This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden • In recent weeks, the City Council in this northern Utah city has united around a vision of revitalizing its declining East Central neighborhood with a streetcar system it believes would move both people and the economy.
"Once the tracks are in the ground, we'll be astounded at what it does for Ogden," Councilwoman Susie Van Hooser said during a late-March work session.
Van Hooser became a streetcar fan after attending a Rail-Volution conference and seeing the system in Portland, Ore., up close. She now views the purpose of mass transit as city-shaping, not just people-moving.
Last year, a $700,000 analysis — funded by Ogden, the Utah Transit Authority, Weber State University and Intermountain Health Care — identified Washington Boulevard to 36th Street to Harrison Boulevard as the recommended route based on cost, impacts and economic development.
But public sentiment swung toward streetcars up 25th Street. So the council recently sought advice from G.B. Arrington, a transit-oriented development expert with Parsons Brinckerhoff who oversaw Portland's metamorphosis.
"The Pearl District was 90 blocks of rail yards and former warehouses, and so if it wasn't in decay, it was certainly in economic stagnation," Arrington said of Portland's central city before streetcars started to roll in mid-2001.
"The Pearl is now the most exclusive and expensive neighborhood in Portland," Arrington said.
'Trolley District' • East Central Ogden — the blocks between 20th and 30th streets and Washington and Harrison Boulevards — grew up several decades ago around trolley tracks, some still preserved on Jefferson Avenue. The advent of the automobile led to that system's demise in the 1930s.
However, efforts to re-brand East Central have generated interest in dubbing the area the "Trolley District."
About 18 months ago, Brandon Bell moved into the neighborhood and joined the Historic Trolley District, a group that primarily focuses on the revitalization of East Central.
"We are very much in favor of a streetcar up 25th Street (to Harrison)," Bell said. "We feel it's a scale-appropriate solution."
To Bell and many others who have become advocates of that route and mode of travel, East Central is prime real estate for rebirth by streetcar.
"Some people see it as downtrodden but there's a ton of economic development potential," Bell said, noting an abundance of vacant land and unoccupied or under-occupied buildings.
"It's 'just add water,' " Bell said, "and the streetcar is the water."
In 2000, Jaime Ponce De Leon moved to Ogden from Los Angeles and he has since launched two thriving businesses in the heart of East Central — the Rodeo Carniceria and Ventanas Restaurant near the corner of 25th Street and Monroe Boulevard.
At first "there was a lot of crime and vandalism," Ponce De Leon said. "We upgraded and now it's nicer," he added, referring to extensive remodeling of his buildings.
He also noticed that people living nearby keep watch and let him know when trouble could be brewing.
How does he feel about a streetcar system on 25th? "That would be great," Ponce De Leon said.
Seeking consensus• The stakeholders in the project — Ogden, the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce, South Ogden, McKay-Dee Hospital, UTA, the Utah Department of Transportation, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Weber State University and the Weber Area Council of Governments — will meet again in the next few weeks to discuss what happens next.
By then, Ogden Council members hope to have Arrington's report to help guide them toward their goal.
"If the revitalization of Ogden is as important or more important than speed (of travel), then you'd have a different-looking project," Arrington told the council.
Arrington recommended that council members clearly define their objective and take more of a leading role as they seek consensus with UTA, UDOT and other stakeholders.
"You'll need that consensus with state partners so you have a way to go to the federal government and make your case" for funding, Arrington said.
UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter said revitalization of a neighborhood would be a new goal that was not considered by the previous study.
"So we need to look at the purpose and need again," Carpenter said. "If those have changed, it could change the study — and ultimately the study's recommendation."
That shift is almost akin to starting over, Carpenter added, estimating that redoing the study could cost upward of $500,000.
But Carpenter agrees that stakeholder consensus will be key to progress on any major mass transit improvements in Ogden.
"Without that," Carpenter said, "we cannot move forward."
Twitter: @catmck —
Comparing costs
36th Street alignment • $156.6 million (includes $21 million for 7 streetcars), average weekday ridership estimated at 3,660. Two estimated property takings at a cost of $121,273.
25th Street alignment • $153.6 million (includes $21 million for 7 streetcars), average weekday ridership estimated at 3,840. Seventy estimated property takings at a cost of $5.8 million.
Potential funding sources
Weber County levied a 1/4-cent transportation tax in 2007 that brings in about $7 million per year.
The project would have to compete for federal and local funding in a 60/40 match.
To learn more online
UTA project details • tinyurl.com/ogdentransit
Facebook page for the Historic Trolley District • tinyurl.com/trolleydistrict
Ogden updates • http://www.ogdencity.com