Since this is different that the proposed Lorain-Cleveland commuter rail service, I thought it deserved its own posting.

 

05/12/2006

Officials eye electric railway for Lorain 

KATE GIAMMARISE , Morning Journal Writer 

 

LORAIN -- Lorain Port Authority officials think an electric railway system could be a key component of the redevelopment of the city's downtown and waterfront area.

 

That's why on Wednesday, the Port Authority and Lorain Street Railway Inc. will host representatives from the city of Kenosha, Wis. -- which has achieved success with its own streetcar system -- to discuss the benefits of a trolley line.

 

Rick Novak, Lorain Port Authority executive director, said the project is well-suited to Lorain because of its long, linear downtown business district along Broadway, waterfront property and limited parking.

 

Read more at:

 

http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16627640&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

I think this would be a great morale boost for Northeast Ohio's perception of rail investment.  If Lorain can show that it's feasible on a small scale and that it spawns greater things, then the we can try this elsewhere in the region...way to go, Lorain!  You lead, we'll follow!

Good things often begin with small steps.

If we tie the trolley and the Lorain-Cleveland commuter rail proposals together, Lorain would be a leg up on many other areas. People who use the train would be able to access them without having to drive...just as we did years ago. Imagine that!

 

I think the key here is to bring all the players together on this and work as one on a master plan for Lorain County. If a success, it would serve as a model for the rest of the state.

holy mackeral, what the heck is going on here? i read that and my jaw dropped.

 

so is lorain gonna get it's rail transit after all? looks like old lorain has become ohio's rail transit innovator. mostly in theory, but still....they are all over this rail stuff.

 

good luck, but how they gonna pay for this? they are more broke than ever. how could the feds pay?

 

yes, a big picture master plan for rail improvements in all of lorain county is a great idea. do it with in conjunction with the lct bus system peeps (aka lorain county transit).

 

Kenosha (and Racine) is sort of similar to Lorain...small lakefront industrial city.

 

The trolly in Kenosha was part of the redevelopment of the old AMC plant (where they made the Pacer), which was right on the lake.  The site was redeveloped into condominiums/rowhouses, and also I think some sort of aquarium and marina.  The trolly line goes from the lakefront site into downtown and loops back.  It sort of 'connects' with the new commuter train thats running to Chicago now.  Kenosha is now within the Chicago commuting zone.

 

I always thought Lorain would be a primo site for some water-oriented in-town development along that river that comes into town.  That could be a great boat harbor ..have a townhouse and then a dock in back to take yr boat out on to the lake.

One big thing that Lorain has working for it is a city government and County Commissioner (Betty Blair) who gets the value of rail and transit. They understand also that you have to look at transit and rail not just in terms of "what it costs".  It is an investment that pays dividends in terms of economic development and the creation of jobs by connecting people to those jobs.

 

Keep in mind also that in addtion to a streetcar line and the Lorain-Cleveland commuter rail possibilities, that Lorain County will also be served by the Ohio Hub System (via Elyria) and that will mean multiple intercity trains per day.

Kenosha works well because it connects in with a chicago commuter line. I would say that the way that this line would work is if a lorain-cleveland commuter line is in place.

Kenosha (and Racine) is sort of similar to Lorain...small lakefront industrial city....

 

I always thought Lorain would be a primo site for some water-oriented in-town development along that river that comes into town.  That could be a great boat harbor ..have a townhouse and then a dock in back to take yr boat out on to the lake.

 

they already have that jeff. ny yankee boss george steinbrenner's american shipbuilding company site was redeveloped by local car dealer/dseveloper alan spizter in the harborwalk homes  and marina. harborwalk was built by zaremba, who are building cleveland's "the avenue" development in downtown cleveland.

 

here's a link w/ pics:

http://www.zarembahomes.com/community.asp?communid=3

 

there is even more cleared waterfront land near there, but the city was angling for casino trade. i doubt ohio will go for casinos, but it's prime cleaned up land so we'll see what happens.

 

 

They'd be better off to forget about the casino and use the land for infill housing that would be tied directly to the commuter line and the trolley. Downtown Lorain would reinvent itself with new retail functions to support its new residents.

 

Gambling is not a panacea for all economic problems.