Streetcar Funding
City to Unveil Financing Plan

Last week in Mayor Coleman’s State of the City address, he talked about the excitement of bringing streetcars to Columbus. Now it’s time to hear how the project could be funded.

The City is reconvening the Streetcar Working Group to present the financing plan and get feedback. The public is invited to attend. Over the last six months, a team of national and local experts, hired by the City, has examined different strategies to pay for streetcars while meeting the Mayor’s requirement of no new citywide tax.

Why Streetcars Make Sense for Columbus

Streetcars...

1. Spur economic development and attract jobs – A study by the Danter Group showed that a streetcar route in Downtown would attract millions of dollars in new economic development within five years of opening.
   • 3,000 jobs
   • 90,000 new visitors
   • 1,500 new housing units
   • 300 new hotel rooms
     
     
2. Make Columbus green – Streetcars are powered by electricity. They’re clean and are easily accessible.
   
   
3. Connect people to destinations – Imagine catching a Blue Jackets game then hopping on the streetcar to go enjoy dinner at Mitchell’s and coming back to your car – without worrying about parking or gas. Streetcars will connect people to places and bring our neighborhoods together.
   
   
4. Create excitement for young professionals, families and empty nesters – The Danter Group interviewed 1,000 people living in Columbus, and nearly 75% said “Yes!” they would ride a streetcar.