Cities urged to link transit, development
September 29, 2005; As originally appeared in Stamford
Advocate by Joy L. Woodson
STAMFORD
-- State planners are hoping more state municipalities will
promote policies bringing new retail shops, commercial space
and housing near mass transit centers.
Despite
having about 45 railroad stations and scores of bus routes,
there is no statewide initiative to encourage transit-oriented
development known as TODs.
The
concept is relatively new for Connecticut, but some cities
are moving ahead on their won, said Charles Barone, a planning
administrator for the state Department of Transportation.
"I
think there's definitely potential for the local community
to basically enhance their community and make it more livable
and accessible...and attractive to use transit," he said.
Part
of the problem is getting cities to allow high-density retail
and housing near transit hubs, Barone said. Another snag is
getting the support of the public, when some city planners
don't even know what transit-oriented development is or believe
there isn't enough room.
Some
references to development near transit hubs do exist in state
planning documents, but are apparently not enough. To enlighten
communities, the Housing Development Fund of Fairfield County
is sponsoring a seminar tomorrow to discuss transit-oriented
developments.
TOD's
are normally defined as pedestrian-friendly areas with housing,
retail or commercial buildings within a half-mile of train
stations. According to the DOT, recent initiatives include:
- The
New Britain-Hartfortd Busway project, which will include
11 stations, where regional planners are focusing on having
developments that bring retail and new office space.
- In
Bridgeport, planners are expected to begin studying the
feasibility of transportation-oriented development on the
Steel Point Peninsula south of Interstate 95.
- Developments
around a new Fairfield railroad station, which will include
retail and commercial space. It is part of a $250 million
redevelopment of an abandoned industrial site.
In
Stamford, office buildings near the transportation center
and some shops and restaurants downtown are considered types
of transit-oriented developments.
About
8,000 daily riders use Stamford's transit center, the second
busiest commuter rail station on Metro-North Railroad.
According
to Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman, ridership
is up 3 percent this year. For planners, these numbers indicate
that creating more transit-oriented development is viable
and important.
"We
see the transit-village concept as really embracing our existing
transit-fixed system we have in place." Said Thomas Bruccoleri,
Stamford's transportation planner. "It could be more
than that. It could be building villages around bus stations."
As
the TOD concept gathers momentum, the center of the city will
move closer to the main transportation hub, he said. Neighborhoods
along the rail line, such as Glenbrook and Springdale, will
be infused with new streetscapes and developments with retail
and housing, Bruccoleri, said.
It's
good for the environment too, he said.
"We
have found the closer you are to the transit center, the more
you use it for commuting as opposed to your automobile,"
Bruccoleri said.
Preparing
for TOD's means enhancing current transit options.
A
transportation study conducted by the DOT and the city last
year found the city needs more shuttles, better signage, alternative
bike routes and short-term parking improvements.
Planners
believe if these improvements don't occur, people will avoid
public transportation and new businesses won't be drawn to
Stamford.
Joan
Carty, executive director of the Housing Development Fund
of Fairfield County, said routine planning philosophies have
prevented transit-oriented developments from gaining momentum.
There
also must be "a bundle of incentives, both state and
local, that would attract quality developments to fill some
of the housing gaps we have," Carty said.
For
example, 16 New Jersey towns take part in the state's transit-village
initiative. In exchange, the towns have access to money exclusively
for development. This year, about $2 million is up for grabs.
Jan
Wells, programming administrator for the Alan M. Voorhees
Transportation Center and an urban planning professional at
Rutgers University, said cities have to reform their thinking.
"They
have to have their act together," she said. "They
have to have strong redevelopment and a well-thought vision
for their station. They have to agree to accept growth in
jobs and housing and population."
"In
other words, we're trying to move people back into areas that
are walkable, pedestrian friendly, lively places where you
can do your shopping that are close to train stations."
In
the late 1980's and early 1990's, federal officials saw that
roads were becoming congested with anxious, weary drivers.
The
International Surface Transportation Efficiency Act was passed
in 1991, forcing state and local governments to take a hard
look at possible solutions.
Redding
is poised to remedy part of the problem by reusing an old
factory near Metro-North Railroad's Danbury branch line. The
Georgetown Land Development Co. has proposed to develop a
high-density, mixed-use project with housing, retail and commercial
space.
Every
municipality can't incorporate transit-oriented developments
in the same way says Peter Waldt, a former MTA real estate
developer now working for Cushman & Wakefield in New York.
If cities create incentives and ease the approval process,
TOD's will flourish, he said.
"At
the end of the day, you really can't grow out anymore,"
he said. "You have to grow up, and if you grow up, the
transit oriented development is the way to go."
|
