Quote Originally Posted by Teo9969 View Post
I just don't see a good argument for stopping anywhere other than the Fairgrounds. There is no way that the Meridian Hotels will provide the ridership necessary to justify, they would already have a combined shuttle line if it was really that valuable to those hotels. I do not think the city should be particularly concerned with connecting those hotels to downtown or even the fair grounds. I'd be okay with the city running a survey for patrons of the hotel and try and collect some info to try and divine ridership likelihood.

Otherwise, if the land/hotel owners are committed to re-framing the area and want to raise and invest about $300M worth of improvements for the area's walkability, general beauty, and baseline viability as a passable urban area, then we can talk. Until then, I'm very serious when I say it's not worth losing a single minute on the route schedule to stop there.
Fixed-guideway transit is important for moving people, but also to incentivize economic development. I'm firmly of the mind that a line to the airport does not make financial sense if it relies on airport riders alone - there will never be enough pax to support the line in that scenario. We already know the hotels on Meridian are quite busy. Adding a stop near the river at SW 15th and Meridian helps incentivize ridership on the system - both to the Fairgrounds and the wider city beyond - because there is already *some* walkable infrastructure there, and having a stop there would encourage more walkable development. It would also tie in with the river trails network too. An easy win. A stop at the Fairgrounds - even if it were only open for special events - would be another easy win, drawing riders both from the Meridian Ave hotels and from the rest of the city too, allowing car-free access to the Fair and other events. And additionally, a stop near the Farmer's Market district would help that district continue to grow and revitalize itself, as well as provide easier access during events; if you've ever attended a show or event at the Farmer's Market, you know how awful the parking situation is there. This would also provide incentive to grow housing in this area too due to it's proximity to the transit network. Another easy win.

Make the line to the airport as quick as possible while bringing the greatest possible value to the transit network overall through a few strategically located intermediate stops. That's how you ensure success of this proposed service IMO.