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Dallas Area Rapid Transit
P.O. Box 660163
DART Dallas, Texas 75266 -0163
214/749 -3278
June 29, 2010
RE: Agency Scoping Meeting: Cotton Belt Regional Rail Corridor
Dear Agency Representatives:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the local lead
agency, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to study the implementation of
rail passenger service on the 26 -mile long Cotton Belt Corridor from Dallas -Fort Worth International
Airport (DFWIA) in Tarrant County Texas, through a large portion of northwest Dallas County, to the
existing DART Red Line in Collin County, Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), having
jurisdiction over airports, is being requested to be a cooperating agency in this study. The EIS will be
prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended, as well as
provisions of the enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA -LU). This notice is to advise interested agencies that an agency scoping
meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at 10:00 am, in the Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Board Room located at 1401 Pacific Avenue in Dallas, TX.
The project proposes a new regional rail line to provide express rail passenger service within the
Cotton Belt Corridor between DFWIA, through the cities of Grapevine, Coppell, Carrollton and
Addison to the existing DART Red Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) corridor in the cities of Plano and
Richardson, Texas. The primary purpose of the project is to provide passenger rail connections that
will improve mobility, accessibility and system linkages to major employment, population and activity
centers.
The proposed project would lie within right -of -way purchased by DART in 1990 and designated as a
preserved corridor for future passenger rail service. The corridor has been included in various DART
and NCTCOG planning documents since 1983 as an alignment alternative for passenger rail. The
right -of -way width varies throughout the corridor, but is generally 100 feet. The corridor would
consist of a single -track line, with strategic sections of double- track, on primarily an at -grade design
configuration.
The project is being advanced as an EIS in anticipation of potential environmental impacts. DART is
inviting all federal, state and local agencies with a possible interest in any aspect of the proposed
project or its impacts to an interagency coordination meeting. If you are unable to attend the
meeting, Scoping materials and additional information on the project will be available online at
( http: / /www.dart.org /cottonbelt If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
jhoppie .dart.org or 214.749.2525. 1 look forward to seeing at the interagency meeting.
Sincerely,
1—
John Hoppie, Project Manager
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
•••M
4
AGENDA
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INNOVATIVE FINANCE INITIATIVE
COTTON BELT CORRIDOR
CITY OF COPPELL
C, �&o cAT
SE PTEMBER 28, 2010
the
1. Project Introduction/Meeting Purpose ....... ............................... Kevin Feldt
2. DART EIS Project Update ............................ ...........................John Hoppie
3. Innovative Finance Initiative (iFi) Process ............................... Kevin Feldt
4. iFi Details ................................................. ............................... Mike Krusee
5. City Topics ............................................... ............................... Clay Phillips
6. Discussion ................................................................ ............................... All
7. Action Items/Next Steps ............................ ............................... Kevin Feldt
8. Adjourn .................................................................... ............................... All
Cotton Belt • • . r Innovative Finance Initiativew AQs
September 2010 North Central Texas Council of Govermeq]
What is the Cotton Belt Innovative Finance Initiative?
Along the existing "Cotton Belt" freight rail route - from
Fort Worth to Plano /Richardson - the region desires to
construct and operate rail transit service. To succeed in
this initiative, we must harness the value of transit -
oriented development to create an entire corridor of
desirable communities and traditional neighborhoods.
Served by new passenger rail transit, the Cotton Belt
corridor must link homes to jobs, education, and
opportunity region -wide. Properly conceived, this
desirable corridor can attract major employers and
global investments to the region. The Innovative
Finance Initiative (IFI) seeks to develop a viable,
integrated funding plan for both the transit and the
related public infrastructure required. It involves a
deliberative "audit" of the full range of funding
strategies, resulting in specific recommendations. The
focus will be on attracting major private- sector capital
investments for designing, building, operating and
maintaining passenger rail service, with integrated
public improvements.
Who is leading the IFI?
As requested by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T)
Boards of Directors, the Cotton Belt IFI is lead by the
Regional Transportation Council (RTC) with North
Central Texas Council of Governments ( NCTCOG) staff
After an international competition, NCTCOG selected
the Partnership for Livable Communities (PLC), LLC to
lead the initiative. PLC, the NCTCOG, DART and The T
are working cooperatively to develop a viable funding
plan for the project to be approved by the respective
transit agencies.
While population and economic growth generate a
need for transportation infrastructure, we know
conventional transportation funding sources are
dwindling. We are in a new era. The reality is public
funding in the coming decades will be inadequate for
our needs — and unavailable on the scale needed for the
Cotton Belt, in particular. Therefore, we need to
creatively develop innovative public - private funding
strategies.
What process will be used for the IFI?
The IFI will begin with the identification and valuation of
potential funding streams. Beginning with an
exhaustive list of possible funding sources, the most
promising options will be analyzed in detail. The initial
list of sources will include traditional public funding
sources, such as transit taxes or motor vehicle fees and
federal grants or U.S. Department of Transportation
funding. The list will also include transit -based value
capture — leveraging increases in property and other
values along the rail line — as well as other sources such
as naming rights, smart grid /smart card technologies
and direct developer investments. The analysis will
determine the magnitude, timing, duration and stability
factors for funding system construction, operation and
maintenance. The best - suited funding streams will be
structured into a package of predictable cash flows over
the next 40 to 50 years. One potential outcome is the
creation of a package of revenue streams designed to
attract private- sector investors willing to accelerate
construction and operation.
Why is the IFI needed?
The Dallas -Fort Worth Metroplex has been among the
fastest growing regions in the nation. Since 2000, the
DFW Metroplex has realized the largest absolute
increase in the nation, gaining more than 1.2 million
people. The total regional population is now estimated
at 6.6 million. North Central Texas Council of
Governments ( NCTCOG) forecasts that it will exceed 9.1
million by 2030.
The IFI effort will build upon discussions with regional
leaders. The Corridor Stakeholder Team and key
jurisdictional representatives will continue to be fully
engaged throughout the project.
After completing the first phase with an accepted
funding plan, efforts to devise an appropriate financing
strategy will commence.
Why invest in this particular corridor?
The existing freight rail line provides a major
transportation spine to absorb hundreds of thousands,
if not millions, of the new residents to the region.
Connected to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
(DFWIA), the wider corridor surrounding the rail offers
land suitable for tens of millions of square feet of new
homes, retail, workplaces, hotels, parks and
entertainment options — all thoughtfully planned as
attractive, walkable, mixed -use communities. The
Cotton Belt corridor has some of the strongest growth
potential in the NCTCOG region. Each existing
community — including their residents, property owners,
and business owners — along the Cotton Belt corridor
will enjoy and share in the increased value, amenities,
mobility and market appeal created by new passenger
rail service.
What is the timeline for the IFI?
The IFI began in August. The first phase of work will
produce initial recommendations based on an economic
audit of the potential for value capture and other
revenue sources. The first phase will conclude in Spring
2011.
Who is the contact for more information?
Contact Kevin Feldt at either 817 - 704 -2529 or
kfeldt @nctcog.org
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