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The reality of Pinellas County was laid out in blunt terms by HART board member Dr. Steve Polzin. During their joint meeting with PSTA on January 9, Polzin noted that while Hillsborough County grew 23 percent in the last decade, Pinellas shrunk by a half percent. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida, but the average age of a Pinellas resident is 10 years older than Hillsborough (45.3 to 35.6).
Polzin made the presentation in the context of legislative efforts to require increased collaboration between the region’s two largest transit agencies. Missing from the meeting was a discussion of how Pinellas is working to overcome the numbers in Polzin’s presentation.
On January 30, the Pinellas Alternatives Analysis project advisory committee decided that light rail will be the best option to connect Clearwater to St. Petersburg, via Gateway. When Hillsborough decides they also want a transit connection across Tampa Bay, the Gateway station will connect to Hillsborough across a new Howard Frankland Bridge with a dedicated transit envelope. Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard envisions the Pinellas plan as “the first leg of a regional system.”
During the study, the biggest case for light rail has been the potential for job creation and the development of livable communities. Pinellas leaders have known for years that the county is essentially built out, which means a lack of real estate to offer to incoming businesses and residents. Pinellas has recognized that they must evolve and quality mass transit is the way to do it.
Speaking about the Pinellas plan, TBARTA Executive Director Bob Clifford called it, “as much about redevelopment as it is about moving people.” It would be hard to find a better statement about the Pinellas plan. Light rail is a chance at the future. It creates transit oriented development opportunities with housing and businesses clustered transit stations. It is more efficient for travel, instead of constantly adding lanes and or building overpasses that block out business access to roads. If successful, light rail would change the dynamic of a county that was one of two Florida counties to lose population after the 2010 Census.
As a job creator, light rail will create jobs and economic development before and after construction. As SunRail has demonstrated in Orlando, simply announcing the construction of the line will draw investments around stations. Private investment around the line, when combined with the public investment of construction and operations, will create a significant boost for Pinellas’ economy. (See chart below.)
| Economic Development Benefits |
| Create 67,000 job years over 30 years* |
| $4.2b into Pinellas County Economy (GDP) |
| Return of $2.50 on every $1.00 spent (GDP) |
| * Provided by REMI |
After the line is running, more businesses and residents will follow. It has been demonstrated by West Park Village, Longleaf and other neighborhoods in the region and across the nation that families value traditional, walkable neighborhoods. These livable communities are built for kids, dogs and wiffle ball games, not cars.
With Pinellas’ aging housing stock, light rail creates the opportunity for these developments around the 24-mile corridor from downtown Clearwater to downtown St. Petersburg. The image of Pinellas will no longer be of service roads and brake lights, but of neighborhoods where residents walk to the supermarket or commute on the train. These neighborhoods will attract families who will grow roots in Pinellas. More kids and more young families mean long term investments in the community by building homes or starting businesses. Plus, the average age of a Pinellas resident would drop, demonstrating economic vitality.
There is a very long way to go before a train car rolls past traffic on Ulmerton and into Carillon. Pinellas still has to consider funding options, private partnerships and public support for a project that could cost $1.5 billion. Demographic changes could take a generation, as development around Washington Metro stations have shown. But, give Pinellas credit for pursuing a new vision for their future. They realize that quality mass transit and the future opportunities it creates in terms of jobs and livable communities, is the best way to overcome their present.
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