Streetcar Revival Closer for West Sac

By Lakiesha McGhee, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

May 9–The last time trolley cars rolled through West Sacramento was in 1941. Efforts in the area to revive the cars date back 30 years.

Tonight, the West Sacramento City Council will take another step toward resurrecting a streetcar system that would link the city to Sacramento via the Tower Bridge.

While many uncertainties remain — including how to fund such a project — the council will consider jump-starting a financing plan, further studies and designs.

The idea is to transport residents, visitors and workers in and around the two cities’ downtown and riverfront areas. Short streetcar trips and fewer cars on the road will promote more "walkable" areas, spur economic activity and increase land values, city officials said.

"The streetcar concept is one that has taken off all over the country," West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said in a telephone interview from New Orleans. He said he made a point to ride and learn about the trolley cars there while on a business trip.

"It’s not just an alternative option for transportation, but for living," he said.

A year ago, West Sacramento joined Sacramento, the Yolo County Transportation District and the Sacramento Regional Transit District to plan a streetcar system. A series of community forums helped gain public feedback. A grant was secured from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments for a feasibility study.

The consultants who were hired to conduct the study were told to keep the project within a $50 million budget.

The study, which was released this month, recommends a preferred route stretching 2.2 miles, from the West Sacramento Civic Center on the west, over the Tower Bridge, to Sacramento’s midtown on the east. Existing light-rail tracks along Seventh, Eighth and K streets would be used for a portion of the route. A fleet of eight cars would operate 10 minutes apart.

The route would help connect new townhomes, high-rise office buildings and other developments on both sides of the Sacramento River. The streetcar line could expand to other areas, including the former railyard in downtown Sacramento proposed for retail and 10,000 homes, officials said.

The partner agencies will be asked to accept the study and initiate preliminary engineering designs, environmental studies and a financing plan. The preliminary work would be funded by state transportation funds already secured.

"There has always been a desire for a streetcar or historic trolley car in Sacramento," said Azadeh Doherty, principal planner for the Sacramento Department of Transportation.

In 1995, Sacramento conducted a streetcar study for operation only in its downtown, she said. But lack of funding and other priorities caused the trolley car idea to lose momentum.

"Now we have two mayors who are very supportive and interested, so the climate may be just right," Doherty said. "The streetcar project also is proposed to be funded mostly with private resources, which wasn’t the case before."

In addition to the $50 million needed to build the streetcar system, annual operation and maintenance would cost $2.5 million to $3.5 million, according to the feasibility study. An assessment district or community facilities district is suggested to help pay a significant portion of the costs.

To avoid competition with other light-rail projects, federal funds would not be sought, city officials said.

Supporters are hoping the benefits of a streetcar system will help sway the business community and potential developers.

"It will be very good for economic development," Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan said. "Businesses will want to be on the trolley line because it’s a secure, fixed route."

Unlike bus routes that can change, streetcar lines are more permanent and provide a steady stream of people to storefronts.

"The streetcar is often referred to as a pedestrian accelerator," said Mike Wiley, deputy general manager of the Sacramento Regional Transit District. "People feel comfortable, safe and secure hopping on a streetcar, traveling five or six blocks and then walking the rest of the way to get to a development."

Officials are looking at streetcar success in cities such as Portland, Ore., and Tampa, Fla. They recognize streetcars as being more cost-effective to build and operate and less disruptive to street traffic than light rail.

Many of the cars are an attractive addition to a downtown as they replicate historic trolleys or feature a sleek, modern design.

Wiley said the streetcar would complement light-rail service, which is designed to move more people longer distances.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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