More streetcar fallout ... but will it amount to anything but talk?

Arlington County:

“It came as no real surprise that Arlington Treasurer Frank O’Leary and Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy yesterday hopped on the small but growing bandwagon of elected officials supporting a referendum on the Columbia Pike streetcar issue. Each is a supporter of the congressional bid of Patrick Hope, who last week (along with County Board candidate Alan Howze) announced their support for the referendum idea. O’Leary had served as Howze’s campaign treasurer in the special election.

What we’re beginning to see is a splintering among elected officials. So far, candidates who are on the ballot this year (Hope in June and Howze in November) and next year (Morroy in November 2015) appear to see the writing on the wall, and are hoping to get out from under the public animosity that is being directed at the County Board. (O’Leary is expected to retire at or before the end of his term at the end of 2015, but he has always been willing and able to stick it to the County Board over the decades.)…

But let’s put it in perspective. Until we see the likes of state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30th) or Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49th) – whose districts include the heart of the Pike corridor – come out for a referendum, it’s still a long way from reality. And County Board Democrats, who appear to remain in deep denial of what is going on, could just say no despite mounting pressure.”

~Writes Scott McCaffrey of InsideNova

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Pike ‘Super Stops’ Redesigned, Cost Nearly Cut in Half

Arlington County:

“The county’s plan for ‘Super Stop’ bus stops on Columbia Pike, which led to the much-maligned $1 million Super Stop at the corner of the Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive, has been scrapped in favor of a more affordable design.

The county announced this afternoon that the new plan calls for building the 23 additional transit centers along the Pike for about 40 percent less than the previous budget, dropping the total price from $20.9 million to $12.4 million. The cost of individual stations will be between $362,000 and $672,000.

The freshly-redesigned stops — which were designed by the county and a consultant — will feature six covered, concrete seats, as opposed to the Super Stop’s steel seats. The canopies, which on the Super Stop did little to keep out the elements, will be lowered in height from 13 feet to 10 feet and the angle reduced from 10 degrees to 1.5 degrees. The total canopy coverage will also increase from 243 to 295 square feet on standard transit centers. In addition, side windscreens will be added to enhance weather protection.”

~Writes Ethan Rothstein of ArlingtonNow

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Arlington Streetcar supporters: Election results won’t change momentum of project

Arlington County:

“Supporters of the Columbia Pike streetcar say the April 8 County Board special election will not derail their efforts. And they have the math on their side. Arlington Streetcar Now, which supports the planned five-mile line connecting Pentagon City west to Skyline, said it hopes new County Board member John Vihstadt will keep an open mind on the proposal. During the campaign, Vihstadt said his preference was for an upgraded bus network throughout the Columbia Pike corridor.

Vihstadt’s election ‘does not change any of the facts that have led the Arlington County Board to conclude on numerous occasions that the streetcar system is needed,’ Arlington Streetcar Now said in a statement the day after the election. ‘We hope . . . that he reviews with an open mind the voluminous data showing that the streetcar system would do far more to promote the community’s vision than the enhanced bus service that he has favored,’ the group said.

Getting Vihstadt to hop on board the streetcar plan likely will be a hard sell. The special election appears to have taken the form of a proxy referendum on big-ticket spending projects, with the Columbia Pike streetcar proposal front and center.”

~Writes Scott McCaffrey of Inside Nova

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New Economic Analysis of Streetcar Likely to Leave Controversy in Wake

Arlington County:

“County government officials say they in coming weeks will release an updated analysis of the projected impact of the Columbia Pike streetcar project on the local area’s economy. ‘We anticipate the study being complete in mid- to late February,’ officials of the county government’s Department of Environmental Services told the Sun Gazette on Jan. 31.

The county government in September contracted with HR&A Associates, a consulting firm, to undertake the study. At the time, completion was expected in December. The analysis is being conducted using information that has become available since the county government’s 2012 application for federal funds for the streetcar project. The county was turned down for those funds; the Federal Transit Administration said the cost of the project was higher than was allowed for the ‘Small Starts’ funding pool.

County Board Chairman Jay Fisette on Jan. 30 told a Leadership Arlington gathering that he expected the report to be out in coming weeks. As for what it might say? ‘We’ll know soon,’ Fisette said.”

~Writes Scott McCaffrey of the Sun Gazette

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