Loop Trolley Delayed Yet Again

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — The Post-Dispatch reported last week that the Loop Trolley has been delayed yet again. The snag this time seems to be approval from the Federal Transit Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The Loop Trolley Company said last year it needed another half million dollars cash before it could begin services. Two local real estate development firms — Clayco and CRG — announced in December they would front the money, but as of June, the company has yet to announce a firm date for service to begin.

The most recent target date was "late spring," when the company promised to begin limited service with two cars and reduced hours. Before that the target was simply spring, and before that it was January or February. The $51 million project was initially slated to open in mid-2014.

A $25 million Federal Transit Authority grant as well as local grants, tax credits and a special districtwide sales tax have made up the bulk of the project's initial funding. St. Louis County has provided $3 million toward the project, while University City has kicked in $250,000 plus a 1-cent sales tax on businesses in the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District. That tax has provided less revenue than was anticipated as a slew of businesses have closed in the Loop and others have seen less foot traffic.

"While sales tax receipts have not fallen during construction, as some have asserted, growth has been slow for the last couple of years," said Loop Trolley Company President Les Sterman. "This is a departure from trends that were anticipated in 2014, when the initial operating budget was developed."

Meanwhile, University City is considering yet another massive project ($200 million) funded, in part, by local sales taxes. That one is still being debated, with another public hearing scheduled for June 22. University City Mayor Terry Crow said at his April 23 swearing-in that the "luxury of us debating the Trolley is now gone."

Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch