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May
27
Light Rail Plan B
May 27, 2007 |
Much of the city’s reaction to light rail has been just that, reactionary. Our leaders got themselves into a mess by abdicating leadership on the issue. Now they are scrambling to come up with an alternative to the Chastain plan, but it’s still reactionary instead of visionary.
Now the KC Light Rail blog reports on a possible Plan B. The KC Design Center recently held a contest to design a different light rail plan, and BNIM architects have submitted the winning proposal. Their plan shifts the rail over to the Main Street corridor and focuses heavily on opportunities to redevelop and increasing density along the route. This development could then help pay for the system. It looks like BNIM has produced something more thoughtful and visionary than anything the city or Clay Chastain has ever come up with.
Comments
22 Comments so far
The only thing I don’t understand is why they don’t work to get this on the ballot in August ‘07 instead of late in ‘08. Move it, people!
I voted no for lightrail but after looking over Chastains plans I changed my mind. I like Chastains plan. I’ve notice that BNIM didn’t have any park and ride hubs. Is that a surprise later on? Will park and ride hubs begin the terrorizing afect of eminent domain? I’ve know if you live so many feet from lightrail that your property tax will rise tremendously either if you are a homeowner or a business. Just like 10 years ago,lightrail is still a tool to spur redevelopment even thou redevelopment is happening with condo’s.
And isn’t the MAX good enough?
paintman: do you ride the max? cities have proven time and time again that adding a rail component to their mass transit systems improves overall ridership and visibility.
park-and-ride would probably be the parking garages near the harlem stop (page 4).
Dave, Dave, Dave. It says parking garages but doesn’t specify what the garages are for.
Now you can interpret it that way. But never says it’s for lightrail parking.
Actually the parking could be for the residential and retail.
There’s a reason no one wants to live along the river. It stinks. Especially on HOT summer days. Just like Brush Creek.
It is popular to criticize the Chastain plan, but to me it’s the one that makes the most sense. First, it stops at so many popular destinations, a big selling point for convention dollars. Second, it eliminates the highway going through Penn Valley Park. Third, it mandates aerial gondolas in the park which would be unique and greatly increase crossover business between Union Station and the War Museum. Comparatively small Spokane, Washington installed aerial gondolas at a riverfront park several years ago, and after only two years they had paid for themselves and are now turning a profit.
Tim……i’m not criticizing the Chastain Plan. I criticizing the BNIM Plan. I agree with the Chastain Plan.
can anybody tell me where I can find details to the Chastain plan? I’d like to compare the two side by side.
My initial thoughts lean towards the BNIM plan because it seems to be the most direct route between the River Market and the Plaza. Also, the gondolas sound ridiculous to me…especially if they are to be placed over the lawn between the memorial and Union Station which would be a shame to lose.
most — including yours truly — have given up on the gondolas. i think even clay chastain doesn’t talk about them anymore. there will be much more important discussion about routing specifics, unfortunately.
the original ballot language has been preserved here: http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php/topic,10906.0.html
we’ve been working on an interactive map based on the approved plan, but have yet to implement it on this site. the BNIM plan approximates the route almost every diagram in their proposal (typically represented by a pink line along broadway, compared to the red line along main/grand).
There is no easy way to get from Union Station to Liberty Memorial right now. They should be feeding each other crossover business, and the gondolas would fix that, plus be they’d become a moneymaker very quickly. What we have now is NOT working. Union Station is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and the war museum won’t be far behind unless we find an innovative way to get the masses back and forth. Gondolas are the answer, and if you’ve seen the desing, they have a big “cool” factor.
what’s not easy about walking 100-200 yds?? if people had the choice between walking up the hill for free and paying a couple of bucks a piece for a ride I’m willing to bet they’d be walking. If we start putting up crap that people think has a “cool” factor over what makes sense then we’d be better off doing nothing.
Yeah, but a lot of the people interested in WW1 are old. It’s easy for you or me to say just walk, but most people under the age of 60 don’t know anything about a WW1 and don’t care and time is running out for any audience for a museum about it. I wouldn’t walk across the street to see it, much less up a 100-step hill. Make the money while we can, and make it handicapped-friendly. Honestly, how much do most people know about WW1? If they don’t know, they don’t know, they don’t care. And not very many 80-year-olds care or know enough to walk 100 steps uphill.
union station is no longer teetering on the brink of anything. this will be the first year that income will cover operating expenses… hardly spiralling into economic doom.
on the topic of the WWI museum, it’s a great experience regardless of the subject matter… and what better way to learn about something you dont’ know anything about? they do, however, need to be more concerned about connectivity with the neighborhood. perhaps a free low-emissions summer weekend circulator between city market, crown center, liberty memorial, union station, the plaza and the zoo would be a good first start.
Union Station made some money by getting the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Would’ve been nice if they’re would’ve been an easy, fun and unique way to get all those people up that huge hill to see the museum too, like a gondola, not waiting, waiting, waiting on some stupid shuttle that may or may not come. If you don’t make it easy and fun, a lot of people won’t bother. And we don’t need cars or buses in a designated green space, and people speeding through parks endangering pedestrians. KC needs to become a lot more pedestrian friendly, but we still need some way to get all those people, especially the old ones, up that huge hill. Gondolas would be a good way to do it. Get money out of people while they’re here every chance we get, that way WE don’t end up paying for everything we’re doing to improve the city. Get the visitors and conventioneers to pay for it, if it’s something unique and fun, they won’t mind. They’ll pay for a breathtaking gondola ride before they’ll pay for some crappy shuttle.
Oh, and what’s the “big deal” with walking 100 steps all uphill? It would be if you were 80 years old…and I can also imagine people from out of town at Union Station looking up at Liberty Memorial and thinking “I can’t believe they didn’t make it easier to get from here to there!”. Hell, a lot of people practically get in their car and back it down the driveway to get the mail out of the mailbox…sad, but true.
I always find it easier to drive the car thru the gates to get to the liberty memorial. Its beautiful at night.
If you were walking, you’d see even more, things go by a lot faster when driving, you miss a lot. And imagine the revised skyline at night on a return trip on a gondola…talk about beautiful!
[…] recently mentioned an alternative light plan from BNIM Architects that won a KC Design Center competition. The KC Light Rail blog mentions that plan was the topic of […]
[…] today’s Star — and in many other places where light rail is being discussed (here, here, here, and here) — there is consensus building that a 5-mile, locally-funded starter route […]
I dont know why you are supporting what Kansas City Design Center would say because isn’t Jonathan Kemper, chairman of KCDC, of Commerce Bank the same one who was tearing down all the buildings in the downtown area for parking at his bank.
Mike, did you ever get an answer to where we can find plans to compare the proposed lightrail routes??
from an earlier comment of mine:
“…the BNIM plan approximates the route in almost every diagram in their proposal (typically represented by a pink line along broadway, compared to the red line along main/grand).”
Yes Bill, thanks.
At last night’s forum there were a couple of great comments made about the issue of density and to how a light rail line (or fast streetcar) will compete with people driving their own cars. I think these are probably the most important issues to making the line a great success ridership wise and economically.
Right now there is little incentive (or disincentive) for people to give up their cars. Parking is easy and cheap, and it’s just as fast to drive somewhere. why would someone (besides a tourist w/o car) take the train?? We as a city should be looking at implementing overall urban design parameters and guidelines to be sure the line becomes an preffered option.