cultivating great transit related communities final
TRANSCRIPT
Cultivating Great Transit-Related Communitiesin Connecticut and New England
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2016 | 3:45 – 5:00PM
Norman F. Cole, AICP | City of Stamford, ConnecticutDean Mack | City of Bridgeport, Connecticut
George Proakis, AICP | City of Somerville, Massachusetts Ben Carlson, LEED AP | Goody Clancy
Mitch Glass, ASLA, APA | Goody Clancy
Transit service is not always created equal. For some communities, transit may be non-existent, while in others the system is overburdened. Learn how three neighborhoods – one underserved, one newly served, and one long-served by transit – have been cultivating communities around varying degrees of transit, and the lessons for your community.
Agenda• Transit-related communities: issues and ingredients• Introducing three types of TOD contexts• Updating established neighborhood TOD | Stamford, CT• Setting the stage for Regional Center TOD | Bridgeport, CT• Regional Center TOD in motion | Somerville, MA
• Panel discussion• Audience discussion
Issues and Ingredients
IssuesCommon barriers to great transit-related communities• Lack of shared community vision• Inappropriate or outmoded zoning• Infrastructure costs• Brownfields costs• Need to identify/establish effective
financial incentives/tools• Fragmented land control/location• Developer capability and capacity• Ensuring equitable housing, job and
transportation opportunity• Coordinating municipal, state, federal &
transit agencies to achieve land use/ transportation synergies
Community aspirationsConnecting transit with quality of life• Can TOD’s real
estate market benefits translate into community benefits?• Can we make TOD’s
impacts equitable?• Is there a TOD
vision people will love and champion, supporting community and economic development?
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
Multi-modal mixPark-and-ride or walk-and-ride?• Park-and-ride
may impede walking access• Bus and bike
connections must be convenient and safe• Parking: surface
or structured? Serving commuters vs. development?
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
WalkabilityThe 10-minute walk• The ¼ to ½ mile
radius is the center of opportunity• Walkable mixed-
use setting offers neighborhood & innovation district potential• Invokes pressures,
benefits and challenges of density
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
Real estate marketWould you invest here?• Emerging markets
• Strategic repositioning
• Balancing focus & flexibility
• Leveraging assets
• Waiting patiently
• Hot markets• Housing
affordability• Jobs/housing
balance
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
Fit to contextMaking confident transitions• Changing places:
where is/isn’t redevelopment desirable? (per community, property owners, market)• Changing scales:
can zoning and design guidelines structure comfortable transitions of height, style, activity, intensity?
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
TimetableWhen will the train come?• Transformative TOD can
take decades• Prepare for elusive
opportunity: align stakeholders, investors, sites, development & infrastructure policies• Distinguish near- and
long-term planning, funding elements• Seek leverage to shape
redevelopment proposals
Community aspirationsMulti-modal mixWalkabilityReal estate marketFit to contextTimetable
Three types of TOD contextsUpdating established neighborhood TOD | Stamford, CTSetting the stage for Regional Center TOD | Bridgeport, CTRegional Center TOD in motion| Somerville, MA
Stamford, CTGlenbrook and Springdale
Bridgeport, CTBarnum Station
City Roadmap1 Invest in transportation infrastructure
2 Comprehensive Vision and Plan
3 Rezoning to incentivize development
4 Control and Preparation of Key Development Sites?
5 Engage Investors – Trust-Building and Incentives
BRIDGEPORT TOD DEVELOPMENT
Major Projects• Harding High School• Seaview Complete Street• Steelpointe Harbor• Barnum Train Station• Hospital Expansion• Waterfront Plan
EAST BRIDGEPORT DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Station Timeline• October 2010 – Funding Approved for Barnum
Station Feasibility Study• July 2013 – Barnum Train Station Feasibility
Study Published• Summer 2014 – Land Use and Transportation
Study• August 2014 – Barnum Station Design Funding
Approved• 2016 – Remediation• 2016 – Acquisition• Anticipated 2019 – Start of Station construction• Anticipated 2021 – Start of Station operations
BARNUM STATION TOD
Vacant Land• 700 acre of vacant/underutilized land• Current property taxes
$1 million annual• As-Is Build Out Scenario
$3 million annual• TOD Build Out Scenario
$10 million annual
BARNUM STATION TOD
Brownfields• ¼ mile – 44 acres
on 34 brownfields • ½ mile – 61 acres
on 40 brownfields
BARNUM STATION TOD
Jobs• Over 4500 jobs in ½
mile radius• Bridgeport Hospital
2600 employees is expanding by more than 40 percent
BARNUM STATION TOD
• Sustain the long-term vision and commitment to a mixed-use Regional Center: trust the opportunity
1915-1945+
East Side
EastEnd
Mill Hill
H
Steelpointe
Downtown
TODAY
photo
BARNUM STATION TOD | ECONOMIC REPOSITIONING
Setting up a new century of prosperity
What changes can we effect … and when?
Station opening2016 2020 2024 2028 2032
12 mos
.3 years 5-7 years 10-15 years
BARNUM STATION TOD | ECONOMIC REPOSITIONING
33
Unprecedented opportunities:• New, faster transit service• Large amount of available land –
unique along Northeast Corridor in region• Transformative potential for:• Business/industry growth• Job growth• Workforce
attraction/retention• Neighborhood revitalization
Within a 10-minute walk of the station…
Today* OpportunityEmployees 3,200 + 4,000-
8,000Businesses 180 + 100 or
moreHousing Units 1,800 + 500-1,000Residents 4,500 + 1,000-
2,000*Sources: ACS, ESRI
BARNUM STATION TOD
Barnum Station:Connecticut’s Next Great Economic Growth Center
The vision: connecting neighborhoods to economic opportunity – and to each other
Active, safe streetsExpanded workforce
access for established employers
PRELIMINARY SAMPLE CONCEPT – NOT A PROPOSAL
Synergies with downtown and waterfront districts
BARNUM STATION TOD
The vision: connecting neighborhoods to economic opportunity – and to each other
Active, safe streetsExpanded workforce
access for established employers
Revitalized residential blocks
Signature greenway
500+ new housing units
PRELIMINARY SAMPLE CONCEPT – NOT A PROPOSAL
Revitalized neighborhood main street
4,000+ new jobs
Synergies with downtown and waterfront districts
BARNUM STATION TOD
Somerville, MAAssembly Row
DiscussionPanel questionsAudience questions
Question 1:•What were your community’s goals in seeking to advance TOD?• Economic development?•Additional housing options?•Additional neighborhood retail activity?•Better transit and access?•Better streets for peds and bikes?
Question 2:•What are the primary challenges/barriers you’ve faced? Have you been able to resolve these?•Community resistance to TOD?• Funding for public infrastructure?• Transit service upgrades?•Market/developer interest?
Question 3:•What were the “surprises/myths/misconceptions” that would be relevant for other communities and policy makers considering TOD?•Planning process?•Policy making?• Establishing priorities?• Funding and implementation?
Thank you!Norman F. Cole, AICP | City of Stamford, ConnecticutDean Mack | City of Bridgeport, ConnecticutGeorge Proakis, AICP | City of Somerville, MassachusettsBen Carlson, LEED AP | Goody Clancy Mitch Glass, ASLA, APA | Goody Clancy