State appeals court upholds dismissal of lawsuit over streetcar taxes

“Kansas City’s Downtown streetcar project overcame a big legal hurdle Wednesday when the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the downtown taxes to help pay for it,” The Kansas City Star reported today.

“The appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that threatened the financial viability of the project,” wrote reporter Lynn Horsley.

“An attorney for two property owners challenging the taxes said Wednesday that he has not ruled out a further appeal, but streetcar supporters cheered the ruling and said momentum is growing for the $100 million project, planned to run for 2 miles from the River Market to close to Union Station, primarily on Main Street,” according to The Star.

‘“It’s a very fitting milestone,”’ David Johnson, co-founder of Streetcar Neighbors, a grassroots group of Downtown residents and a member of the Streetcar Authority, told The Star. ‘“It’s really time that we move Kansas City transit forward.”’

Click here to read the complete story in today’s Star.