oakland streetcar plan project summary 2

8/8/2019 Oakland Streetcar Plan Project Summary 2

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The Oakland Streetcar Plan

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Project Summaryvi

The Bay Area is in need of rejuvenation. Whilethe past half-century has brought unprecedentedgrowth and prosperity, the area’s long, congested

commutes, high cost of living, prolonged droughts,polluted environment, and susceptibility to volatile oilprices all point to a region stretched beyond its means. As a leader of the national economy and a role modelfor sustainability, the Bay Area in the 21st Century is inneed of a makeover to preserve its livability and reduce

its carbon footprint.

Few Bay Area cities necessitate revitalization as muchas Oakland. Over the past half century, Oakland’ssuburbs have prospered as the city’s economy has lost businesses, sales, and jobs. Oakland’s low sales taxrevenues, high unemployment, and lack of economicinvestment are directly responsible for the city’s currenteducation, public safety, and budget crises—Oaklandloses over a billion dollars in retail sales to its suburbsevery year, translating to a loss of over 10,000 jobs and$10 million in annual sales tax revenue. For Oaklandto remain regionally competitive and economically sustainable in the 21st Century, it must actively seek new industries, new businesses, new jobs, and new pathstoward opportunity.

The 21st Century will require a new order of urbandevelopment—smarter growth which gives people theopportunity to live closer to where they work and shop,encourages walking, bicycling, and transit use, andreduces the need to drive. With the Bay Area expectedto add 1.7 million new residents over the next 25 yearsand potentially export another half a million householdsto the Central Valley, continuing the sprawling develop-ment patterns of the 20th Century is simply not sustain-

Oakland Streetcar at aGlance

Length:• 2.55 Miles

Major destinations served:•

Transit Connections:•

Construction Cost:• $87-$92 Million

Operations Cost:• $2.9-$3.2 Million/year

Ridership:• 6900-7800/day (2030)

Economic Development:•

CO2 Reductions:• 99,000-114,000 tons/year

Gasoline Savings:• 4.9-5.7 million gallons/year

Funding:•

Downtown•

Jack London Square•

Uptown•

Upper Broadway •

Chinatown•

Old Oakland•

Piedmont Ave•

Mosswood Par k •

Fox & Para mount•

Theaters

Kaiser & Alta Bates•

Summit Medical

Centers

Future A’s Baseball•

Statium

12th St. & 19th St.•

BART Stations

Jack London•

Amtrak/Capitol

Corridor Station

Oakland Ferry •

Terminal

18+ AC Transit Bus•

Lines

10,000-12,000 housing units•

2.5-3.7 million sq. feet retail space•

4.1-4.5 million sq. feet of fice space•

37,000-44,000 construction jobs•

$600-$800 million in annual sales•

Capital Costs: 30%-55% Federal, 20-25%•

Regional, 20-50% Private

Operations Costs: 70-85% Private, 15-30% Public•



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Project Summaryvi

able and will increase our greenhouse gas emissions,

exacerbate our dependence on oil, clog our roadways,intensify our droughts, impair our public health, reduceour open space, and decrease our quality of life.1

Oakland has numerous assets which make it an idealplace to set smart growth in action: a central loca-tion, a temperate climate, a good transit system, anda substantial amount of developable land. Over thenext 25 years, Oakland is projected to add 150,000people (+34%), though this total could be even greater.2 The potential impacts of growth within Oakland are

substantial: every household diverted away from theCentral Valley into Oakland will reduce its CO2 emis-sions by at least 47%, and every workplace divertedaway from suburban of fice parks into DowntownOakland will reduce its emissions by at least 33%.3 The biggest hindrance toward achieving these benefits isattracting the developments, residents, and businessesthemselves.

1 ABAG Projections 20092 ABAG Projections 2009

3 See Section 4

Portland’s Pearl District, pre-streetcar Portland’s Pearl District, post-streetcar

The Portland Streetcar led the way for theredevelopment of Portland’s a bandoned

industrial a reas a djacent to its Downtown.

CO2Emissions

42%

Savings

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

T o n s C O 2

CO2 Emissions for Oakland Infill

vs. Suburban Sprawl



Oakland Streetcar Plan

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The Oakland Streetcar presents a tremendousopportunity to attract sustainable investmentto Oakland. Following in the steps of Portlandand Seattle, the Oakland Streetcar wouldhelp unleash Oakland’s potential to become amore livable, sustainable, and prosperous city.Streetcars fill a unique niche in transporta-tion because they excel at catalyzing compact,

mixed-use, transit-oriented development,particularly in economically depressed areas.The Portland Streetcar helped transform thecity’s abandoned railyards and industrial areasinto a vibrant urban environment, generatingover 10,000 housing units and 5.4 millionsquare feet of commercial space in a span of justover 10 years, carrying 11,000 riders per day.4 Seattle’s streetcar has followed suit, attracting2,500 housing units and 6.5 million square feetof commercial space in just fi ve years, trans-

lating to 16,000 construction jobs.5

4 Portland Streetcar Inc.5 Seattle Department of Transportation

Oakland Streetcar Proposal

Oakland Streetcar

BART Station

Capitol Corridor/Amtrak Station

Ferry Terminal

Portland’s Pearl District



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Project Summaryvi

By linking major civic, arts, and retail destinations, the

Oakland Streetcar will help fashion greater DowntownOakland into an attractive destination to live, work,and shop. Spanning from Jack London Square throughChinatown, Old Oakland, Downtown, Uptown, UpperBroadway, and ending at Piedmont Ave and the KaiserMedical Center, the Oakland Streetcar will connect totwo BART Stations, 18+ AC Transit bus lines, a ferry terminal, a Capitol Corridor/Amtrak station, the Kaiserand Alta Bates Summit Medical Centers, the Fox andParamount Theaters, Mosswood Park, Lake Merritt,the Jack London Market, potentially a new baseball

stadium, and a wide variety of new retail, dining, andentertainment destinations.

Underdeveloped LandUpper Broadway Developments10K Projects Approved/PlanningMajor Development Plan Boundary

Economic DevelopmentPotential

c Sq are

Total Development Potential Along

the Oakland Streetcar (See Section 3)

Factor Low High

Housing Units 10,457 12,123

Retail Space 2,543,000 3,709,000

Of fice Space 4,169,000 4,494,000

Construction Jobs 36,305 42,907Permanent Jobs 20,246 23,759

Residents 20,914 24,246

New Sales (mil. $) $577.9 $811.2

Downtown Oakland has begun to capital-

ize its large amounts of underused land inthe past decade, though substantial poten-tial remains.




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The Oakland Streetcar will help catalyze development

in areas currently ridden with surface parking lots andother underused land. In spite of its numerous assets,for years greater Downtown Oakland has not been ableto fully capitalize on the opportunities to create a lively urban environment. While some new investmentshave begun to change this trend in recent years, over120 acres of underutilized land remain within 1/4 mile(3.5 blocks) of Broadway, such as surface parking lots, vacant lots, run-down buildings, and other non-resi-dential, non-retail lots which serve little benefit to theneighborhood and city as a whole. As afixed, long-term

investment, a streetcar would stimulate new transit-ori-ented development, which encourages new pedestrianactivity and increased neighborhood desirability; that,in turn, facilitates even denser urban development andmore vibrant neighborhoods. When examining the totalimpacts of potential developments and developments inplanning along the Oakland Streetcar, 10,000-12,000housing units, 2.5-3.7 million square feet of retail space,and 4.1-4.5 million square feet of of fice space could beconstructed on presently underutilized land, translatingto 20,000-24,000 jobs, 21,000-24,000 new residents,

36,000-43,000 construction jobs, and $600-$800million in new sales.6 With these new developmentsand increased mobility and connectivity along theBroadway Corridor, the Oakland Streetcar could carry 6,900-7,800 riders per day by 2030.7

A unique trait of the Oakland Streetcar would be itsminimal impact upon Broadway. Streetcars run inmixed traf fic and do not require a dedicated lanelike many light rail and bus rapid transit systems.Moreover, the Oakland Streetcar could be constructed

with no major streetscape redesign and essentially noloss of parking—streetcars would run in the outsidelane and use refurbished AC Transit stops. The biggest

6 See Section 37 See Section 5

A simulation of the Oakland Streetcar onBroadway

Little Rock •

Memphis•

New Orleans•

Philadelphia•

Portland•

Atlanta•

Charlotte•

Cincinnati•

Dallas•

Denver•

Fort Worth•

Los Angeles•

Sacramento•

Tucson•

Washington DC•

San Francisco•

Seattle•

Tacoma•

Tampa•

Toronto•

Existing Streetcar Systems

Streetcar Systems in Planning



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Project Summaryvi

construction asset of streetcar systems, however, is thesimple and quick four-step construction process whichrequires only an eight foot wide and 12 inch deep cutinto the street, minimizing costs and allowing for two blocks of track to be constructed every two weeks. TheOakland Streetcar would mesh into Broadway’s existingstreetscape without significant changes.

At a total cost of $87-$92 million8, the Oakland

Streetcar would be funded with a diverse array of federal, regional, and local sources. Following themodels of Portland and Seattle, funding for the OaklandStreetcar would be driven by the increase in property values that it would induce through Community BenefitDistricts and Tax-Increment Financing (roughly 35% of total funding). Numerous regional funding opportuni-ties will also open up over the next 2-3 years, includingMTC’s Climate Initiative Grants and the ACTIA salestax reauthorization (roughly 25%). The remaining 40%could be matched by the Federal grant programs such

as Urban Circulator grants, TIGER grants, and otherprograms. Therefore, numerous opportunities areavailable to fund construction without any city funds.9


A Simple DesignStreetcars systems are built cheaply withoutsignificant construction impacts: about two

blocks worth of track can be constructedevery two weeks with little impact on thesurrounding streetscape or parking.

Low-floor, modern streetcars w ould be ide-al to handle the capacity and accessibility needs of the Broadw ay Corridor. Accessi-

bility is particularly an important with thepresence of both the Kaiser and Alta BatesSummit Medical Centers—in Portland, 9%of all passengers are handicapped.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4




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Funding the $3.0-$3.3 million in annual

operations costs could also occur with aminimal contribution from public sources.10 The Oakland Streetcar could consolidate fourshuttle services (Kaiser, Alta Bates Summit,Downtown-Jack London Square, and UpperBroadway), generating roughly 45% of oper-ating costs from private sources. 30% of operating costs could be recouped throughadvertising and fares, leaving the final 25%($750,000/year) to be split between transitagencies such as BART, AC Transit, Capitol

Corridor, and WETA in exchange for freetransfers, as well as 5-10% from city redevel-opment funds.11

The Oakland Streetcar represents a practicaland easily-implementable project to reshapegreater Downtown Oakland into a vibrant,attractive, livable, sustainable environment. While it is only one piece of a larger economicdevelopment strategy for Oakland as a whole,the Oakland Streetcar will serve an integral

role by stimulating new investment and revi-talizing the city’s core while reducing energy use and CO2 emissions.

The cost of doing nothing is not zero. Whilethe Upper Broadway Retail District, the Waterfront A’s Stadium, and significantgrowth in the greater Downtown could stilloccur, absent the streetcar these develop-ments would be less dense, less transit-oriented, and more car-dependent. Millions

of dollars more would have to be investedinto parking, which means less housing,


Streetcars are good for the economy:The Oakland Streetcar would signify a long-termcommittment to making Downtown Oakland amore desireable place to do business, helping toinduce substantial redevelopment and bringingnew residents, workers, and shoppers to Oakland.Streetcars are good for the enviroment: New households and workspaces along theOakland Streetcar would emit 42% less thansuburban alternatives, amounting to over100,000 tons CO2 saved annually.Streetcars are good for m obility: The Oakland Streetcar would dramatically

increase mobility and connectivity in greaterDowntown Oakland while reducing automobiletraf fic.Streetcars are good for Oakland: The Oakland Streetcar would bring new jobs,residents, retail choices to Oakland, potentially generating $4-$6 million in annual sales taxrevenue that could be applied to schools, publicsafety, and other city services.

retail, and of fice space, less housing afford-ability, more traf fic, and more greenhouse gasemissions, both within Oakland and beyond.Moreover, without the marketability andcertainty that a streetcar would bring, it isunclear when (if ever) Oakland might reach itspotential for a successful Downtown, Uptown,Upper Broadway, and Jack London Square.Oakland has the opportunity to remake itsgreater Downtown into vibrant, one of a

kind urban environment with the OaklandStreetcar. This opportunity should not go to waste.

oakland streetcar plan project summary 2

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