Mayor Moncrief has given his State of the City address, and one of the items he discussed was the city’s transportation and planning.  The mayor stated in no uncertain terms that Fort Worth is facing severe transportation challenges, that they stem from too many years of car-first planning, and that Fort Worth can no longer be designed and built in a car-centric fashion – topics certainly familiar to Fort Worthology readers:

Commuter Rail, street cars, and other alternative modes of transportation also remain a priority for me and this City Council. Unfortunately, Fort Worth and other major metropolitan areas are finding out the hard way what a mistake it was to design and build cities around automobiles years ago. Friends, we cannot continue to focus solely on building more roads for more vehicles. That’s counter productive at best.

Business as usual is dead!

North Texas requires a transportation overhaul. No more band-aides, no more patches—a complete overhaul!

Regrettably, it’s becoming more and more obvious that we cannot depend on the state or federal government to help us in the near term. In fact, there is no guarantee of any new money to build any new roads in Texas after 2012.

Frankly, I’m tired of talking about this. This afternoon, workers at BNSF…employees at Lockheed Martin or Bell Textron…even many of you in this room will leave work and then sit…and sit…and sit in traffic. It’s a frustrating daily routine that carries a great cost once you consider the impacts to our quality of life, our environment, our air, and our ability to attract and keep new business investment.

If this is a mobility crisis—and I believe it is—then it must be treated like one!

In the spirit of the early Fort Worth pioneers who took it upon themselves to pick up shovels and extend the first rail line to our city, it’s time that we took matters in our own hands. It is clear to me that we are not going to get where we need to be by relying only on help from the feds or the state.

We are going to have to pull ourselves out of the ditch!

In the coming weeks, I will appoint an 11-member Blue Ribbon Task Force. I will charge this body with returning specific recommendations to the full City Council on how we fix or relieve pressure on Fort Worth’s aging transportation infrastructure.

Last night, at the beautiful Masonic Temple, Fort Worth South, Inc. held its latest annual banquet celebrating the ongoing continued success of the Near Southside’s revitalization.  Fort Worth South president Paul Paine gave a stirring presentation on the accomplishments in the Near Southside thus far, and several upcoming projects and developments.

In the photos above, you can see the overall crowd, a shot of the banquet’s them – People and Places – and a shot of Paul during the presentation.  You may notice the rendering in the background – that showcases a brand-new streetcar-oriented development planned for South Main Village at South Main and Pennsylvania – TownSite Co.’s project at the former Motheral Printing Plant.

Among the items touched upon by Paul:

• The Magnolia Avenue refreshing was just the beginning, as streetscape improvements are coming to South Main, Hemphill, and Evans, and more are being planned for streets like Jennings, Pennsylvania, and Vickery.
• The Near Southside will be home to a fully-integrated bicycle transportation network.  The Magnolia bike lanes are the first example, and there are plans for bike lanes on Jennings, Pennsylvania, Vickery, and more.
• Even in a down economy, the Near Southside is doing incredibly well – employment is up, rents are strong for both office and retail, residential work is steady, and restaurant sales are up 117% from last year.  He also mentioned the impending arrival of the Near Southside’s second bike shop, Trinity Bicycles in South Main Village.
• Crime continues its steady downward spiral, with Fort Worth South working with the Fort Worth Police to strongly reduce crime.  Bicycle patrols are reappearing in the Near Southside, and the police are moving from their current home at Magnolia & College into a larger building at Magnolia & Hemphill currently being renovated (more to come on that project).
• In two to three weeks, the Magnolia streetscape project finishes up with the activation of LED net lighting in all the trees along Magnolia from 8th Avenue to Hemphill.
• Paul stressed the need for more construction of quality rental apartments, as there are just over 740 units in the Near Southside and the district is over 95% on occupancy.  Considering the Near Southside’s more affordable nature compared to Downtown, there is a strong need for more quality rental units.
• He touched upon several upcoming projects, including the Oleander West development, the Motheral development, a nearly 300-unit apartment development planned near the Schaumburg Lofts not far from South Main Village, and more.
• Edit:  Paul also mentioned specifically that they are trying to attract a real urban grocery store to the Near Southside, using Fort Worthology’s photos of Austin’s Royal Blue Grocery as an example.

Catering was provided by Chadra Mezza & Grill, and was delicious – as was the beer provided by Rahr Brewery.  The banquet points to the incredible success in revitalizing the Near Southside and the excitement of its upcoming projects.

Urban Green Build’s free urbanism & sustainability movie series returns tonight after a snow delay last week.  Up for viewing is PBS’s Blueprint America:  Road to the Future.

Blueprint America: Road to the Future, an original documentary part of a PBS multi-platform series on the country’s aging and changing infrastructure, goes to three very different American cities — Denver, New York and Portland, and their surrounding suburbs — to look at each as an example of the challenges and possibilities the country faces as citizens, local and federal officials, and planners struggle to manage a growing America with innovative transportation and sustainable land use policies.

Fort Worthology is helping out by providing the film, and we’re looking forward to another great, educational free movie night.  Given all the news here in Fort Worth recently about the Bike Fort Worth plan and the modern streetcar plan, the subjects covered in “Blueprint America:  Road to the Future” could not be more timely.  The film’s segments include:

• Efforts by the town of Golden, Colorado to stop a freeway from coming through their traditional “Main Street” town
• A look at Portland, Oregon’s bicycle infrastructure, modern streetcar, MAX light rail, aerial tram, pedestrian infrastructure, land use policies (both the good and bad that results from said policies), and more
• A look at what New York City’s new Department of Transportation director, Janette Sadik-Khan, is doing to reverse decades of auto-oriented infrastructure in NYC and create spaces oriented to people and bicycles
• A discussion with United States Department of Transportation director Ray LaHood on what must be done to radically shift transportation and planning in the United States

Stop by Urban Green Build, located at 1244 College Avenue in the Near Southside (the building at the corner of College & Magnolia, above the police station next to Mamma Mia, second floor, across from The Salon Upstairs) tonight at 7:00 PM for the latest in this ongoing series of urbanism & sustainability films.  To get there:  Urban Green Build is an easy walk from pretty much anywhere in Magnolia Village and Fairmount.  By bike, Magnolia Avenue has dedicated bike lanes and several sharrow’d bike routes feed into it – 6th Avenue, 5th Avenue, Jennings Avenue.  Most of the other cross streets are easily bikeable as well.  There’s a standard city “lollipop” bike rack in front of the building, on Magnolia in front of the police station.  By transit, the #4 bus goes right by on Magnolia, the #1S bus stops at Hemphill & Magnolia just a short walk away, and the #6 bus stops at 8th Avenue & Magnolia for a walk down Magnolia from the west.  Parking is available on street and in a small lot next to the building.

Both Fort Worth and Dallas had applied for TIGER funds to help with the construction of their respective modern streetcar systems. Dallas has won $23 million for the downtown Dallas streetcar line it’s been planning. Fort Worth won nothing for our own modern streetcar system.

Other streetcar projects which won TIGER funds besides Dallas include Tucson, New Orleans, and a reworking of a segment of the Portland streetcar.

Not much info just yet on what kept Fort Worth out of the running. More to come, certainly. The city has also applied for a New Starts grant from the Federal Transit Administration, the outcome of which we won’t know until later in the year.

Update: The Star-Telegram’s transportation blog has some more, including remarks from Tarrant Co. Judge Glen Whitley on why we may have lost, and the possibility that the grant goes to both Fort Worth and Dallas but Dallas gets listed solo because of the ages-old “Fort Worth is part of Dallas, right?” mentality.

If Fort Worth doesn’t get a slice of the pie, Whitley blamed petty politics — Tarrant County is SLIGHTLY redder than Democrat-blue Dallas County. He said it was time for people in both parties to start working together to solve transportation problems.

“You happen to be in the reddest of counties,” Whitley told about 500 people at the Northeast Tarrant County Transportation Summit Wednesday morning in Grapevine. “The only county redder than Tarrant County in the U.S. is Orange County in California. The happenstance that we were eliminated I’m sure is coincidental. We’ve got to stop the partisanship. We’ve got to start going what’s best for the region, and stop putting up with this …”

One other explanation may be that the award was meant for both cities, but that Dallas was the only city listed … perhaps an oversimplification, often held by many nonresidents that the entire North Texas region is “Dallas.”

We don’t like getting overtly political here on Fort Worthology, but we feel like Whitley’s thoughts about this being a red-county-vs.-blue-county thing are newsworthy and worth bringing up.

Update 2: Quoth somebody who’s heard from people in the city: “confusion reigns.” It seems that North Central Texas Council of Governments does not know if USDOT means for the grant to be solely for Dallas, or split between the Dallas and Fort Worth projects. Sounds like real miscommunication between the feds and local officials. It is not known if USDOT has really picked Dallas alone or just used Dallas because they forgot to mention Fort Worth because of the “Dallas area” mindset. More to come.

Update 3: The Observer seems to have confirmed it: the money is for Dallas only.

Following up on yesterday’s post about the grants awarded to the South Main and Poly/TWU streetscape projects, we now have some before & after images to share, thanks to our friends at local planning & development firm TownSite.

Each pair of images shows a streetscape before & after the project.  For South Main, we’re looking towards Downtown, roughly from just north of East Peter Smith.  The “before” image shows the rather barren appearance of South Main as it currently exists.  The “after” image shows South Main reborn – the street has been reconfigured into two lanes + turn lane + parking, sidewalks have been widened and bulb-outs installed for even more space, long rows of street trees installed, new pedestrian-scaled lighting is in place, benches have been set up – the works.  Seemingly simple changes can have a radical effect on the feel of places.

To cap it all off, the “after” image also shows the newly reorganized South Main with tracks and overhead wires for the modern streetcar line.

In the other pair of images, we’re on Vaughn looking north towards Rosedale and Texas Wesleyan, showing the redone sidewalks, street trees, and more that are part of the Poly/TWU streetscape project.

Both are pieces of great news for Fort Worth’s Urban Villages program – we look forward to seeing both projects get underway.

But another promising development fell through the cracks, getting a mention in only one news story on LaHood’s speech: The Obama administration wants to see a congressional jobs bill include more funding for TIGER, the stimulus law’s $1.5 billion grant program that aims to put all modes of transportation on an equal footing.

“We hope Congress sees the 2010 jobs bill as an opportunity to unlock many more good transportation projects that are ready to go with more TIGER funding,” LaHood said.

Fort Worth has already applied for a TIGER grant for the streetcar.  If Congress makes good on LaHood’s statement, more funds for TIGER gives even more opportunities for projects like the Fort Worth streetcar to get underway.

Obama Administration Proposes Major Public Transportation Policy Shift to Highlight Livability
Changes Include Economic Development and Environmental Benefits

In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which are currently the primary criteria.

In remarks at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, the Secretary announced the Obama Administration’s plans to change how projects are selected to receive federal financial assistance in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New Starts and Small Starts programs. As part of this initiative, the FTA will immediately rescind budget restrictions issued by the Bush Administration in March of 2005 that focused primarily on how much a project shortened commute times in comparison to its cost.

“Our new policy for selecting major transit projects will work to promote livability rather than hinder it,” said Secretary LaHood. “We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities and how it makes our communities better places to live.”

The change will apply to how the Federal Transit Administration evaluates major transit projects going forward. In making funding decisions, the FTA will now evaluate the environmental, community and economic development benefits provided by transit projects, as well as the congestion relief benefits from such projects.

“This new approach will help us do a much better job of aligning our priorities and values with our transit investments” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “No longer will we ignore the many benefits that accrue to our environment and our communities when we build or expand rail and bus rapid transit systems.”

FTA will soon initiate a separate rulemaking process, inviting public comment on ways to appropriately measure all the benefits that result from such investments.

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And we’re done! Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa has closed us out. Thanks for following along!
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Costa: Each of us can do our part by carrying the transit message into the community at large.
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Costa: footage from today will be on city’s cable channel and on DVD.
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Costa: All presentations from today will be available on fortworthgov.org
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Costa: Transit is not just about commuting. It’s about creating livable, walkable communities.
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Costa: We are ahead in some ways, but we are behind on transit. We must do better now, and not wait for the pain to become unbearable.
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Costa: I did not expect the degree of consensus and momentum we have seen at Tracks to the Future.
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Costa: Fort Worth must choose to be better than “business as usual.”
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McCrory gets standing ovation. Now, Fernando Costa is at the podium.
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McCrory: Now, Fort Worth has to take its upper hand and aggressively move forward.
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McCrory: Fort Worth has something special. You can do something unique. We have some advantages that many cities would envy.
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McCrory: Fort Worth must settle on a financial plan and aggressively go after it. Other cities are getting closer all the time.
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McCrory: Fort Worth must clarify its vision. At least 25 years of vision. That sells – that you’re preparing your region for the next gen
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McCrory: Those that have clarity of plan and consensus on action will take the lead in bringing transit to their city.
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McCrory: You have passion, a coalition, and public/private leadership. Puts Ft. Worth at distinct advantage, but competition is increasing
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Brooks: Transit is real to me, because I can see and touch its results – jobs, economic and neighborhood vitality.
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Brooks: New economy is looking for the opportunity to catch transit to new jobs, and bring those rewards back to their community.
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Berry: If we don’t invest in transportation, the State of Texas will not continue to thrive as it has.
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Shetter: Another problem is lack of clear leadership on transit from TX governor’s office. Thinly-veiled shot at Perry.
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Audience: thanking TxDOT for actually having a Rail Director now.
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McCrory: Do opposition research, and do research on yourself and your own positions. Avoid “deer in headlights” look.
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Shook: Develop your position, get it into the blogosphere, get it into Twitter and Facebook. You can help transit in ways old media can’t.
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Q: What do 20somethings do? How do we get involved? A: Act up. In media-sensitive world, you can put together your own sort of cause.
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Glavin: TxDOT is now working on a State Rail Plan, everything from high-speed rail on down.
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Bill Glavin talking, new TxDOT Railroad Director. Been on the job for nine days.
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McCrory: Joking about the group CAVE, Citizens Against Virtually Everything
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Shetter: talking about efforts to get the Local Option bill going again, about importance of grassroots/netroots support.
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Have to add, Mayor McCrory is crushing it. He is an outstanding public speaker and motivator.
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Brooks: Every neighborhood has a vision – public officials have to be careful not to try not to come across as destroying that.
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Brooks: Negative grassroots comes from the grassroots feeling the need to defend against you. Positive grassroots comes from buy-in.
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Panel: Start at grassroots, train people to get message out, start with the facts, education education education.
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Panel: Roy Brooks, Tarrant Co. Commissioner-Ken Shetter, Past Chair of Tarrant Regional Transpo Coalition-Mike Berry of Hillwood Properties-Rick Cain, Admin for Central Oklahoma Transportation- Bill Glavin, Rail Division Direct, TxDOT
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Shook: You have to get out of your chair, get out, and get people charged up.
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Shook: Old restored trolley running on a small stretch of track captured imagination of Charlotte citizens.
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Shook: Transit activism perspective. “It’s not about the pipes, it’s about the water.” Showing first Charlotte trolley pre-restoration.
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Afternoon session – Terry Shook, Charlotte architect, talking about next steps.

Part 4 – Afternoon Session now online.

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Charlie Hales – final word of the streetcar panel: “Let the race begin.”
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Big laughs: Austin rep saying “even Ft Worth and OKC are ahead of us on transit,” then Joel Burns: “I hope you enjoy your final visit.”
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Lots of discussion of streetcar funding – TIF, PID, TIGER, FTA mobility grants, public/private partnerships, etc.
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Councilman Burns talking about extending TIF districts and caps for Downtown and Near Southside streetcar lines. TIF not possible for 7th st funds, looking at Public Improvement District.
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Councilman Burns talking about streetcar making connections – nurse from Bedford connecting from ITC to Near Southside, etc.
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Oklahoma City rep: recently passed tax bill allocating $130 million for OKC streetcar. Not as far in planning as FW, though.
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San Antonio rep: SA is at “very beginning” of a modern streetcar project of their own.
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Austin rep discussing Austin rail plans.
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DART rep: discussing Dallas streetcar plans linking Downtown and Arts District to Uptown M-line Trolley.
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Streetcar panel: FW city councilman Joel Burns speaking. Trip to Seattle and Portland was “game changer” for FW city officials.
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Hales: streetcars are key to Fort Worth’s renaissance, and to creating livable neighborhoods here.
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Hales: cities tha invest in transit and complete streets will be equipped to compete in the new economy. Talent is mobile.
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Hales: streetcars affect the region, making the case for transit and spinning off new lines, commuter/light rail, etc.
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Hales showing before and afters of Pearl and South Waterfront in Portland thanks to streetcar energy.
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Hales: streetcars are pedestrian accelerators, about urban livability.
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Hales: transit is not just about congestion. It’s about placemaking. We have to use transit to create great places.
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Charlie Hales from HDR at the podium for streetcar panel.
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Wait – there’s a lunch panel. On the streetcar.
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The T chair Parmalee: we see the tremendous economic and quality of life benefit that will come from the Fort Worth streetcar project.
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FW Councilman Jordan: we have to find any way we can to build transit right now, not wait to react.
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Mayor of White Settlement (FW in-loop burb) in audience expressing his support and desire for rail transit. Awesome.
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Surprising: mayor of River Oaks (FW burb) makes point in audience about not relying on gas tax because of mode shift from successful transit. Very progressive-minded point.
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McCrory: Feds put transit spending at a disadvantage in funding- ultra-scrutiny for transit, lax oversight on road budgets.
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McCrory: We know that roads don’t pay for themselves, either.
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Jordan: It’s a question of pay now, or pay later. We are realizing that transit is not optional.
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McCrory: How do you pay for transit? Panel: Must be a combination of sources, as in Local Option bill.
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Panelists – Randall Chrisman, DART- Charles Emery, DCTA- Jungus Jordan, FW City Council- Linda Koop, Dal. city council- Bob Parmelee, The T
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Charlotte’s Pat McCrory has taken the mic for the panel discussion.
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Morris: For the first time, we have an integrated transit/land use plan for Downtown Fort Worth and Downtown Dallas, including streetcars.
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Morris: With 10 million people in the region by 2035, can we afford to do it only with cars?
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Morris: Do we wait for someone to guess what we need, or does Fort Worth take control of its own destiny?
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NCTCOG Director of Transportation Michael Morris has taken the podium to introduce our first panel discussion.

Part 3: Panel Discussion 1 is now online.

Refresh occasionally for the newest content. New entries will be added at the top.

McCrory: Good transit is amazing. Charlotte’s has been a success beyond wildest dreams. It’s packed. People love it in their lives.
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McCrory: Make it work. Transit has to be clean, safe, and efficient. When it works you will be amazed.
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McCrory: Stay in touch with everybody, to prevent anti-transit from sneaking up on you.
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McCrory: One recommendation: make sure decisions are based on fact, not politics.
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McCrory: Private sector has to be involved with government. Takes an effort from both sides – private and government as a team.
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McCrory: There’s nothing wrong with the private sector making money. They need to be a part of this. Treat them as partner, not enemy.
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McCrory: The more choices in transportation you have, the more competitive you’ll be. Rail, bicycles, buses, etc.
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McCrory: It’s all about transit AND land use. It has to be integrated into every facet of the city. DO NOT think of transit in isolation.
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McCrory: Do not allow things to be built that you won’t be proud of 50 years later. Sprawl’s “corridors of crap” are not sustainable.
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McCrory: Mayberry & Metropolis – we can have the best of both. Small town values, big city amenities and mobility.
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McCrory: Places like Trinity Bluff, etc. are the sort of places we can have all around Fort Worth if we invest in transit.
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McCrory: Don’t treat transit as a “project.” It is unending.
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McCrory: Sell rural counties on the success of the city, because they’re tied to it. Gets them on board.
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McCrory: Don’t sell individual projects. Sell the vision of what these transit projects bring to the city and state.
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McCrory: Development along Charlotte’s light rail line has been “unbelievable.”
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McCrory: I am convinced that any organization that prepares for the future as opposed to reacts to the future will thrive.
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McCrory: I’ll be frank: Fort Worth is behind in transit.
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McCrory: Fort Worth has done a lot of great work in sustainable urbanism. But guess what – everyone else is, too.
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Moncrief has turned it over to former Charlotte, NC Mayor Pat McCrory.
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Moncrief: Rail is the future people mover in this city. Focusing only on roads is short-sighted. We cannot ignore the affects of mobility on our air quality and our quality of life. We must build up, not out. We must concentrate on transit-oriented development.
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Moncrief: Fort Worth does some things very, very well. When we have something we’re proud of, we take ownership. This is ours. We want to enhance it, improve it, strengthen it, protect it. But when we have something we’re not proud of, like our challenges with transportation and mobility, we do something different: we take responsibility.
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Moncrief: “Quality of Life” trumps everything else to him.
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Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief is at the podium to introduce the keynote speaker.