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