Kansas City's newest way to get around downtown could be expanding.
You may be an advocate or a naysayer for expanding the streetcar, but whichever side you're on, both groups had an opportunity to weigh in at a public hearing on Thursday.
If the streetcar route expanded, it would extend from downtown to the University of Missouri Kansas City.
Since opening in 2016, hundreds of thousands of people have utilized the KC Streetcar.
Here is that data from KCstreetcar.org:
Credit: Kansas City Streetcar
Supporters for extending the track line say downtown Kansas City is growing.
The City of Kansas City, Missouri’s Finance Department released sales tax receipts of businesses within the Downtown Transportation Development District.
According to kcstreetcar.org, sales tax receipts in the Downtown TDD have grown 58 percent since 2014.
The rate outpaces the growth of citywide sales tax receipts during this same period, which came in at 16 percent.
Should @kcstreetcar stretch to @UMKansasCity ? Naysayers & supporters can weigh in @ 9 a.m. @ Jackson Co Courthouse pic.twitter.com/r3eyjW8etJ
— Belinda Post (@Belinda_Post) September 15, 2016
The expansion would cost about $227 million. To pay for it, the city would implement a 1 percent sales tax increase. It would also apply for federal funds.
Critics of the plan say other areas of the city need more attention than downtown.
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Belinda Post can be reached at belinda.post@kshb.com.
