My meeting with the Downtown Development Authority regarding “The Wave”
My meeting with the DDA regarding “The Wave”
Based upon my previous post challenging the DDA’s promotion of “The Wave” light rail system here in Fort Lauderdale (http://abetterftlauderdale.com/?p=291), the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) invited me to meet with them this week. I accepted. At the meeting was Charlie Ladd, Chair of the Board of Directors, DDA, Chris Wren, Executive Director, DDA, and Phillip Smelley, Project Manager for “The Wave”, who is employed by a third party in Atlanta.
I thought the meeting would last about an hour, but it went on for almost four hours! I have to say, I expected the folks from the DDA to go after me, as I’ve not been a supporter of the Project. But Charlie, Chris and Phillip were very cordial and polite and I thank them for that. We listened and learned from each other. This is what I learned from our meeting:
I asked about the high cost of this project and was told:
· The cost to traverse the New River (remember, sailboats have to go through there), by retrofitting the existing 3rd Street drawbridge supposedly will cost about $20 million. (Seems awful pricey…)This is a cost that most other light rail systems don’t have to contend with.
· The 2.7 mile run is a loop, so in actuality the total number of miles of track is 5.4 miles, (NOT the 2.7 as their literature suggests). This brings the cost per mile down to about $19M per mile, assuming the per mile logic here is correct.
I asked about expected ridership:
· The number of expected riders per day is now expected to be 4,200 riders, not the 6,000 as suggested before.
· They were unable to provide me with any backup information that substantiated where they are coming up with their number of daily riders. They seem to be counting on a lot of people from the Courthouse and the Hospital using The Wave to go to lunch. I remain skeptical.
· Phil, the Project Manager, promised me more data about this next week. If I learn anything new, I’ll pass it on. Remember, if the ridership is below the minimum number of riders to break even, then we as taxpayers will have to pick up the annual operating tab, year after year.
About the route:
· The route is not set in stone yet (no pun intended), so theoretically, it could still so out Sistrunk to NW 7th Ave and/or up to Sears Town. Commissioner DuBose and Commissioner Rodstrom: you might want to encourage the DDA to revise the route so that the less wealthy property owners along Sistrunk benefit as well.
· There are many issues, (pro and con) that are part of the existing route. To be sure, it does benefit the DDA property owners by increasing the value of their property, and would also encourage new home owners, renters and businesses to settle there (also benefiting the DDA). But with new people and businesses supposedly moving in, it would increase the overall tax base of our City, which is a good thing (as long as the City controls its spending habit, which so far hasn’t happened).
· Careful redevelopment of these areas (some are quite blighted right now) could also enable us to have new “destinations” for our City, something that I have been talking about for over a year.
Federal funds would kick in 50% (about $60M), state funds would supply about 25% ($30M), The DDA’s members would provide about $15-$20M, and the DDA is asking the City to provide about $10M-$15M. So where would the City get the money? There seems to be four options:
· Use some of the existing CRA (Community Re-development) funds to pay for the City’s share. I think this is the best option as the money is supposedly already there.
· Have the City sell some of the property it owns to fund this project. Possibly this would be a reasonable option.
· Set up a taxpayer approved bond to cover the construction cost which could be paid for over time. Not a big fan of this, given the way our current City Manager has squandered our Fire Bond.
· Have the taxpayer pay higher property taxes to cover the cost. Absolutely not!
In summary, I had a great meeting with Charlie, Chris and Phil. They are all gentlemen and I was impressed that they took so much time to explain the project to me. This was my first visit with Charlie Ladd and I like him. He and I agree on much about the future development of the City and what needs to go in to that development to make Fort Lauderdale a more tourist-oriented city and a city that we as residents can be proud of.
But unless the DDA can work with the City to insure that local taxpayers are not burdened with an additional tax AND until they can provide data that proves their ridership expectations are reasonable, this writer will remain skeptical about the success of this project. I would like “The Wave” to succeed; I just don’t think it will under the current proposal.
Earl Rynerson
Reader Comments
As usual, Earl, this is well thought out with more
details than we have seen in the news or heard from
Rodstrom whom we never have trusted. YOU took the time. Real facts are often hidden or not shared as you well know. Your persistance as well as Tim Smith’s work is concerned with the city as a whole, and not the wealthy.
THANK YOU for speaking in a common sense manner.
What makes this information meaningful is several
solutions which we will ponder.
As usual, Earl, this is well thought out with more
details than we have seen in the news or heard from
Rodstrom whom we never have trusted. YOU took the time. Real facts are often hidden or not shared as you well know. Your persistance as well as Tim Smith’s work in the past is concerned with the city as a whole, and not only the wealthy.
THANK YOU for speaking in a common sense manner.
What makes this information meaningful is several
solutions which we will ponder.
Earl
Thanks for the excellent report. And thanks to those who were willing to talk about the project in some depth.
I hope that you and the City authorities will keep pressing for hardcore info on projected daily riders. I cannot find 4000 potential riders for this train. I am at an even greater loss when I try to find the “value” of these riders.
Without value ther is no good reason for this project.
Thanks Earl. And thanks DDA for having a vision for The Wave. I think the route needs some fine tuning but overall it is a decent first step. I would like to see a world class system that is conceived in phases, eventually reaching the beach, port, airport and/or regional trasportation hub.
Earl please don’t go around those greedy investors again, some day they will lure you into putting effort behind their selfish antics. The most important thing is the rider numbers are crazy exaggerated. A great question: who would ride a train from work on their lunch break to go and buy lunch…NOONE! I can hear an employee telling it’s supervisor he or she is late from lunch because the train was slow, or it was off schedule. One thing they will never say is the train was too crowded. Let’s get real why would I, because that’s who they want to ride the train,pay any amount to ride a train to go and pick-up an expensive downtown lunch? Ditch the train,since the DDA has money to burn why don’t they make a charitable contribution to Broward County Schools, and reap the rewards of a return three years from now. Earl has the Commissioners ears and eyes open now and I ask them to vote NO!…if this nonsense ever reach thier meetings for a vote. DDA I have an idea since you are reading this blog Invest in the youth you know the future of the city, that way they have hope and you have someone to run the biz’s you work so hard to develope…Developers!
Invest in the Trolley instead! It’s beautiful, new, environmentally friendly and covers the same route. It doesnt get used enough BECAUSE the wait time (20 minutes between visits) is too long to wait in the hot sun. By fielding more trolleys and cutting down the wait time, you can achieve the same results by shuttling people to desirable downtown destinations, and spend millions less than building the Wave. The ridership numbers ARE NOT there! If they arent there for the existing trolley, they wont magically materialize for the Wave.
I agree with Robin Merrill. The trolley is a more viable solution and less cumbersome to the downtown area as opposed to trying to build and spend a new form of transportation.
When I first heard about the Wave, I realized that this was a boondoggle from the beginning. 4,200 riders? really? Pump the money back into the schools, please. If you are considering imitating what Miami has, try again. Put the money into the trolley service and increase the number of trolleys and the routes they use.
There is no real gain for light rail unless the route is expanded, for example, from downtown directly to the airport.
Interesting progression:
“At the meeting was Charlie Ladd, Chair of the Board of Directors, DDA, Chris Wren, Executive Director, DDA, and Phillip Smelley, Project Manager for “The Wave”, who is employed by a third party in Atlanta.”
then:
“I had a great meeting with Charlie, Chris and Phil. They are all gentlemen and I was impressed…that they took so much time to explain the project to me. This was my first visit with Charlie Ladd and I like him. ”
Are we loosing Earl?
It should be abundantly clear Earl is more valuable as an ally than adversary. Surely he’ll be courted by the DDA, particularly Charlie Ladd, and anyone else who stands to gain, or loose ground based on his (Earl’s) opinions and comments.
It is interesting to watch how alliances are formed and allegiances shift. It’s a slow process requiring strategy, patience and time. With the right incentives it is easy to influences anyone’s judgement.
It’s always worth asking how people achieve success, particularly those who eventually have the ability to influence the possible expenditure of over 60 million dollars on something as useless as a light-rail train in a part of town where most people will not walk at night.
As too population growth, both residential and commercial is depressed with no end in sight. At the time the economy begins to turn, people able to qualify for home mortgages will elect to buy in safer, well established neighborhoods, where prices are depressed and values high. It is unlikely new, or current residents will rent or buy in blighted areas simply because there may be some sort of low cost, ring-around-the-rosy-toy-train.
What makes anyone think a project like The Wave will be any different than the Las Olas Riverfront - an unmitigated failure ?
Be careful Earl. The future is at stake. Remember, the DDA is in business to increase it’s own wealth and prominence, not make friends or serve the interest of the citizens of Fort Lauderdale.
Sincerely,
Watchful Eye
To those of you concerned about my moderated tone on the second article regarding the “Wave”, I understand your concerns. Just because I appreciate someone taking the time to explain their position does not mean I am going to agree with their position.
We as taxpayers should not shoulder ANY of the cost associated with this project, as it is still clear to me that the DDA memnbers will be the primariy beneficiary. The vast majority of Fort Lauderdale residents, will not benefit from the Wave. If the DDA wants to build it and insure that taxpayers are not burdened, then fine.
Earl Rynerson
I would like to weigh in,
the Trolley is the best solutions, why aren’t there more. I never see them where they are supposed to be.
I spend a lot of time on the las olas and the river walk, the only place I always see the Trolley is in front of the Publix on 17th street. More Trolleys would be the answer. developers could invest in their own transportation for shopping and beaches.
when are the derelict builings on Federal highway past broward coming down. make the city look better, than develop it
What transit system in this country breaks even or is profitable? I don’t think there is any?
Earl,
I too was originally in favor of the Wave proposal until I started looking at its cost. Tampa, Portland and other cities have constructed streetcar systems for approximately $12 million per mile. Even when you factor out the cost to adapt the 3rd Avenue bridge for streetcar use, and accept the DDA’s double tracking explanation, the Wave still costs $19 million per mile, according to the DDA’s calculation. That’s 50+% more than those other cities’ costs.
As to ridership, accurate predictions are hard to come by, but that is to be expected with the first phase of a new project. To a great extent, any ridership figures will require a leap of faith. Tampa’s system has not been able to financially sustain itself (and its route connects destinations such as the convention center and Ybor City.) The City of Tampa and Hillsborough County are contemplating taking over the system from its non-profit operator, putting taxpayers there on the hook. Broward County has already accepted that responsibilty for the Wave, and according to Mr. Ladd, that is a “dedicated” source of funding. This means that if the Wave’s $2+ million annual costs are not covered by farebox revenues, the county “must” cover the shortfall. Other county transit commitments — buses, TriRail, etc., which are already being cut back — may very well see additional service cuts as a result. It’s not that the Wave simply adds to the county’s transit commitments, it’s that The Wave gets preferred treatment over those other needs. (George Orwell was correct, some are “more equal” than others.) It seems unfair to ask someone who rides the bus to and from work to stand in the sun or rain at the bus stop for a longer time so that the Wave can keep running. I realize that there are limited resources and setting the right transit mix is a balancing act. But someone should be seriously looking at how we set our priorities. Part of the DDA’s Wave ridership projections include downtown workers who commute on TriRail. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the dedicated spending devoted to the Wave ends up cutting county support for TriRail service, leading to more, not less, traffic congestion downtown?
There’s no need to demonize the DDA for wanting to increase the development potential of the downtown properties — that’s their mission. But it is fair, when the DDA comes to the taxpayers for a subsidy, to ask what the city and county get in return. These are businessmen and they understand that business transactions take place when both parties win. I’m not sure our elected officials understand that they should not be shy about asking for something in return for their financial backing.
I agree with you that most residents of Fort Lauderdale or Broward County will not use The Wave. (Although in the long run The Wave may generate additional economic activity, jobs and higher tax revenues.) It’s not unreasonable to ask the private interests that directly benefit from the project to pick up most of the costs. If the construction costs could be brought in line with similar projects and the assessment on downtown property was increased modestly — a dollar a month more per residential unit and a penny more per square foot of commercial space — the City’s financial commitment would drop to zero. (Assuming the 50%/25% federal and state funding split, the increased special assessment would cover the entire 25% local share.) Instead of spending the City’s CRA funds for construction costs, those funds would be available to enhance trolley service to feed The Wave from nearby neighborhoods, or for other downtown redevelopment projects. Raising the assessment on a residential unit from $8.33 per month to $9.33 per month is not going to kill any new downtown projects. After all, the DDA’s premise is that people will want to live and work near the streetcar.
The concept of a downtown streetcar system is admirable — but the devil is in the details.
Earl, thanks for taking the time to meet with DDA and reporting back. And thanks to the DDA for taking the time to meet with Earl. One hopes that city officials do as much due diligence as Earl has.
Hm, a bunch of comments are now showing up.
I think adding more Trollies is a very bad idea. Trollies are much more uncomfortable than buses, less capacity, and less accessible to handicap, etc than buses.
I think you have to look at streetcar’s price tag not only as a transit system, but also at it as an investment to attract more businesses and residents downtown/along the route. While you’re losing money on transit, you’re gaining more in taxes.
It seems like the time to start with rail transit. FDOT has been working on their Central Broward East-West LRT program which would connect with the Wave and Tri-Rail. FDOT and Amtrak have applied for money to create service along the FEC tracks from Miami to Jacksonville. All goes to plan, service begins late 2012. Assuming the Fort Lauderdale station is next to BCT terminal, that’s connection to the Wave.
Economy is down = cheaper prices on land, construction, and materials. Creates jobs as well.
Looking at other transit systems throughout the country. Systems with heavy (metro) and/or light rail backbones have much higher ridership throughout than systems with buses exclusively.
The DDA/Wave will reroute trollies to service the Wave.
I don’t know why transit gets beaten up so much in this country. Then we have road construction that costs hundreds of millions of dollars that’ll shave a couple minutes of your commute, and no one complains…
Fort Lauderdale is a small city continuing to grow. Implanting transit in the early stages will only make this city grow into the right directions.
Thank you for being such a good eye. Keep up the good work.
Jack