Omaha's Desired Streetcar

Looking For Something Better

Council member Aimee Melton spoke at the Omaha River City Republicans lunch and Matt Johnson of Right Cheer covered the event. Check out his page for information and the video (https://rightcheer.com/2023/01/05/aimee-melton-talks-affordable-housing-streetcar-project/) Melton talked about housing as well as the proposed street car.

In this essay, I am not going to outright bash the streetcar idea. I am going to point to my concerns about the actual plan and suggest alternatives. If Omaha is going to do this, I much prefer a well thought out plan instead of one pushed by special interest groups.

First, Melton says investors are on the hook for the cost of the streetcar. However, this sounds too much like the “magic money” problem. Is the Kiewit Foundation willing to invest in the bonds for the streetcar? Warren Buffett obviously won’t. What actually funds the investment? We are told the streetcar would improve property tax revenues, which implies somewhere the City is on the hook to pay for the project. Are the streetcars going to be given names and will naming rights be sold to raise revenue? How about selling naming rights for streetcar stops? Has anyone talked about this?

Second, the route goes over the interstate not just once but twice. It does not merely go over interstate lanes but is close to off-ramps and exchanges both north and south of the route. This basically takes two to three square miles out of any real potential development. Also, the Federal government may have issues and other regulations in regard to streetcars going over or under an interstate. Has this been investigated?

Third, the route favors UNMC over Creighton University. In fact, Creighton’s access to the streetcar is virtually blocked by the interstate from even being of any interest to anyone at Creighton. Yet, a UNMC student would have a free ride to downtown Omaha and back. Not fair.

Fourth, if the route was from 10th and Pacific to the airport, it would be ten times better. It would tie the attractions together and be very useful to travelers. At both ends, parking garage revenues would soar as local residents would park and ride the street car in to downtown. The traveler could land at Eppley Airfield and take the street car to numerous hotels and events. It would connect North and South Omaha. The route would be a bit shorter, affordable, and provide more investment opportunities.

Yet, the current plan actually feels racist and even anti-Catholic as it feeds old divisions. Call it the Ku Klux Klan route. North Omaha (largely Black population) and South Omaha (largely Catholic and Hispanic) won’t benefit from the current route in any way. The current route is merely meant to get to downtown and get right back out a benefit to a more western population. Orbit already does this as did the previous route 1 and 2 bus routes Orbit replaced.

So there is my take.