Yesterday the County Manager and her PR Staff convened a press conference at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard so they could present the report of a consulting firm the County hired - HR and A Advisors, Incorporated. As you may remember, HR and A Advisors also helped Jay Fissete's Community Energy Task Force produce a Dominion-Washington Gas friendly community energy plan based on fossil fuel to generate electricity and heat.
According to handouts produced at the press conference, HR and A Associates concluded that a "Columbia Pike Streetcar Will Generate $3.2 - 4.4 Billion Over 30 Years". And, "Streetcar benefits include more jobs, more tax revenue than enhanced bus service".
So what is "enhanced bus service"? Enhanced bus service, as defined by HR and A, is NOT Bus Rapid Transit, like the Las Vegas BRT vehicle pictured above. Enhanced bus service consists of older articulated buses on typical city / suburban routes. Like WMATA's analysis of alternative Pike transit systems and Arlington's submission to the Federal Transit Administration for Small Starts funding, H R and A's analysis was careful not to include transit systems with successful state-of-the-art bus rapid transit vehicles.
So what else is new? When have we EVER seen anything at all about the successful Las Vegas BRT system from pro-streetcar Arlington Government, pro-streetcar WMATA, and the pro-streetcar local media?
H R and A's analysis completely ignores what will actually occur on the Pike - thousands of low-income residents living in affordable housing and thousands more vehicles generating who-knows-how-much-more traffic. But don't be concerned about that, let's look at what's going on in Portland. That's what happens when you hire Smart Growth boosters as consultants.
But, wait, it gets worse.County Government is so gone on streetcars that it's pushing for Streetcars Now, meaning right now, in Crystal City, funded together with all the other infrastructure for Crystal City via TIF financing - that is, out of general revenue. How many hundreds of millions will that cost?
County's Public Tax Rate Hearing is tonight, in the event anyone wants to complain.
Cindy
16 comments:
Thanks, Cindy. Another 'Alternatives Analysis". Another Charade.
How much is being planned in TIF financing for Crystal City? $500 million? $1 billion?
HR and A also performed several charade analyses for the County's Creative Class Affordable Housing Initiative.
Inside Nova aka Sun Gazette is still running photos of streetcars with the overhead wires airbrushed out.
How much TIF funding for the Pike?
Completely disgraceful the the "local media" run photos of streetcars with the tracks and overhead wires airbrushed out to make the streetcars look like BRTs.
Don't expect the Post to be sympathetic to BRTs. Graham Family still operates the Post when not involved in redevelopment activities in the District and elsewhere.
Post had and has no sympathy for the Alexandria Waterfront preservationists, only wanted top dollar for Robinson Terminal and has no sympathy with anyone who opposes streetcar lines.
HR & A deliberately ignored solar water heating systems when it performed analyses for Fisette's Community Energy Plan.
I expect the Post to endorse Alan Howze for County Board, based upon the Post's increased comfort level with re-development, developers, chambers of commerce, and reits.
Post's Alexandria-Arlington staff journalist Patricia Sullivan only reports what she hears from County Planning Staff, developers, Reits, planners, and so on.
Legacy Journalism Sucks. Read Patricia Sullivan's pro-charade streetcar alternative analysis report in today's Post to learn why.
Anyone who is concerned about Arlington County's fiscal integrity should be concerned about out-of-control TIF-General Fund spending.
Patricia Sullivan completely ignored the comments from County Staff about mega-millions from future TIF funding going to Crystal City for everything Jay Fisette, Streetcar Now, Vornado, and everybody else on the 2100 Gravy Train want.
Why has Jeff Bezos allowed Katherine Weymouth to continue as Publisher and CEO of the Post?
Local Media are completely corrupt...that's why this $#!+ goes on...and on.
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