Cincinnati_Near

Let's compare the investment in Fountain Square ($40 million total, if I remember right) with the initial phase of the streetcar. If you use the streetcar's three block zone of influence, Fountain Square has a development impact of 36 blocks for $40M. By comparison, the $100M streetcar has a development footprint of roughly 120 blocks. The Fountain Square project fixed a leaking parking garage, moved the fountain (again!) and gave a big TV to 36 city blocks (with minimal residential potential). The streetcar will bring about 120 blocks within reasonable "walking distance" of existing and potential commercial and residential destinations all along the proposed route. It seems to me that this is a "no brainer".