SCOTTSDALE In the early 1980s, when Portland, Ore., was constructing a light-rail train transit system that would become a model for the nation, the eastern suburb of Gresham rejected a chance to bring the system downtown. Instead, Gresham allowed light rail to come only to the city’s edge. “They see it now as a missed opportunity,” said Mary Fetsch, spokeswoman for Tri-Met, the Portland equivalent of Valley Metro. The reason: Light rail proved a boon to metropolitan Portland, attracting $3.8 billion in new development within walking distance of the rail lines. As the Valley prepares to build a 20-mile segment of light rail between Phoenix and Mesa, some observers worry that Scottsdale is missing out.

Chamber ponders rail

The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, while yet to mount a large-scale effort to bring high-speed mass transit to the city, is strongly considering it. And a comprehensive transportation plan, to be developed next year, will offer a recommendation on whether to bring light rail up Scottsdale Road. Streetcars and rapid bus service also are under consideration. Officials at the chamber recognize that the public isn’t exactly clamoring for rail lines to be run up Scottsdale Road. Residents have expressed particular concern about destroying the character of downtown Scottsdale. If a referendum were held today, up to 80 percent of residents might vote against bringing light rail to Scottsdale, estimates Rick Kidder, the chamber’s incoming president and chief executive officer. “My guess is, in the absence of a fairly rigorous community dialogue, that the instinct of the voter would be ‘No,’ “ Kidder said. “Partly because of the costs involved, . . . but also because of a sense within the city that maybe Scottsdale doesn’t need to have that kind of connectivity.” Chamber officials say Scottsdale does need a light-rail connection, particularly given its status as an importer of jobs. Already, some employers have a difficult time recruiting employees who can put up with the commute. Scottsdale brings in more commuters each day than any Valley city save for Phoenix and Tempe. About 36,000 Valley residents commute to Scottsdale each weekday, straining the city’s transportation infrastructure and the crowded Loop 101. “What we see in the future is a possibility of congestion so great that it could be difficult for our larger employers and some of our smaller employers to attract a workforce,” Kidder said. “From our perspective, light rail is probably not ‘the’ answer. It is perhaps a part of the answer. And the chamber will be making a public position at some point in the near future.” At the very least, officials say that public support is growing for bringing light rail at least to the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center at Scottsdale and McDowell roads, just two miles north of Tempe’s main ASU campus.

A housing solution?

Dean Sheppard, director of economic development for the chamber, says light rail could address another problem in Scottsdale: the lack of affordable housing for younger families. To encourage use of the system, Portland and other cities have created incentives for building higher-density residential buildings close to light rail. The high density leads to prices that more workers can afford. At the same time, it creates a strong base of users for the rail system. “That’s the thing to try to bridge that (housing) affordability gap, because we have such a huge gap in Scottsdale, and we import 50 percent of our workers or more,” Sheppard said. “The idea behind transit-oriented development is that we make (light rail) a break-even or profitable program.” Making light rail break even could be hardest. In Portland this year, only 19.5 percent of Tri-Met’s operating budget came from passenger revenue - fares. The majority, 51 percent, came from a payroll tax, while state and federal operating grants made up another 18 percent. “I don’t think the citizens of Scottsdale are going to want to spend that money,” said Councilman Bob Littlefield, a light-rail opponent. Perhaps not. But in Gresham, downtown business owners watched as new development sprang up around the light-rail system at the edge of the city. Eventually, Gresham relocated its City Hall so that it was closer to a light-rail station. “A lot has been built up around it,” said Bruce Solberg, a Tri-Met spokesman. But until it becomes a reality in the Valley, Scottsdale leaders seem content to wait and see. “It has to pencil out and it has to work,” Kidder said. “At this point, it’s something that we’re not ready to jump into with both feet.”

Casey Newton The Arizona Republic Nov. 22, 2005 12:00 AM