Trolley OKd in Concept by Pasadena Directors

Despite concerns voiced by some members, the Board of City Directors voted unanimously this week to give conceptual approval for construction of a scaled-down trolley system in Old Pasadena.

“By concept approval, we’re really saying we don’t have enough information to know whether it’s going to work or not,” Mayor William Bogaard said Tuesday. “But we wish you well.”

The trolley, which is the brainchild of developer John Patrick Wilson, would make an eight-block loop around Wilson’s proposed $42-million Marketplace, which last month also received conceptual approval from the board.

Route Outlined

The trolley is planned to run on the rectangle formed by Raymond Avenue, Green Street, Delacey Avenue and Union Street.

“I was very pleased,” said Susan Presley, project coordinator for the Old Pasadena Historic Trolley. “We needed some sort of nod from the board, an indication that the city is supportive.”

However, Bogaard said that the trolley still must undergo a series of reviews to determine its engineering and economic feasibility before Wilson gets final approval to begin work on the $3-million project.

The board stipulated that Wilson must completely finance the construction and operation of the trolley and obtain written consent from property owners along the trolley route. Wilson’s Original Downtown Pasadena Co. must also hire a consultant to study any technical problems created by the trolley, such as the effect on utilities, parking and traffic.

‘We’re Not Saying No’

Director Bill Thomson said that conceptual approval was no indication that the board intends to ultimately approve the project.

“All we’re really doing is not saying no,” Thomson said. “You don’t need our permission (to study the feasibility).”

Thomson said that he was particularly concerned that potential trolley problems might detract from construction of Wilson’s proposed 350,000-square-foot shopping arcade in the historic downtown district.

“Don’t misunderstand, I think it would be great to have a trolley system,” Thomson said. “But in my judgment the marketplace is infinitely more important. . . . I want to be sure the trolley doesn’t jeopardize the success of the Marketplace.”

Wilson’s proposed eight-block trolley route is a drastically reduced version of his original plan, presented two years ago. That plan has been gradually scaled back because of high construction and operation costs.

Six Cars Proposed

Wilson, who was not at Tuesday’s board meeting, had proposed a route in 1983 that would have connected his Old Town Marketplace to much of downtown Pasadena, with the possibility of eventually reaching the Lake Avenue shopping district. The original plan, which called for six separate trolley cars running at 10- to 15-minute intervals, was based on ridership estimates of 10,000 to 15,000 people a day.

The current proposal has been pared down to a one-mile loop around the Marketplace, with the trolley carrying an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 riders a day.

Funding for the trolley project is based primarily on 50-cent trolley fares and an assessment to be levied on tenants of the Marketplace. The Wilson Group, which controls about 600,000 square feet in Old Pasadena, says it will charge its tenants at an annual rate of 54 cents a square foot for the operation of the trolley, and will levy an additional charge of 36 cents a square foot on 150,000 square feet of surrounding properties.

Annual revenues from the trolley are estimated at $750,000.

Unrealistic Estimates

However, a report prepared for the Board of City Directors by traffic and transportation engineer David Barnhart suggested that the ridership and construction cost estimates may not be realistic.

Although the report said the staff is not prepared to determine the technical feasibility of the project, there are “potentially large, overly optimistic revenue projections by Mr. Wilson and potentially significant underestimations of the construction difficulties.”

According to Presley, the Original Downtown Pasadena Co. is negotiating with a consultant to review the technical and economic feasibility of the trolley.

“We can now look into the feasibility ourselves,” Presley said. “But before we could do that, we needed some sort of a nod saying, ‘Yes, you can go on to the next step.’ ”