Reno, NV ― Transit Study to Include Streetcars

Rail Transit Online, November 2009

On Nov. 12 the Regional Transportation Commission voted unanimously to update an alternatives analysis study for Virginia Street to include streetcars or light rail.

The initial segment would run from California Avenue in downtown Reno to the University of Reno campus and cost an estimated $67 million. A subsequent extension would connect downtown with the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, a project with an $84-million price tag; both would require at least 50-percent federal funding. A long-range plan calls for switching from streetcars to higher capacity light rail vehicles, helping to further spur development along Virginia Street.

The next step is up to the Reno City Council, which must decide whether to seek an increase in the state property tax cap from the Nevada Legislature. If that's approved, local voters will then be asked to endorse a city property tax increase of 33 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, revenue from which would pay the local share of the streetcar project.