I really wonder if the BRT on Division would gain anything. Buses already run up and down Division, so I doubt that a BRT would make any difference.
I was reading an article about Cincinnati's streetcar line, where the idea is to link the downtown with the (disadvantaged) Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Quote:
"The project team includes Charles Hales, the "father" of the highly successful streetcar system in Portland, Ore., who's now a principal with HDR's Portland office.
The Portland system has spurred billions of dollars of economic development over the last five years, most of which is within a block or so of the streetcar line."
It seems to me that Division is one of the most obvious areas that is in need of redevelopment, and that the North Monroe area is doing pretty good currently. To quote the same article:
Architect Denny Dellinger, owner of the former Jackson Brewery building and a founder of the Brewery District community development organization in Over-the-Rhine, said his group supports a streetcar line because of its ability to stimulate economic development.
"Developers aren't going to build a new development on a bus line, but they will along a streetcar line," he said. The rail in the ground makes all the difference. "That's a permanent, significant improvement that's not going to move," he said.
"I think it would just change things overnight. I really do."
Finally, I think if we're going to commit to a street car system, we ought to do so with the idea of expanding it over time, rather than making it a one off. Perhaps first up and down Division, and then Wealthy to Eastown, then to John Ball Park Zoo, then to Creston, etc....
Once upon a time, Grand Rapids supported a streetcar system with less density than we have now. It seems like we could really make such a system work.
City Studies Streetcar System (Cincinnati Enquirer)