Coming attractions: A streetcar named W. 7th St?

St. Paul city planners have recommended a possible route for a future streetcar line, and they're asking for the public's input on it.

The first of two open houses on a proposal to bring streetcars back to St. Paul will be held Wednesday.

City planner Michelle Beaulieu told The Daily Circuit that there's no guarantee streetcars will return.

"What we're recommending right now is that we do a more in-depth study," she said, "that gets into the details of: If streetcars were to return to this corridor, what would that look like? What kind of benefits would it bring to the community from a transit perspective? And what sort of development would it be able to spur?"

A city-commissioned study recommended that the first streetcar line stretch 4 miles along 7th Street, from the West End neighborhood to the East Side.

But critics have balked at the estimated price tag of $246 million, and it's not clear where the money would come from.

Open houses on the streetcar feasibility plan will be held Wednesday in the fire station at 645 Randolph Ave., and Thursday at the Dayton's Bluff Rec Center, 800 Conway St. Both events will run from 4 to 7 p.m.