[sustran] Re: Assistance Requested - Cincinnati Light Rail Proposal

[Eric Bruun]

Bill

I assume you are asking Glen Brand for his address. It might have been on
his original request for information.

Thanks for helping out. I should help a fellow SC member, but I am just
overwhelmed at the moment.

Eric


----- Original Message -----
From: "Vigrass, Bill" <BillVigrass at hillintl.com>
To: "Eric Bruun" <ericbruun at earthlink.net>; "ckromer" <ckromer at septa.org>;
"Matoff, Tom" <TMatoff at ltk.com>; <jschumann at septa.org>; "Doug Cross"
<DCross at actransit.org>
Cc: <glen.brand at sierraclub.org>; <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>;
<reginamanzo at hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 8:59 AM
Subject: RE: Assistance Requested - Cincinnati Light Rail Proposal


Please provide me with your snailmail address.  I have a study by the
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia that demonstrates that properties
along SEPTA Regional Rail Division (commuter railroad) lines are valued
about 6% more than those not so located.  It also demonstrated that
properties along the Lindenwold Hi-Speed Line operated by Port Authority
Transit Corporation of PA and NJ (where I worked 1968-88, retiring as
Asst.GM) is valued about 10% more than like properties not on the line.
It was prepared by Dr. Richard Voith, chief economist, Fed., a top
authority, and sometime SEPTA board member.



I await your response.



Bill. (Native Ohioan)



J. William Vigrass, Project Manager

Hill International, Inc.

303 Lippincott Centre

Marlton, NJ  08053

Tel:   856-810-6239

Fax:  856-810-4082

billvigrass at hillintl.com

www.hillintl.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ericbruun at earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 6:31 PM
To: Vigrass, Bill; ckromer; Matoff, Tom; jschumann at septa.org; Doug Cross
Subject: Assistance Requested - Cincinnati Light Rail Proposal

Just in case you don't have enough to do...... Eric

----- Original Message -----
From: "Regina Manzo" <reginamanzo at hotmail.com>
To: <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 10:16 PM
Subject: [sustran] Assistance Requested - Cincinnati Light Rail Proposal


> Hello Sustran -
>
> There's been a request for info to help support a proposed light rail
line
> in Cincinnati, Ohio - part of hard-fought efforts to get more
transport
> options in a typical American metropolitan area.  The request has come
to
me
> in a roundabout way, and the letter is below.  If anyone can share
> statistics about property values and rail lines (that they don't
drop),
and
> other positive information about rail, please pass them on directly
to:
>
> Glen Brand at the Sierra Club
> email:glen.brand at sierraclub.org
> ph: country code 1-513-861-4001
>
> Thanks,
> Gina Manzo
> urban planner
> Singapore
> ph +65 6738-6698
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> As you may know, in Cincinnati there
> is an initiative on the ballot in November to enact a sales tax to
support
> the construction of a light rail system in Hamilton County, Ohio.  A
> description of the system is shown in this link:
>
> http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/08/21/rail600x559.jpg
>
> The initiative has the broad support of a coalition of the business
and
> civic community and was developed, in part, by the
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana
> Council of Governments.  If built, it would be the second light rail
system
> in Ohio; the only other one is in Shaker Heights, in the Cleveland
area,
and
> it dates from the 1920s.
>
> Glen Brand of the Sierra Club's Ohio chapter in Cincinnati sent a
request
to
> APA's Research Department, asking for some supportive comments.  His
message
> related that, over the next several weeks, the usual opponents of such
> projects--Randall O'Toole, Sam Staley, and Wendell Cox--will be in
> Cincinnati to condemn the proposal on behalf of a coalition to stop
it.
>
> This coalition is said to have made a number of questionable claims
about
> the proposal. Among them: that the state and federal government would
> acquire zoning period over transit-oriented zoning districts along the
rail
> route (not true); and that light rail causes drops property values on
> adjacent parcels (not true--if it were true, Shaker Heights would have
> disappeared from the tax rolls long ago).
>
> Which leads to this question: Would the Transportation Planning
Division,
or
> some of its leaders or Ohio members, want to offer some more
enlightened
> views, representing the state of the art in thinking about these
issues?
>
> I spoke to Glen last week and I know he would be
> happy to hear from you.
>
> Sam Staley's work is available online at: www.buckeyeinstitute.org
> Wendell Cox's at www.demographia.com.
>
> -------------------
> Please respond to:
> Glen Brand, the Sierra Club
> email:glen.brand at sierraclub.org
> ph: country code 1-513-861-4001
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Unlimited Internet access for only $21.95/month. Try MSN!
> http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/2monthsfree.asp
>