Transit as a Catalyst for a Winning Region: A Denver Case Study Maria Garcia Berry May 17, 2018

Regionalism is Born 1960s 100-year Flood 1970s School Desegregation and Busing Annexation Wars 1980s Retail Wars Denver International Airport Convention Center 16th Street Mall 2

Regionalism Grows Up 1990s: Formation of Metro Mayors Caucus Sports Facilities T-REX Project - Rail and Roads TABOR – Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights 2000s: Water Wars FasTracks - Expansion of Transit Growth and Development The Great Recession 2010s: Statewide Transportation Challenges Marijuana – The New Mile High City 3

The Early Years of Transit 1960s: Denver Tramway Company files for bankruptcy and transfers assets to city- owned Denver Metro Transit 1969: RTD was created by the Colorado General Assembly 1973: Voters approved .05% sales tax for RTD 1974: Denver Metro Transit becomes part of RTD 1994: Central Connector Light Rail Line opens 2000: Southwest Light Rail Line opens 2002: Central Platte Valley Spur opens 4

Laying the Groundwork for FasTracks Proposed “Guide the Ride” expansion failed in 1997 (57% to 43%) Dysfunctional board Conceptual Plan – “trust us with your money” The “yes” campaign spent $650,000; “no” $50,000 In 1999, CDOT and RTD collaborated on two ballot measures approved by the voters Granted CDOT authority to pledge federal revenues to retire debt Allowed RTD to seek additional bonding authority for rail construction TREX expanded I-25 and built 19 miles of light rail 3

Laying the Groundwork for FasTracks By 2001, RTD Board and local communities began collaborating on a comprehensive, region-wide transit plan called FasTracks Legislature granted RTD authority to go to ballot, by petition, in May 2002 Formal review and unanimous approval of plan by DRCOG (Regional MPO) Two light rail corridors opened in 2000 and 2002 Southeast Line under construction 4

FasTracks Plan 122 miles of new light rail and commuter rail 18 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) 57 new transit stations 31 new Park-n-Rides with over 21,000 new spaces Enhanced suburb-to-suburb bus service Development of Denver Union Station 5

Keys to an Effective Campaign Research, Research, Research! Between June 2002 and March 2004, privately funded entities conducted 3 baseline polls and 24 focus groups Throw out all preconceived notions and myths as to who supports transit and who doesn’t Start Early Research started shortly after legislature granted RTD the authority to go to an election Utilize data gathered to assist public policy makers Be Inclusive and Proactive Use the issue to bring divergent views but common interests together Pick the “right” election cycle 6

Things We “Expected” to Learn Transit riders most likely to support Higher income households less likely to support Republicans will never vote to increase taxes for transit It won’t make a difference in “my lifetime” 7

Key Findings of Research Voters wanted something done now to address traffic – 12 years was too long Usage does not equal support Highways alone would not solve congestion General awareness of the success of light rail Voters did NOT know about the FasTracks Plan – needed major education 8

Understanding the Voters Understand your voting “world” Develop a “voting model” on how to win in each county Not all counties are equal – each have different populations and voting patterns In Denver metro area: Voters wanted a specific plan/map Voters wanted choices and options in transportation Roads alone were not the answer; but roads weren’t the enemy either – one size doesn’t fit all Voters wanted something done NOW! 9

Challenges Faced by the Campaign Very competitive election year Open Senate seat Presidential election Campaign budget increased by 15 – 20% Ballot clutter – Colorado has a very long ballot Governor and Executive Director of CDOT opposed the campaign Rocky Mountain News editorialized against the campaign 13 times 10

Key Messages The Map was key Translated the cost - 4 pennies on a $10 purchase The time is now (“Population Explosion”) Can’t stop growth - must plan for it (“Highways Not the Answer”) FasTracks provides choices (“New Door to the City”) Unanimous support of all 32 Mayors in the region 11

Election Results Final results: YES – 57% NO – 43% All Republican majority counties voted for FasTracks One out of three Democratic counties voted against FasTracks 12

The Elements of Success Created a disciplined, focused, flexible campaign plan Anticipate changing world of electoral politics Plan for surprise events On-time/On-budget delivery RTD and the region had undertaken large infrastructure projects and delivered them on time and on budget What it takes Strength, passion, commitment, courage and unbridled determination to deliver Great city and region Need desire and political will to be a great city and region Vision Should be lofty, but attainable Should capture the region’s imagination A plan Must have a specific plan 13

What it Takes to Win Start early Political will Business/community/environmental support Public buy in – research is key Plan for implementing Strong public education campaign Gauge the economy and the impact on voter Choosing the best election cycle possible 14

RTD Today Service Area Statistics Ridership Total Operating Budget Population: 3.03 million Cities and Towns Serviced: 42 municipalities, 8 counties Square miles in service area: 2,342 Ridership Average weekday boardings: 336,576 Annual boardings: 100,942,818 Total Operating Budget 2017: 626.1 million Fixed Routes Commuter Rail: 2 Light Rail: 8 Bus: 132 15

FasTracks Progress 2013: W Line opened 2014: Denver Union Station opened MetroRide opened 2016: University of Colorado A Line opened B Line opened Flatiron Flyer opened 2017: R Line opened 2019: G Line and N Line scheduled to open 15

Leveraging Federal Funds $5.6 billion spent since 2004 election $1.767 billion in federal funding Federal funds equal 33.8% of overall budget Project Total Cost Federal % Federal Flatiron Flyer $190 M $0 0% Central Platte Valley $48 M West Rail Line $678 M $309 M 44% Central $117 M Southwest Corridor $178 M $120 M 80% North Metro $837 M Eagle P3 Project $2.3 B $1 B 52% R Line $677 M Southeast Corridor $879 M $525 M 60% Southeast Extension $232 M $92 M 43% 15

Private Investment Follows Transit Nearly $3B in private investment around Union Station since 2009 77% of office space build in last decade in the Denver Tech Center along I-25 40% of multifamily units proposed or under construction are within ½ miles of rail transit 15

Questions? Maria Garcia Berry CRL Associates, Inc. 1660 Lincoln Street, Suite 1800 Denver, CO 80264 303-592-5466 mgarciaberry@crlassociates.com 16