful transit-oriented corridors in the nation.
The Streetcar — a joint project of Fairfax and Arlington — promises similar economic benefits and is the lynchpin for the economic revitalization of the Columbia Pike Corridor and Bailey’s Crossroads. The streetcar is projected to bring between $3.2 and $4.4 billion in real estate investment to the Columbia Pike corridor, as well as attract 6600 new jobs, and an increase of $375-735 million in countywide revenues.
It is also the foundational piece for Arlington’s vision for Columbia Pike: preserving affordable housing is linked to development incentives and revitalization which are linked to modern streetcar and the capacity it provides. Bus ridership has reached near maximum capacity at 17,000 riders per day, and the streetcar is needed to carry more people per hour.
Finally, on a per-mile or per-user basis, the streetcar costs less than other projects. The Beltway HOT lanes, for example, cost $1.4 billion for 14 miles and an estimated 66,000 users per day. Maryland’s ICC cost $2.6 billion for 18 miles and an estimated 30,000 users per day. The streetcar’s upper estimated cost is $261 million — for Arlington’s 5-mile segment with an estimated 26,000 users per day.
So, we are confident that the streetcar will continue to stand up to scrutiny and prove to be the best investment for the Columbia Pike Corridor. We see overall support for walkable, transit-oriented communities as remaining strong, and the results of the transportation referendum in Fairfax County bear this out. Over 71% of voters supported a bond package of which 83% percent went to bicycle and pedestrian investments.
About the Coalition for Smarter Growth
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.
[1] http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/public-transit-worth-way-more-city-you-think/6532/
[2] http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/Economic-Impact-Public-Transportation-Investment-APTA.pdf
[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/every-foot-matters-when-it-comes-to-real-estate-near-metro-researchers-say/2013/12/10/7e042f6a-6120-11e3-bf45-61f69f54fc5f_story.html
[4]http://www.wmata.com/pdfs/planning/WMATA%20Making%20the%20Case%20for%20Transit%20Final%20Report%20Jan-2012.pdf
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