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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Millennials’ urban lifestyle driving transit improvements

A trend toward renewed urbanization in larger U.S. cities has not escaped the notice of real estate professionals.

The phenomenon is being driven to a large degree by younger people who are less likely to own cars and more likely to ride transit, they said.

The millennial generation – those born between about 1983 and 2000 – are now the largest population group in the U.S.

Research shows that millennials are trending toward an urban lifestyle not linked to vehicle ownership. Experts say that new urbanization is closely tied to improvements in mass transit.

Building a strong transit system is a question being confronted in urban areas around the country.

Next month, Spokane voters will decide whether to raise the local sales tax by 0.3 percent to fund an expansion of public transit along with maintenance of existing transit service.

The April 28 ballot measure calls for improvements across the urban area, including creation of a new Central City Line running from Browne’s Addition to Spokane Community College via downtown and the University District. That line, financed largely through a federal grant, would use electric trolley buses.

Proponents of the ballot measure said the need to retool Spokane to take advantage of new urbanization and the preferred lifestyles of a younger generation are among their strongest arguments with voters.

The theme is consistent with the argument used in 2012 to extend a small sales tax for 10 years to pay for an expanded and more competitive Spokane Convention Center, which has been described by advocates as a major jobs generator.

Spokane County Commissioner Al French, a member of the Spokane Transit Authority Board, said he sees expanded transit as a means for building the future of Spokane.

“We’ve got to quit designing Spokane for our needs,” French said, referring to those of older generations. “We need to look at the next generation and their needs.”

STA Chief Executive Officer Susan Meyer said, “We want those younger folks to choose Spokane and stay in Spokane.”

Opponents contend that the cost of building up transit would come at the expense of the average retail sales taxpayer, most of whom do not ride buses.

County Commissioner Shelly O’Quinn, also an STA board member, said last fall that she is concerned the trolley bus line would become an example of what Economist magazine has called a “rolling blunder.” But that article focused on the more costly fixed rail trolleys, not the less expensive bus trolley proposed by STA.

According to a paper published in the Urban Studies journal, “Public transit improvements could cause more clustered and higher-density employment and enable urban growth, giving rise to agglomeration economies by improving labor market accessibility, increasing information exchange and facilitating industrial specialization.”

The journal said increases in transit availability translate into increases in wages being paid to workers and businesses drawn in by transit service.

Real estate professionals said the trend is an opportunity.

R. Byron Carlock Jr. in National Real Estate Investor said in a recent commentary that “the urbanization trend is very real and growing yearly. Cities are becoming desirable urban destinations for both human and corporate relocations, largely because of their ever-improving quality of life. Mass transit is a big reason why.”

He cited a Co-Star Group study that shows that having apartments within a five-minute walk of transit yields a 10.9 percent premium on rental rates in San Francisco. The premium is evident in other large cities as well, Carlock said in his commentary.

Two of the three most heavily traveled lines in Spokane – North Division and East Sprague – serve large numbers of multifamily developments. The third line carries students, many of whom are millennials, to Cheney for classes at Eastern Washington University. STA adjusts the number and frequency of Cheney buses to match class scheduling.

Last year, STA logged record ridership with 11.3 million bus boardings.

Ballot measure Q&A

STA will hold an open house for the public from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Plaza at Riverside Avenue and Wall Street to answer questions about the upcoming April 28 transit ballot measure.

For more information on the proposal, go to stamovingforward.com.

Valley road work

In Spokane Valley, repair work on the intersection of Sullivan Road and Indiana Avenue will result in evening and overnight lane closures today through Friday.

The partial lane closures will run from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Concrete pavement panels are being repaired.

Projects in Spokane

In Spokane, work starts this week on Rebecca Street improvements from Pratt to Seventh avenues. Expect delays and possible closures.

Work will start March 31 on sidewalk and landscaping improvements to the Interstate 90 gateway to Spokane at the Division Street off-ramp.

To the north, a portion of Strong Road will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday for grading.

Installation of new curb ramps is resuming. Work is planned on Monroe Street at Queen and Everett avenues. The work will involve single lane closures at those intersections.

SRTC map available

The Spokane region’s annual road construction map is now available at srtc.maps.arcgis.com/home.

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council compiles information for the map from state, county and municipal agencies.