GEoRGIA TRANSIT CoNNECToR: ATlanta STREETCAR TIGER II FundInG ApplIcATIon pRojEcT NarrativE contact Info: luz Borrero Deputy Chief operating officer City of Atlanta 55 Trinity Ave, Suite 2400 Atlanta, GA 30303 404-330-6976 [email protected] Application ID: shelley6781-1548 Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar TIGER II Funding Application Project Narrative Table of Contents I. Project Description...3 Table 10 Critical Populations within ¼ mile of II. Project Parties...8 the Streetcar Route III. Grant Funds and Sources/Uses of Table 11 Six (6) DOT / HUD / EPA Livability Project Funds...9 Principles IV. Selection Criteria...12 Table 12 Atlanta Unemployment Rates by Population Group a. Long-Term Outcomes...12 i. State of Good Repair...13 ii. Economic Competitiveness...15 List of Figures Figure 1 Atlanta Streetcar Route iii. Livability...16 Figure 2 Atlanta Streetcar Neighborhood and iv. Sustainability...20 Livability Attributes v. Safety...21 Figure 3 Economic Development b. Job Creation and Economic Opportunities within 1/4 Mile of the Stimulus...21 Atlanta Streetcar c. Innovation...22 d. Partnership...24 Appendices V. Project Readiness and NEPA...25 Appendix A Benefit Cost Analysis VI. Federal Wage Rate Certifications...27 Appendix B Funding Commitments VII. Final Page of the Application: (Ordinances and Resolutions) Any Material Changes to Pre- Appendix C Operations & Maintenance Application...28 (O&M) Cost Estimation Methodology Report List of Tables Appendix D Detail of Capital Costs Worksheet Table 1 Key Destinations and Attractions Appendix E Letters of Support Served by the Streetcar Appendix F Project Construction and Schedule Table 2 Connections to Existing Transportation Detail Modes and Infrastructure Appendix G Project Plan Drawings Table 3 Partnership Entities and Their Roles Table 4 Operations and Maintenance Funding * All appendix documents can be Commitments found at the project website: www. Table 5 Capital Costs georgiatransitconnector.org/appendices Table 6 Capital Funding Sources Table 7 Revenue for Annual Operations and Maintenance Costs Table 8 Summary Quantifiable Long-Term Benefits and Project Costs Table 9 Consistency with Plans and Initiatives Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar TIGER II Funding Application Project Narrative 3 I. Project Description Georgia Transit Connector represents a Edgewood Avenue, and Jackson Street to the partnership effort by the City of Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, then the Atlanta business community and the continue westbound via Auburn Avenue, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Peachtree Street, Ellis Street, Carnegie Way (MARTA) to bring to fruition a critical transit and Andrew Young International Boulevard to project that will connect the metro area and the Centennial Olympic Park Drive, then continue greater region: the Atlanta Streetcar. eastbound via Luckie Street to Woodruff Park. The Atlanta Streetcar project is not any Table 1 identifies key locations served by the streetcar project. It is both regionally and Atlanta Streetcar. Many are shown in Figure 1. nationally significant. On a regional level, it Table 2 identifies important streetcar will provide connectivity and circulation for connections with existing transportation modes the core of the Downtown area of Atlanta, and recreational facilities. improving accessibility and making it possible to conveniently travel from key destinations Historic Atlanta Streetcar and event venues without a car and connecting tourists, residents, students and workers to attractions, jobs and public amenities. From a national perspective, the streetcar links the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site on the east side of Downtown Atlanta to Centennial Olympic Park on the west, via historic Auburn Avenue, the birthplace of Project Description our nation’s civil rights movement. Located The Atlanta Streetcar route proposed for within an Economically Distressed Area, TIGER II funding is the first phase of a the project will serve as a catalyst for new comprehensive, regional streetcar and light rail pedestrian-oriented development, support transit system. The following characteristics mixed-use projects, and reinforce existing land define the project: use and zoning plans. It will also reconnect the eastern and western sections of Downtown . 2.7 track miles Atlanta, which were effectively separated by . Modern streetcar operating with the construction of Interstate 75/85 in the mid vehicular traffic 1950s. The barrier of the I-75/85 overpass . 12 stations has left a negative, lasting adverse impact that . destroyed the vibrant local economy previously 4 vehicles existing in the Auburn Avenue corridor. The . 2 vehicles required for regular service Atlanta Streetcar will restore this historic . Direct transfer to MARTA rail service at community and foster overall greater livability, Peachtree Center rail station social cohesion, and economic development in . 9.9-minute one-way running time the Atlanta area. The overall benefits of this project exceed the costs by a factor of 2.56. 1.31 miles one-way Streetcars will travel counter clockwise along . 15-minute frequency a pinched loop alignment that converges at Proposed Schedule Woodruff Park, as shown in Figure 1. From . Weekday: 5 am - 11 pm (18 hrs.) Woodruff Park at the center of the loop, . Saturday: 8:30 am - 11 pm (14.5 hrs.) streetcars operate eastbound via Park Place, . Sunday: 9 am – 10:30 pm (13.5 hrs.) Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar TIGER II Funding Application Project Narrative 4 Figure 1: Atlanta Streetcar Route Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar TIGER II Funding Application Project Narrative 5 Table 1. Key Destinations and Attractions Served by the Streetcar Western Loop Eastern Loop . Key Atlanta attractions venues including Philips . Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and Arena, the Georgia Dome, the Georgia World Visitors Center Congress Center, CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola Museum, and future . The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent National Center for Civil and Human Rights (under Social Change (“The King Center”) development) . 6 parks and public spaces . 4 parks and public spaces . Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church . The Historic Sweet Auburn Preservation District . AmericasMart (containing 850,000 SF of exhibit space for market shows containing more than . Georgia State University main campus, including 4,000 showrooms and space for wholesale four student housing facilities merchandise) . Grady Memorial Hospital . The western campus of Georgia State University . Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding . High-rise and mid-rise office buildings, including the . Loudermilk Center for Regional Community Georgia-Pacific Center, five hotels, and residential, . The United Way building cultural, and institutional establishments, Rialto Center for the Arts, Balzer Theatre at Herron’s, and . Butler Street YMCA The Tabernacle . Sweet Auburn Curb Market . 11th District Court of Appeals . Fulton County Senior Center . Atlanta Fulton County Central Library . The Auburn Avenue Research Library . Atlant Fulton County Library – MLK Jr. Branch . The APEX Museum Table 2. Connections to Existing Transportation Modes and Infrastructure Existing Transportation Modes Atlanta Streetcar Connectivity and Infrastructure . Peachtree Center Station: Direct connection MARTA Heavy Rail Stations . Five Points Station and Georgia State Station: Within ¼ mile . Daily, 331 weekday express bus trips are made to Downtown. 17 Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Xpress routes Express Bus Service . 2 Cobb Community Transit routes . 3 Gwinnett County Transit routes . 10 Local MARTA fixed bus routes serve the Downtown area Local Bus Service . MARTA Mobility: 175 vans provide ADA paratransit serve to disabled and senior customers who cannot use fixed route bus and rail services . The Emory University ‘Cliff’ shuttle, Georgia State University Shuttles Panther Express’ shuttles, and Grady Memorial Hospital shuttles . Directly interfaces with 7 core and secondary City Bicycle routes Bicycle Facilities . Connection to PATH Foundation’s Multi-use Trail Network via Jackson Street and Edgewood Avenue Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar TIGER II Funding Application Project Narrative 6 Table 2. Continued Existing Transportation Modes Atlanta Streetcar Connectivity and Infrastructure . Downtown wide, greater access will be provided to more than 65,000 off-street public parking spaces which have an Parking Facilities average daily occupancy rate of 66%. In 2009 there were 15,955 parking spaces for transit, carpool and vanpool use in Park & Ride lots within the Atlanta region. Future planned connection to the BeltLine Transit and Trails Network . Direct connection with 8 parks and squares, including Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Dobbs Plaza, Calhoun Park, Hurt Park, Woodruff Park, Margaret Mitchell Square, Parks and Trails Walton Spring Park (containing the Andrew Young Tribute), and Centennial Olympic Park . 1 block connection to Selina S. Butler Park and within close proximity to Freedom Park Trail and Oakland Cemetery . Connection to PATH Foundation’s Multi-use Trail Network . 2 blocks connection from the Atlanta Streetcar route to the future, planned Downtown Multimodal Passenger Terminal Intercity Passenger Rail (MMPT); a direct streetcar connection to the MMPT is planned. Urban Area Needs and Transportation Challenges Addressed Atlanta’s