Live Blogging From Tracks To The Future, Part One

Part Two – Keynote from Mayor Pat McCrory – is here.

Latest updates appear at the bottom. Refresh occasionally to see the newest content.

9:17:57 AM: Currently, we are seated in the ballroom and everybody is partaking of the Sheraton’s breakfast spread.

9:17:57 AM: Currently, we are seated in the ballroom and everybody is partaking of the Sheraton’s breakfast spread.

9:26:50 AM: Just chatted with Andy Taft of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

9:32:13 AM: Ballroom is getting packed. We are seeing Fort Worth officials as well as reps from many other places – Oklahoma City, Weatherford, etc.

9:32:33 AM: About to begin.

9:32:13 AM: Ballroom is getting packed. We are seeing Fort Worth officials as well as reps from many other places – Oklahoma City, Weatherford, etc.

9:32:33 AM: About to begin.

9:37:35 AM: Bill Thornton just finished, Mayor Pro Tem Danny Scarth has taken the mic.

9:39:55 AM: Scarth: This is about “creating a quality of life for our citizens to look forward to for the next 10, 20, 50 years.”

9:41:02 AM: Scarth: “How can you and your community or business work together with us to solve our (transportation) challenges?”

9:41:33 AM: Scarth introducing Karen Walz of Vision North Texas, with presentation “Business as Usual, or a New Direction?”

9:45:41 AM: Walz: “North Texas 2050″ is a vision for all 16 counties of North Texas, guiding what kind of region we want. Need a regional “game book.”

9:46:36 AM: Walz: North Texas is the size of the state of Massachusetts. 4th largest pop., 4th largest employment in US.

9:47:06 AM: Walz: By 2050, we could have 12 million people in North Texas – double amount today. Think about what that means without smart growth.

9:48:15 AM: Walz: Sprawl will not interest greater percentage of new North Texas arrivals. More demand for walkable urbanism.

9:48:50 AM: Walz: Sprawl causes congestion, results in $6.6 billion in lost revenue because of congestion. Sprawl will not meet our future market need

9:49:39 AM: Walz: Compared to business as usual, smart growth alternatives reduce average trip length in North Texas by 10%.

9:50:05 AM: Walz: “Connected Centers” plan for region – like region-wide version of Fort Worth’s Urban Villages program.

9:50:47 AM: Walz: Give people local choices – walk, bike – over car. Give people regional choices – rail – over car.

9:52:56 AM: Walz: Smart growth gives us better health (more walking and biking), reduction of energy consumption and carbon footprint.

9:53:53 AM: Walz: Proof already that transit works in North Texas – Mockingbird Station, Downtown TOD in Denton, 5th St. Crossing in Garland, etc.

9:54:34 AM: Walz: Mayor Moncrief in September at North Tex Alternative Futures conference: “Business as usual is dead.”

9:56:01 AM: Walz: All of us in region need to work together if we are going to have a future besides “business as usual.”

9:56:41 AM: Brian Leslie of Prescott Realty and Urban Land Institute has taken the podium.

9:57:27 AM: Leslie: We need to encourage transit – transit oriented development is the easiest way to encourage transit ridership.

9:58:45 AM: Leslie: All TODs are not the same – Regional, urban center, etc.

9:59:15 AM: Leslie: Transit Oriented District – area w/ in 5 minute walk – transit village, town center, etc.

10:00:03 AM: Leslie: Demographic groups that are growing the fastest use transit more – baby boomers, echo boomers, minority households, etc.

10:01:02 AM: Leslie: Over 600% increase in DFW in total annual delay hours due to traffic from ‘82 to ‘03 – due to sprawl growth.

10:01:25 AM: Leslie: Demand for TOD and walkable urbanism will represent at least 1/3 of US housing demand by 2030

10:02:56 AM: Leslie: Strong need today for public/private partnerships due to economy.

10:10:33 AM: Leslie: Uses can be mixed throughout neighborhood as well as in individual development.

10:11:04 AM: Leslie: Encourage every price point of residential around transit – affordable, middle, and high-end.

10:13:45 AM: Leslie is done, Councilman Carter Burdette has taken the podium.

10:14:05 AM: Burdette: Heard a song – “Doesn’t anyone live in the same place anymore?”

10:14:20 AM: Burdette: Movement of people and goods in this region is becoming more and more of a problem.

10:14:51 AM: Councilman Burdette is introducing Texas State Senator (and former FW city council member) Wendy Davis.

10:16:05 AM: Senator Davis is running a bit late, Tom Shelton from North Central Texas Council of Governments is at the podium.

10:16:51 AM: Shelton: 12th largest metro economy in the world, 4th largest metro area in US, larger than 34 states in population and 9 in land area.

10:17:29 AM: Shelton: Starting in Dallas, and ending up on “the best side of the region” to the west.

10:18:00 AM: Shelton: Dallas has 42 miles of Light Rail under construction on the Green Line. 1st Phase open, 2nd in December 2010.

10:18:43 AM: Shelton: Dallas has 14 miles of Light Rail under construction on the Orange Line, serving Irving and D/FW Airport.

10:19:12 AM: Shelton: Dallas has 5 miles of Light Rail under construction on Blue Line extension to Downtown Rowlett. Opens Dec. 2012.

10:20:32 AM: Shelton: NCTCOG has 250 miles of regional rail planned for area, connecting to transit like DART light rail and Fort Worth Streetcar.

10:21:34 AM: Shelton: Cotton Belt Corridor rail – Fort Worth to Richardson/Plano/East. Planned for opening 2013. SW2NE + DART.

10:22:22 AM: Shelton: Cotton Belt is 45 miles of regional rail. Investigating vehicles for the route. Combines The T’s SW2NE line and DART Cotton Belt

10:23:24 AM: Shelton: Fort Worth SW2NE rail – 37 miles of regional rail, SW Fort Worth to Grapevine and D/FW Airport. Opening scheduled for 2013.

10:24:25 AM: Shelton: Dallas Streetcar – streetcar loop connecting downtown Dallas to Uptown/M-Line Trolley.

10:24:43 AM: Shelton: Future Dallas Streetcar extentions to Oak Cliff, Farmer’s Market, Deep Ellum.

10:25:12 AM: Shelton: Dallas and Fort Worth have submitted a federal TIGER grant to fund streetcars. Hope to hear in January on that.

10:25:46 AM: Shelton: Fort Worth Streetcar – Downtown, Near Southside, Cultural District.

10:26:39 AM: Shelton has turned the podium over to Vick Suhm for economic development presentation.

10:27:27 AM: Suhm: We need to invest $130 billion in our transportation system in the next 20 years in DFW area.

10:28:14 AM: Suhm: If we don’t change our ways in DFW, a drive that takes 20 minutes today will take 50+ in 2030.

10:29:03 AM: Suhm: Last legislative session, we filed a lot of bills to increase transportation investment. Zero passed.

10:27:27 AM: Suhm: We need to invest $130 billion in our transportation system in the next 20 years in DFW area.

10:28:14 AM: Suhm: If we don’t change our ways in DFW, a drive that takes 20 minutes today will take 50+ in 2030.

10:29:03 AM: Suhm: Last legislative session, we filed a lot of bills to increase transp
ortation investment. Zero passed.

10:29:29 AM: Suhm: Local option bill, index motor fuels tax, reduce diversions, capitalize RRIF, etc. – none passed.

10:35:38 AM: Suhm: Local Option challenges – started too late, got bogged down in local issues, too long and complicated.

10:36:12 AM: Suhm: Local Option Challenges – crusade by anti-government “No Tax” groups, not enough grassroots support.

10:35:38 AM: Suhm: Local Option challenges – started too late, got bogged down in local issues, too long and complicated.

10:36:12 AM: Suhm: Local Option Challenges – crusade by anti-government “No Tax” groups, not enough grassroots support.

10:35:38 AM: Suhm: Local Option challenges – started too late, got bogged down in local issues, too long and complicated.

10:36:12 AM: Suhm: Local Option Challenges – crusade by anti-government “No Tax” groups, not enough grassroots support.

10:36:33 AM: Suhm: New approach to Local Option – starting earlier, broadening appeal.

10:37:20 AM: Suhm – Transpo Investment Act – Gives metro counties option of $.05 or $.10/gal MFT and $10-$60/yr Mobility Improvement Fee.

10:37:45 AM: Suhm: Increases state motor fuels tax by $.10 per gallon.

10:38:02 AM: Suhm: Challenge – requires amendment, 2/3 vote in state gov

10:39:22 AM: Suhm: Business support and grassroots/netroots efforts are critical to funding transpo in North Texas.

10:39:42 AM: Suhm has given it over to Tom Shelton again.

10:39:56 AM: Shelton has turned it over to Senator Wendy Davis.

10:40:35 AM: Davis: very encouraged to see so many people here to talk about rail.

10:41:10 AM: Davis: Discussing original FW Light Rail plan while she was in city council.

10:41:31 AM: Davis: Old FW Light Rail proposal – where was it going to go? Who was going to be left out? Challenges due to cost of light rail.

10:41:45 AM: Davis: Old FW Light Rail went in every direction and linked to commuter rail.

10:42:04 AM: Davis: Problem with FW Light Rail plan of old – when we went to feds, we had no old corridors to use like DART.

10:42:50 AM: Davis: Much of FW Light Rail had to be within street grid. Feds introduced new criteria about efficiency vs. cars – unfair comparo.

10:43:20 AM: Davis: Other problem – we had no commuter rail to feed the light rail. Hard to show feds at the time that we had connections to feed.

10:44:14 AM: Davis: Back to present: put together a Transportation Improvement Plan for funding, but got too much opposition from business community.

10:44:53 AM: Davis: Regrouped, and put together plan with different sources of revenue like gas tax, vehicle registration fees, etc.

10:45:22 AM: Davis: Extensive support for Local Option bill, but rural communities jumped off.

10:45:40 AM: Davis: We are not allocating enough on transportation in Texas.

10:46:16 AM: Davis: By 2012, we will have no money for capital projects in Texas.

10:47:25 AM: Davis: Greater momentum now for statewide gasoline tax.

10:48:50 AM: Davis: Leaders need to hear support from the people for these changes.

10:49:22 AM: Davis: State government in Texas is terrified in many cases of making decisions like these and pushes it off on cities.

10:56:55 AM: Davis: Fort Worth has put its money where its mouth is in sustainable development – real dollars into urban neighborhoods.

10:57:40 AM: Davis: Fort Worth’s urban efforts fall in line with those of the Obama administration in terms of bang for the buck.

10:58:49 AM: Davis: Confident that Fort Worth and Dallas Streetcars will do well in TIGER grant process.

10:59:56 AM: We are on 10 minute break before keynote address from Charlotte, NC Mayor Pat McCrory. BBL.

10:58:49 AM: Davis: Confident that Fort Worth and Dallas Streetcars will do well in TIGER grant process.

10:59:56 AM: We are on 10 minute break before keynote address from Charlotte, NC Mayor Pat McCrory. BBL.

Part Two – Keynote from Mayor Pat McCrory – is here.