Thursday, December 17, 2009
UHF Advocates 26th/25th Street Streetcar
Here is a link to a great article by Kirk Huffaker, executive director of the Utah Heritage Foundation, regarding the Downtown-WSU transit corridor. UHF is a critical organization advocating historic preservation throughout the entire state of Utah. Most importantly, they really understand the impacts that a streetcar would have on our historic districts - and they are beneficial impacts! It's an excellent read!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
More News - Utah, Ogden, Trolley District is the place to be!
Here are a couple of cool news items for the area! The word is getting out about what an amazing place Ogden is. Why not be right in the middle of all the activity - in the Trolley District!
2009 MSN Real Estate Most-Livable
Utah: Second Healthiest State in the Nation
2009 MSN Real Estate Most-Livable
Utah: Second Healthiest State in the Nation
Thursday, November 12, 2009
WSU-Downtown Streetcar Update
As many residents of the trolley district already know, there is a current study taking place to determine a preferred mode and route for a new transit corridor between downtown Ogden and Weber State University. This new transit corridor represents a major investment in our community, and the resulting system will impact growth and development for decades to come.
The first step in this study is the completion of an alternatives analysis by an independent consultant, Wilbur Smith Associates. This study involves meetings with representatives from Stakeholder groups including Ogden City, Weber State, Mckay Dee Hospital, Weber County, UDOT, UTA, and the Wasatch Front Council of Governments. The study was initiated earlier this year with two public open-houses. Since that time, the Stake Holder Committee has held multiple meetings to discuss various alignment options and to work toward making a decision on a preferred route. Once a decision on a preffered route is made, an EIS will be completed detailing costs and impacts of the proposed route that will then be submitted to FTA for funding. There are a number of issues to be considered:
Cost - Cost is important, but it is not necessarily about choosing the least expensive route. The route that creates the best return on its initial investment (i.e. ridership and economic development potential) will be favored by FTA. Factors that effect cost include mode (streetcar is the most expensive, but is also shown to create the greatest economic return) and route (the physical condition of the road that will have to be altered to include the transit improvement). Utility conflicts can affect costs, as well as right-of-way conditions for State (UDOT) roads.
Travel Times - Because the purpose of the transit corridor is to connect front-runner to WSU, travel times are a critical component. Ultimately the chosen route and mode must operate efficiently between endpoints. This means a balance between the number of stops and turns in the system, and the amounts of dedicated travel lanes vs. shared travel lanes. (This also relates to cost because while dedicated travel lanes are faster, they are also more expensive).
Community/Economic Development/Ridership - This component is a bit more interperative than cost and travel times, which are easier to predict. The economic development potential of a route or mode is based on the private investment along a corridor that will occur as a direct result of the additional ridership brought by a permanent transit investment. Obviously there is a balance between the amount and types of commercial areas that will positively be affected by a transit improvement, and how people are interfacing with the streetcar. Ideally a streetcar route should service mixed use development, residential, retail, office, etc. to optimize opportunities for both ridership interface and commercial destinations.
Based on the initial public scoping meetings there was a clear preference amongst community members for a 25th Street Streetcar Alignment, ourselves included! Residents of Ogden have an innate understanding of the city's overall landscape. We have also worked diligently to plan for and promote revitalization of the urban core, while also working to re-shape our image to a clean, green, active, bike, and pedestrian friendly community. A 25th Street Streetcar would be a catalyst for such revitalization, working to restore the community from the very same corridor that it grew out of at the end of the 1900's! Most importantly, we, the residents of Ogden and Weber County, are the client for this project. Our tax dollars are being used to build a system that we will ride.
Unfortunately, somewhere between these early public scoping meetings and next week's final stakeholder meeting to make a decision on the preferred alignment, the study went off-track! In a report released yesterday, the consultants are recommending a 36th street alignment, in drastic opposition to the common sense and insight of the community at large.
Early on in the Alternatives Study, it became apparent that the Stakeholders were sympathetic to the community's desire to have a 25th Street Streetcar Alignment, but the State Agencies and the project Consultants have been pushing them away from this route. In the beginning, all of the data seemed to prefer the 25th street east-west route. However, as the study progressed UDOT was (and still is) opposed to the inclusion of a transit corridor along any portion of Harrison Boulevard (based on long-range plans to widen the corridor to 7-lanes!). UTA also seems to be shying away from the 25th Street corridor, replacing the project manager for the study when he suggested that the group needed more time to adequately consider all the information!
The next meeting is going to be on Thursday, November 19th, at 1:30p.m, at the Weber County Building. This meeting is open to the public to observe, but not comment. Let's contact the Stakeholder Committee now and let them know that we support a 25th street alignment, ask for more and better information, and that they not let UTA and UDOT bully them into a consensus. Let's get this study back on-track!
Click here to read and sign our petition!
The first step in this study is the completion of an alternatives analysis by an independent consultant, Wilbur Smith Associates. This study involves meetings with representatives from Stakeholder groups including Ogden City, Weber State, Mckay Dee Hospital, Weber County, UDOT, UTA, and the Wasatch Front Council of Governments. The study was initiated earlier this year with two public open-houses. Since that time, the Stake Holder Committee has held multiple meetings to discuss various alignment options and to work toward making a decision on a preferred route. Once a decision on a preffered route is made, an EIS will be completed detailing costs and impacts of the proposed route that will then be submitted to FTA for funding. There are a number of issues to be considered:
Cost - Cost is important, but it is not necessarily about choosing the least expensive route. The route that creates the best return on its initial investment (i.e. ridership and economic development potential) will be favored by FTA. Factors that effect cost include mode (streetcar is the most expensive, but is also shown to create the greatest economic return) and route (the physical condition of the road that will have to be altered to include the transit improvement). Utility conflicts can affect costs, as well as right-of-way conditions for State (UDOT) roads.
Travel Times - Because the purpose of the transit corridor is to connect front-runner to WSU, travel times are a critical component. Ultimately the chosen route and mode must operate efficiently between endpoints. This means a balance between the number of stops and turns in the system, and the amounts of dedicated travel lanes vs. shared travel lanes. (This also relates to cost because while dedicated travel lanes are faster, they are also more expensive).
Community/Economic Development/Ridership - This component is a bit more interperative than cost and travel times, which are easier to predict. The economic development potential of a route or mode is based on the private investment along a corridor that will occur as a direct result of the additional ridership brought by a permanent transit investment. Obviously there is a balance between the amount and types of commercial areas that will positively be affected by a transit improvement, and how people are interfacing with the streetcar. Ideally a streetcar route should service mixed use development, residential, retail, office, etc. to optimize opportunities for both ridership interface and commercial destinations.
Based on the initial public scoping meetings there was a clear preference amongst community members for a 25th Street Streetcar Alignment, ourselves included! Residents of Ogden have an innate understanding of the city's overall landscape. We have also worked diligently to plan for and promote revitalization of the urban core, while also working to re-shape our image to a clean, green, active, bike, and pedestrian friendly community. A 25th Street Streetcar would be a catalyst for such revitalization, working to restore the community from the very same corridor that it grew out of at the end of the 1900's! Most importantly, we, the residents of Ogden and Weber County, are the client for this project. Our tax dollars are being used to build a system that we will ride.
Unfortunately, somewhere between these early public scoping meetings and next week's final stakeholder meeting to make a decision on the preferred alignment, the study went off-track! In a report released yesterday, the consultants are recommending a 36th street alignment, in drastic opposition to the common sense and insight of the community at large.
Early on in the Alternatives Study, it became apparent that the Stakeholders were sympathetic to the community's desire to have a 25th Street Streetcar Alignment, but the State Agencies and the project Consultants have been pushing them away from this route. In the beginning, all of the data seemed to prefer the 25th street east-west route. However, as the study progressed UDOT was (and still is) opposed to the inclusion of a transit corridor along any portion of Harrison Boulevard (based on long-range plans to widen the corridor to 7-lanes!). UTA also seems to be shying away from the 25th Street corridor, replacing the project manager for the study when he suggested that the group needed more time to adequately consider all the information!
The next meeting is going to be on Thursday, November 19th, at 1:30p.m, at the Weber County Building. This meeting is open to the public to observe, but not comment. Let's contact the Stakeholder Committee now and let them know that we support a 25th street alignment, ask for more and better information, and that they not let UTA and UDOT bully them into a consensus. Let's get this study back on-track!
Click here to read and sign our petition!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Junior League of Ogden introduces the Oasis Community Garden
There's a lot going on in the Trolley District these days. Homes are coming to life; yards are being cleaned up and green-ed up! And, if you've peered inside the block between 24th and 25th streets and Monroe and Madison, you may have noticed an incredible transformation! What once was an abandoned collection of weeds and junk, in an otherwise sketchy urban jungle, is now a soon to be green jewel in our ever-improving community! The Junior League of Ogden has been working with donors and neighbors to create a community garden, aptly named the Oasis. This project has been in the works for some time, but over the course of the last summer has seen many improvements including a new paved walking path, a patch of green grass, beautiful arts&crafts lights, and a new irrigation system.
The Junior League plans to have garden plots available next spring, along with an official unveiling! They are having a preliminary unveiling this fall to introduce the project to area neighbors. The pre-view will happen on Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.
We encourage everyone to come out for this wonderful project, and find out how you can get involved next year!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Council Candidates on the Trolley District
With the upcoming elections, residents in the heart of Ogden are contemplating their choices for Ogden City Council candidates. In an effort to help voters learn more about each candidate, we formulated a list of questions regarding the present and future of the Trolley District:
1. Historically the Trolley District was Ogden’s primary residential community. The neighborhood was connected to downtown via a series of streetcars that ran East-West along 21st, 23rd, 25th, and 27th streets, and the synergy between the neighborhood and the downtown resulted in a vibrant City overall. What role do you feel the revitalization of the Trolley District plays in the overall revitalization of the City of Ogden? How would you support community efforts to promote and enhance the Trolley District?
2. Currently Ogden City, in cooperation with UTA, UDOT, and other stakeholders, is undertaking a formal study of alternative alignments for an improved transit system (probably a streetcar) between downtown and WSU. Some of the proposed alignments would pass through the heart of the Trolley District and then continue south along Harrison Blvd., while other options would go south along Washington and then east on 30th or 36th, bypassing most of the historic Trolley District. What are your views on the trade-offs among the various alignments? Given the trade-offs and challenges, do you have a preference at this time?
3. Also relating to transportation issues, UDOT’s current long-range transportation plan calls for the expansion of Harrison Boulevard to 7-lanes. How do you think such expansion would impact communities along Harrison, including the Trolley District? Would you be an advocate for area neighbors in generating more sustainable and equitable solutions for Harrison? How would you approach the issue with the community and the associated public agencies?
4. Are there any other current issues that you think may have lasting impacts on the Trolley District, that area residents should be aware of?
So far we have received responses from the following candidates (click on their names to view their responses):
Municipal Ward 1
Jesse Garcia
Neil K. Garner
Municipal Ward 3
Doug Stephens
Patrick A. Dean
At Large Seat "A"
Mark B. Hains
Susan Van Hooser
At Large Seat "B"
Bart Blair
David Phipps(Disqualified)
1. Historically the Trolley District was Ogden’s primary residential community. The neighborhood was connected to downtown via a series of streetcars that ran East-West along 21st, 23rd, 25th, and 27th streets, and the synergy between the neighborhood and the downtown resulted in a vibrant City overall. What role do you feel the revitalization of the Trolley District plays in the overall revitalization of the City of Ogden? How would you support community efforts to promote and enhance the Trolley District?
2. Currently Ogden City, in cooperation with UTA, UDOT, and other stakeholders, is undertaking a formal study of alternative alignments for an improved transit system (probably a streetcar) between downtown and WSU. Some of the proposed alignments would pass through the heart of the Trolley District and then continue south along Harrison Blvd., while other options would go south along Washington and then east on 30th or 36th, bypassing most of the historic Trolley District. What are your views on the trade-offs among the various alignments? Given the trade-offs and challenges, do you have a preference at this time?
3. Also relating to transportation issues, UDOT’s current long-range transportation plan calls for the expansion of Harrison Boulevard to 7-lanes. How do you think such expansion would impact communities along Harrison, including the Trolley District? Would you be an advocate for area neighbors in generating more sustainable and equitable solutions for Harrison? How would you approach the issue with the community and the associated public agencies?
4. Are there any other current issues that you think may have lasting impacts on the Trolley District, that area residents should be aware of?
So far we have received responses from the following candidates (click on their names to view their responses):
Municipal Ward 1
Jesse Garcia
Neil K. Garner
Municipal Ward 3
Doug Stephens
Patrick A. Dean
At Large Seat "A"
Mark B. Hains
Susan Van Hooser
At Large Seat "B"
Bart Blair
David Phipps(Disqualified)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Community Plan Update - Approved!
The Ogden City Council met tonight and unanimously approved our new community plan. The approved version included changes or clarifications regarding future streetcar alignments and the widening of Harrison. We will be sure to post a link to the final plan once it is available. Thanks to all the community members who came out to provide input! A special thanks to the planning staff, planning commission, and council for engaging Trolley District neighbors in this entire process. This is a great start for our community, but we still have mountain of work to do! Please stay tuned for all the many ways to get involved in continuing to improve and celebrate our neighborhood...
Reminder - Community Plan Meeting Tonight!
Tonight, October 20th at 6:00 p.m. at Madison Elementary School - The Ogden City Council will conduct a public input meeting to consider a proposed Community Plan for the East Central (Trolley District) Community.
The planning process began in September 2008. Since that time, citizens, Planning Staff and Planning Commissioners have been involved in formulating the proposed plan. Two previous public meetings have been held, and the Planning Commission is recommending approval of the Plan to the City Council as part of the Ogden City General Plan.
A copy of the plan is available at: www.ogdencity.com/en/government/city_document_search.aspx
It is important that you attend this meeting, to encourage the Council to ratify the plan previously approved by the Planning Commission, and crafted with the thoughtful collaboration of many Trolley District Community members. There are also a number of issues that the Council may need clarification on - for instance:
The planning process began in September 2008. Since that time, citizens, Planning Staff and Planning Commissioners have been involved in formulating the proposed plan. Two previous public meetings have been held, and the Planning Commission is recommending approval of the Plan to the City Council as part of the Ogden City General Plan.
A copy of the plan is available at: www.ogdencity.com/en/government/city_document_search.aspx
It is important that you attend this meeting, to encourage the Council to ratify the plan previously approved by the Planning Commission, and crafted with the thoughtful collaboration of many Trolley District Community members. There are also a number of issues that the Council may need clarification on - for instance:
- The official naming of the district to "Ogden's Historic Trolley District."
- Harrison Boulevard's Future: Please see the previous posting about the long range transportation plan, and our desire to have Harrison become a vibrant multi-modal corridor, rather than a 7-lane highway.
- The desire of residents to realize an eventual streetcar revival - Including dialoging with UTA about incorporating the district as part of the Downtown-WSU transit corridor (25th or 26th street alignment).
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