VIA Metropolitan Transit Company met with the city council regarding future plans involving a new streetcar line. According to Vianna Davila, "VIA must drastically change its streetcar proposal if it wants the city to help pay for the project."
In late September, VIA presented a plan to the San Antonio City Council that includes a new wireless streetcar plan along with expansion projects. Their new streetcar line would be battery operated with no overhead wires and will run east and west through downtown San Antonio. In the meeting, City Council showed its willingness to proceed with a streetcar system, but on the city's terms, with the line to run north and east.
The debate for the route is due to the way both parties plan to fund the project. To pay for an east-west route, "VIA wants to use city and county money, combined with its own bonding capacity. Local funding contributions would then help leverage federal dollars to pay for a north-south line, which VIA would hope to build a couple of years after the east-west course."
On the other hand, the city wants build a line that runs from the north and the east by using "private investment, combined with other local dollars. A bus circulator would move between the east and west transit facilities."
Keith Parker, CEO and President to VIA says that the expansion plans are "transformative and designed to change the very fabric and the way San Antonio is viewed from around the city, around the county, around the state and certainly around the world."
FULL STORY: Streetcar Visions Decidedly Different
Bus or Streetcar? Boise Ponders a 'Circulator' Through Downtown
While what exact form it will take is uncertain, the idea of a circulator running a loop through Downtown Boise is gaining support.
Atlanta's Nascent Streetcar Systems Begins Charging, Critics Pounce
After a stumbling start getting off the ground, proponents of Atlanta's new streetcar see hope in its future while others question further investment.
San Antonio Streetcar Plans at Risk
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor is calling for a "pause" on the city's proposed streetcar. Meanwhile a charter amendment from project opponents could be headed to the ballot and a county judge has called for the project to be put on hold.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
