tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post6906370871298679635..comments2024-03-20T08:05:35.028-04:00Comments on H Street Great Street: Today's streetcar hearing went well. Here's a quick summary of some highlights:H Street Great Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310276323320133747noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-26599834607744399792010-07-08T14:27:38.116-04:002010-07-08T14:27:38.116-04:00The Benefit Assessment District, requiring a speci...The Benefit Assessment District, requiring a special tax assessment on owners of property near the proposed streetcar routes is the funding mechanism for streetcars that DDOT presented to the Council. In estimating that the 3,000 property owners near the H Street route would be paying extra taxes totaling $35 million toward capital costs and $1 million a year toward net operating costs, DDOT assumed that they would be getting a federal grant to cover 25% of the capital costs. <br /><br />In presenting this proposal to the Council, DDOT compared it to the payments made by nearby property owners for the New York Avenue (in-fill) Metro Station. That analogy, however, falls apart on several levels. The New York Avenue Metro Station was an in-fill station, thus having a relatively low incremental capital cost with a large impact on local property values, since it is providing full Metrorail service, i.e., a big bang for the buck. The special assessment was limited to commercial properties of at least 10,000 square feet, and was based on their agreement to pay $25 million over 30 years. Given the amount of money that they would need to raise and the taxpayer profile along the proposed streetcar route, for H Street, a broader tax would be necessary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-51500475057115053432010-07-07T08:04:37.530-04:002010-07-07T08:04:37.530-04:00DDOT does not impose taxes. The City Council decid...DDOT does not impose taxes. The City Council decides tax rates. There's tons of studies about just about everything in this city. Will the residents near Eastern Market, the new Hines development, and the new community center in SE be paying extra taxes?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-53197956524323034762010-07-02T12:34:48.223-04:002010-07-02T12:34:48.223-04:00The funding for the H Street line includes an assu...The funding for the H Street line includes an assumption that 25% of the capital costs and half the operating subsidy will be captured through the additional taxes on residents and businesses near the streetcar route. Since the capital costs are estimated to be $140 million, and the estimate of the annual operating subsidy is $2 million a year, the approximately 3,000 property owners near H Street will be paying extra taxes totalling $35 million toward the capital costs and $1 million a year toward the operating costs. This clearly will have a negative impact on revitalization.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-46917405725040115902010-06-24T16:31:40.994-04:002010-06-24T16:31:40.994-04:00The H Street line was funded in the budget already...The H Street line was funded in the budget already.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-19299024926320633872010-06-24T14:37:46.653-04:002010-06-24T14:37:46.653-04:00The information on "value capture" finan...The information on "value capture" financing which DDOT is proposing to fund the streetcar system did not result from any studies performed on behalf of CHRS or C100.<br />DC Surface Transportation commissioned them from the Brookings Institution http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/public/reports/1044 and this funding mechanism is referred to throughout DDOT materials on the Streetcar project as the means of paying for it..<br />CHRS and C100 are simply referring to and quoting from DDOT's own documents.<br /><br />That does not mean that I oppose the streetcar, only that people should be aware of the new tax burden that will come with it.@HStreetDCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-35461319316184399982010-06-23T17:47:10.698-04:002010-06-23T17:47:10.698-04:00This is typical of the whispering campaign that th...This is typical of the whispering campaign that the Committee of 100 and CHRS does. They pay for a report, take other items out of context and then put it out there as fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-66201527390792435292010-06-23T13:53:07.276-04:002010-06-23T13:53:07.276-04:00I could care less if the assessment is higher on p...I could care less if the assessment is higher on properties within a reasonable walking distance of the lines. I'd be ecstatic if every neighborhood had to pay their fair share of infrastructure. Bring it on.Sand Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07321456952929273475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-11214902401073341102010-06-23T06:29:34.424-04:002010-06-23T06:29:34.424-04:00I'm so scared!!!!I'm so scared!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7024376322107037421.post-32913892468981753612010-06-23T00:22:05.451-04:002010-06-23T00:22:05.451-04:00Wells continues to claim that there is "misin...Wells continues to claim that there is "misinformation" about the funding for the streetcars, yet he knows damned well about the Benefit Assessment District taxation schemes that DDOT is proposing to pay for the infrastructure and ongoing losses of the streetcars. DDOT openly advocated for it in their responses to Council Chairman Gray's questions to them about the funding for streetcars.<br />If you live within 1/4 mile of a streetcar line in DC, your property taxes will be higher than others in your neighborhood. Businesses will suffer special assessments and on-going additional taxation which will drive them away,<br />H Street will be the host of Applebees and Starbucks who can afford this, and you can say goodbye to locally-owned small businesses.@HStreetDCnoreply@blogger.com