What happens when a city like Columbus builds a light rail line from the suburbs to downtown?  Do people ride it?   Does downtown benefit?

Will Schroeer with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce will answer that question on November 21 when he speaks at a joint annual meeting for Capital Crossroads and Discovery SIDs. The meeting will take place on the stage of the Ohio Theatre at 4 p.m. Right Now Downtown readers are invited.

Landowners and investors in Columbus have long known about the relationship between highway interchanges and development (think Polaris interchange, Rt. 36 interchange in Delaware County, and Tuttle Crossing). Because Columbus has no experience with rail transit, much less is known about its connection with transit-oriented development (think dense, walkable, mixed-use development).

Minneapolis is a new city with no natural barriers to growth similar to Columbus, Austin, Salt Lake City, Denver, Sacramento, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and Charlotte.  Among these cities, Columbus is the only one that has not invested in rail transit.  Much can be learned from these other auto-centric cities, and Will Schroeer will tell their story.

Click here to register for the event. We hope to see you there.