What's my TOD? Frameworks to Identify the Potential for Transit-Oriented Development

1. What’s My TOD?
Evaluative Frameworks to Identify
the Potential for Transit-Oriented
Development
Massachusetts Area Planning Council
Capitol Region Council of Governments
Regional Plan Association
1

6. Transit Station Area Mix and Intensity
1,000
Metro Core
Seaport / Airport
Neighborhood
Subway
(Employment + Population)
Per Developed Acre
Normalized Intensity (log scale)
100
T
ransformational
Subway
T
rolley Suburb
Urban Gateway
T
own & Village
10
Commerce Park
Suburban
T
ransformation
Undeveloped
1
-
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
Mix
(employment/(employment + population))
Source: MassGIS InfoGroup, MAPC Analysis
,
Data are for 1/ 2 mile non-exclusive station areas

8. TOD in the Pipeline and
Additional Potential
140,000
Additional
potential for
16 million sq ft.
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
-
Potential for add'l
43,400 units
32,700 units
in the pipeline
Housing Units
35 million sq. ft in
the development
pipeline
E
mployment

9. •
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10. •
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12. Knowledge Corridor
TOD Market Analysis
• Analyzes existing
market conditions
• Projects future jobs
and housing
• Identifies TOD
opportunities and
strategies
• Helps us think about
TOD on corridor basis

13. Sustainable Knowledge Corridor
• Home to 1.6 million
residents
• 3 planning regions in
MA and CT
• Over $1.5 billion in
new transit and rail
investment
• Shared regional assets

14. Sustainable Knowledge Corridor Projects
• Regional Planning & Civic Engagement
– Update existing regional plans
– Develop Bi-State Action Plan
• Special Projects: Leadership Pioneer Valley, TOD
Market Analysis, Transit Enhancement Studies,
Sustainable Land Use and Affordable Housing
Regulation Development, Training
• Place-Based Projects: Springfield, Chicopee,
Holyoke, Hartford, New Britain and Enfield
• Metrics and Information Sharing
www.sustainableknowledgecorridor.org

15. Demographics are Promising for TOD

16. Need Corridor Centered Growth

17. TOD Supportive Industries Are In
Corridor and Are Growing

18. TOD Needs More than Transit—
Market and Urban Form Matter
Opportunities & Strategies Vary by Station Type

20. Realizing TOD Requires
Proactive Efforts
•
•
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Planning and Visioning
Zoning and Land Use Regulations
New Development
Neighborhood Revitalization
Local Transportation and Infrastructure
Economic Development

21. Active Leadership is
Crucial for Success
• Investments by States
and Anchor
Institutions can be
catalysts for
development in
station areas

22. For More Information Contact
Mary Ellen Kowalewski
Director of Policy and Planning
Capitol Region Council of Governments
860-522-2217 ext. 222
mkowalewski@crcog.org
www.crcog.org

23. Amanda Kennedy
Connecticut Director
Regional Plan Association
amanda@rpa.org
www.rpa.org
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24. Transit-Oriented Development
in Connecticut
• Transit Expansions:
• New stations opened:
West Haven, Fairfield
• Potential new stations:
Orange, Bridgeport, Stamford
• Branch line improvements
under consideration:
• New Canaan
• Danbury
• Waterbury
• Transit-oriented economic
development strategy:
• Governor’s Inter-Agency Task
Force
• TOD Pilot Program
• Sustainable Communities
Grantees:
• New York- Connecticut
Sustainable Communities
Consortium
• Knowledge Corridor
Consortium
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25. One Region Funders GroupEquitable TOD
• Partnership of Funders and Non-profits
• TOD Toolkit
• Analysis of community readiness
• Do land use regulations in Connecticut
support transit-oriented development?
• Are there common regulatory barriers?
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26. Does your town support TOD?
• Plan of Conservation and Development
• What does your Plan of Conservation and Development say about
your station area?
• How old is the plan? How well does it reflect community values?
• Zoning
• What would as-of-right development look like in your station
area?
• How could a change to regulations encourage investment?
• Next Steps
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27. Findings
Yes
Partly
No
Vision
Is there a community vision in place that
recognizes the potential of transit to
impact development?
23
8
11
Land Use
22
Do a mix of land uses meet the needs of
residents and businesses?
10
10
12
9
Density
21
Do densities support frequent transit and
create local consumer demand?
Parking
Do parking ratios & other strategies
encourage transit use and reduce the
amount of land and dollars invested in
parking?
8
Yes
19
Partly
15
No
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28. 28

29. Vision: Define relationships of
transit & land use to each other
• More than ½ of
stations are center of
TOD-type community
visions
• Other stations
recognize need for
additional planning
POCD does
not address
station
area, 11
Transitbased vision
in place, 23
Suggests
further
planning, 8
• Eleven stations ignore
potential of TOD
around stations
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30. 30

31. Land Use: Maximize ridership
& activity with mix of uses
• Most stations with
visions in place have
zones which allow a
mix of uses
• Others have multiple
zones near
station, contributing
to overall
neighborhood mix
Residential
only, 11
Mixed-use
zoning in
place, 22
Area allows
multiple
uses, 9
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32. Density: Encourage proximity
of uses & economic feasibility
• Assess different
densities for different
places
• Suburbs:
• >10 units/acre, 3 stories, 1.5 FAR
• Cities:
• >20 units/acre, 4 stories, 2.5 FAR
• There’s no magic number
• “Moderate” density may
be insufficient for
development feasibility
Low, 9
Transitoriented
density, 19
Moderate
density, 11
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33. Parking: Minimize need for
cars and investment in parking
• Towns are beginning
to make use of
strategies to reduce
parking, such as
• Shared across time of
day
• Payment-in-lieu
supporting public
parking
Reduced
parking
ratios, 7
Cardependent
ratios, 16
Strategies
allow
reduced
parking, 19
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34. 34

35. Community ProfileDarien
• POCD: supports “parkonce” commercial district
“[Darien] should continue to have higher
density housing located near
transportation facilities such as train
stations, and within walking distance to
local shopping.”
• Zoning: 2-story
commercial, parking, singlefamily homes
• Parking: 2-2.5 spaces per
unit, potential reductions for
shared
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36. Community ProfileBethel
• Vision: Rezone station area
for moderate density mixeduse, complete sidewalk
network
“Landscaped sidewalks connecting the
mixed use development with the train
station and downtown should include
benches, water fountains, and other
pedestrian amenities.”- Bethel POCD
• Zoning: mixed-use up to 10
units/acre, more possible
w/village district overlay
• Parking: standard, with
shared & TOD reductions
possible
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37. Community ProfileBridgeport
• POCD: pedestrian-friendly
and transit-oriented
“The competitive edge for a Downtown
is the ability to create a pedestrian
environment where people walk instead
of drive from one place to another.”
• Zoning: Downtown
village, up to 20 stories
• Parking: Low minimums of
0.5/unit + 10% with ability to
reduce further with shared
parking, carsharing, unbundled, employe
e cash-outs…
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38. Urban Reposition Station
•
•
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Land Use Mix
Single-family and multifamily residential
Neighborhood retail
Industrial
Industrial building conversions to res./comm.
Parks
Median Residential Sales Price/Rent
$73,600/$842
(corridor median $160,869/$930)
Density
20.94 persons/acre
Walkability
High
Transit Services
Local bus service
Est. 954 daily CTfastrak Boardings (2015)
Neighborhood Municipal Development Plan
Supports TOD
Brownfields remediation needed to support
development
% TOD Supportive Jobs
59%

39. New suburban train station
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•
•
•
•
•
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Land Use Mix
Single-Family Residential
Strip Commercial
Industrial
Median Residential Sales Price
$206,750 (2009)
Density 5,212/sq mile (townwide)
~9 people/acre
Walkability
Low
Transit Services
Bus every 20-30 minutes
Commuter rail every 20-40 minutes
Plan of Conservation & Development
Extensive TOD plan includes identifying needs and
establishing agency responsibilities
Zoning TOD zone: Med/High density mixed-use.
Residential uses contingent on commercial
component.
Surrounding zones allow lower-density mixeduse/multifamily.
Parking 1 space per bedroom
2 minimum per unit except in TOD district
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