HDR's study estimates building Phase 1 of the streetcar system will lead to the development of 314 new residential units a year for the next ten years, bringing thousands of new residents into the urban core.

The streetcar will greatly increase the speed at which downtown development occurs. The HDR study looks at long term development trends and the effects of the streetcar.

Without the streetcar, the number of residential units downtown is predicted to rise to 2000 units by 2039. With the streetcar 2000 units will be reached in 2018, a full 21 years sooner.

There are 92 acres of parking lots in the area along the streetcar route. For comparison, Burnet Woods in Clifton is only 89 acres. This much surface parking is not a sign of a healthy city. The streetcar can transform some of these lots into mixed-use developments with residential and commercial activities wrapped around or above parking garages.

Developers will make long term investment decisions based on a streetcar line that they wouldn't make on a bus line. The streetcar is a permanent improvement that can’t be easily changed. Changing a bus route only requires a can of orange paint.