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C. Light Rail Brings Business and Boosts Economic Development
<br />As alluded to above, the proposed light rail system will draw concentrated economic
<br />development. 17 Large companies are deliberately investing in and developing areas connected to
<br />permanent public transit systems like light rail. Mercedez -Benz relocated to downtown Atlanta, 18
<br />and Kaiser- Permanente decided on Georgia over Colorado because of the public transit options
<br />available, specifically the rail system in the Midtown area. 19 Indeed, The Charlotte Lynx System
<br />has proven to be an enormous economic success for the area: "From 2005 to -date, the Blue Line
<br />has generated approximately $900M in development projects completed within a �/2 mile of the
<br />Blue Line Stations. "20 This has "transformed portions of the community from vacant or
<br />underutilized parcels to vibrant, pedestrian friendly communities including housing, restaurants,
<br />retail and small businesses." 21 Charlotte Area Transit System staff project an additional $500
<br />million -worth of development in the coming years. 22 The Blue Line Extension, which is set to
<br />begin operations in 2017, has already attracted more than $200 million in new, private
<br />development projects along the future route. 23 Clean Air Carolina, which is based in Charlotte,
<br />has witnessed first -hand these positive community not to mention environmental and health
<br />benefits of the Lynx system. While this success story from within our State is particularly
<br />impressive, it is not an isolated instance. Light rail systems across the country, in metropolitan
<br />regions similar to the D -O corridor, have likewise experienced substantial economic benefits.
<br />These include systems in Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Santa Clara
<br />County, California; and St. Paul- Minneapolis, Minnesota. 24
<br />Notably, bus service, including bus rapid transit ( "BRT "), has not and cannot spur such
<br />economic benefits precisely because of its unpredictable, ever - changing routes. 25 A BRT system
<br />includes fixed guideways for buses, thus removing segments of bus service from mixed -use
<br />traffic to enable quicker travel times. However, BRT is still characterized by flexibility in route
<br />17 See DEIS at 1 -22; id. at Table 8.1 -1: Project Need Performance Summary for No Build, NEPA Preferred, and
<br />Project Element Alternatives.
<br />" Matt Kempner and J. Scott Trubey, MARTA A Sudden Factor in Company Moves, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-
<br />CONSTITUTION, Jan. 16, 2015, http : / /www.myajc.com/news/business /marta -a- sudden - factor -in- company-
<br />moves/njpnF/.
<br />19 Maria Saporta, Transit and Walkability Key Factors in Kaiser Permanente's Decision to Put 900 New Jobs in
<br />Midtwon, SAPORTAREPORT, Apr. 17, 2015, http://saportareport.com/transit- and - walkability- key - factors- in- kaiser-
<br />permanentes- decision -to -put- 900 -new jobs -in- midtown/.
<br />20 E -mail from Tina Votaw, Transit Oriented Dev. Specialist, Charlotte Area Transit Sys., to Kym Hunter, Staff
<br />Attorney, S. Envtl Law Ctr. (April 22, 2015); see also Alternatives Analysis at 5 -86 ( "North Carolina's first LRT
<br />line, the Blue Line, has been a catalyst for almost $1.5 billion of new or planned development along Charlotte's
<br />South Corridor, a formerly underutilized railroad corridor. ").
<br />" E -mail from Tina Votaw, supra note 20.
<br />22 id.
<br />23 id.
<br />24 Alternatives Analysis, at 5- 86 -5 -87 (listing the significant economic benefits which have accrued to the areas
<br />surrounding the respective light rail systems).
<br />25 Alternatives Analysis, at 5 -88 (citing limited available studies on BRT and noting that potential economic benefits
<br />of BRT are unproven and speculative, unlike light rail's demonstrated positive effects).
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