Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development

Jerry LutinColette Santasieri

Sunil Saigal New Jersey Institute of Technology

Charles Goodman

John Sprowls Federal Transit Administration

Bruce SpearCambridge Systematics

Transportation Planning Applications Conference

Houston, TX May 17-21, 2009

Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development

• The nation is being challenged to maintain mobility in the face of rising transportation costs, environmental challenges, and uncertainty about future energy supplies.

• Public transit can play a significant role in creation of a sustainable transportation system, but only if transit investments are supported by compatible land use policies and integrated with other economic development tools.

• Planning decisions for transit investments and land development patterns occur at different scales and by different stakeholders – better communication is needed to bridge the gap.

Transit Related Land Uses (TRLU)

• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) – mixed use, higher density, pedestrian friendly

• Transit Adjacent Development (TAD) – appropriate use, higher density, close to transit

• Transit Joint Development (TJD) – multi-modal transit facilities and integrated development

• Transit Enhanced Development (TED) – improved transit provisions for existing developments

Project Goals

Develop a “toolbox” of common senseand practical tools for MPOs andregional planners that:• Maximize the user benefits of transit

investments • Realize environmental and economic

development benefits from transit-related land uses.

Applications

• Proposed rail transit corridors

• Existing transit stations/terminals

• Bus rapid transit and enhanced bus service

Project Phases

1. Research good examples 2. Outreach to stakeholders and

potential users3. Develop performance measures4. Develop prototype tools and

visualization techniques5. Conduct pilot corridor studies6. Document results7. Promote deployment

Orange Line Trolley in downtown San Diego's America Plaza station. Uptown District - San Diego, California

South Orange, NJ

Examples of ‘Successful’ Projects

• What makes these projects successful?• What is the definition of success?• Who decides if the projects are

successful?• What are the tangible measurements of

success?

Measures of ‘Successful’ Projects

Determine a standard list of functional outcomes for various types of transit related development.

Functional outcome= meaningful benefits for a particular type of transit related land use project, such as increased mobility choices or increased housing choices.

Establish ways to measure the functional outcomes. Performance measures= a means of assessing if the particular

goals developed for that project have been met.

Develop a means to integrate these components of ‘successful’ projects into the planning process for future transit related development projects.

Research Goals

Hypothesis: Functional outcomes of ‘successful’ projects are a reflection

of the goals and objectives of the various project stakeholders.

1. Identify stakeholders groups2. Determine each stakeholder group’s goals and

objectives3. Synthesize the goals and objectives into functional

outcomes4. Create performance measures for each functional

outcome

Process for Identifying Functional Outcomes & Performance Measures

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)• State Government• Metropolitan Planning Organizations

(MPOs) • Transit Agencies • Local Governments • Developers• Lenders• Citizens/Citizen Groups

Identify Stakeholder Groups

Decision Making for Transit Investments and Land Development

Transit Investments

Land Development

Federal Transit Administration

Heavy None

State Government

Some Some

Metropolitan Planning Organizations

Heavy Little/None

Transit Authorities

Heavy Little/None

Counties & Sub-Regions

Some Some

Municipal Governments

Some Heavy

Private Sector Developers/Lenders

Little/None Heavy

• Research Review Panel Meetings• Stakeholder Group Discussions• Interviews• Surveys

Determine Each Stakeholder Group’s Goals & Objectives

• Develop a “strawman” list of functional outcomes for each stakeholder group

• Use discussions with stakeholder groups to refine each list to better reflect the key functional outcomes for each stakeholder group

• Distribute refined functional outcome lists to stakeholder groups for concurrence

Synthesize the Goals and Objectives into Functional Outcomes

Sample Functional Outcomes

Stakeholder Group: Sample Functional Outcomes FTA Increased transit ridership

Reduced transportation costs to individuals

Improved air quality

Efficient use of Federal transit funds

State Government Preservation of farmland and open space

Efficient use of state transit funds

Decreased congestion

Better economic health (income, employment)

Sample Functional Outcomes

Stakeholder Group: Sample Functional Outcomes MPOs Increased mobility choices

Efficient use of transportation funds

Improved air quality

Good transit connections within the region

Transit Agencies Increased fare box revenues

Improved pedestrian access to transit

Ground lease and other joint development revenues

Increased ridership

Sample Functional Outcomes

Stakeholder Group: Sample Functional Outcomes Local Government Higher tax revenues from increased

retail sales and property values

Reduced traffic congestion

Improved access to retail, services, cultural and recreational opportunities

Improved pedestrian circulation and access

Developers Shortened time to positive cash flow

Desirable and marketable locations

Lower risk

Incentives for development

Sample Functional Outcomes

Stakeholder Group: Sample Functional Outcomes Lenders Increased homeownership rates

Higher return on investment

Less risk to capital

Citizens Increased mobility choices

Shorter commute times

Reduced transportation costs to individuals

Better health and public safety

A diversity of retail types

• Identify potential quantitative measures for each functional outcome established by stakeholder groups

• Obtain feedback from stakeholder groups and expert panels on “practicality” of performance measures

• Revise performance measures as needed

Create Performance Measures for Each Functional Outcome

Functional OutcomeCategory

Sample Functional Outcomes

Sample Corresponding Performance Measure

Location Efficiency: changing the necessity of driving to an option

Increased mobility choices Increase in number of transit riders who walk to transit

Increased transit mode share

Reduced auto use and reducedauto ownership

Reduction of autos used for licensed drivers per household

Value Capture: direct savings from living in alocation-efficient neighborhood

Increased homeownership rates Increased use of location efficient mortgages

Housing units with lower-than-average parking ratios where the cost savings from parking reductions are passed on to the consumers

Reduced transportation costs toindividuals

Monthly transportation expenses per household

Sample Performance Measures

Functional Outcome Category

Sample Functional Outcomes

Sample Corresponding Performance Measure

Livability: improvement to quality of life

Improved air quality VMT reduction

Better economic health (income, employment)

Property value increases Increased regional employment

Financial Return: total return on both public and private investments

Increased fare box revenues Increased farebox revenues

Reduced risk Change in commercial loan rates for transit related developments

Sample Performance Measures

Sample Performance Measures

Functional Outcome Category

Sample Functional Outcomes

Sample Corresponding Performance Measure

Choice: options in terms of housing types, retail, and transportation modes

A diversity of housing types Percentage of housing units by type (i.e., single family, multi-family) Percentage of owner-occupied and renter occupied units

A diversity of retail types Retail establishment types by goods soldRetail establishment types by scale

Efficient Regional Land-use Patterns: Preservation of open space, reduction in traffic congestion, and reduction of sprawl

Preservation of farmland and open space

Change in acres of consumption of farmland and open space

Shorter commute Average reduction in daily commuting time in minutes

• Investigate retrospective case studies of ‘successful’ projects

• What were the stakeholder groups’ goals and objectives?

• Compare them to our stakeholder groups’ goals and objectives. Are the functional outcomes the same?

• Apply our performance measures to the ‘successful’ projects.

• Were the desired functional outcomes the actual functional outcomes?

• Develop “visualization tools” to incorporate performance measures into evaluation of alternative transit related development projects

Integrate Components of ‘Successful’ Projects into the Planning Process

• Work with a small group of MPOs and transit agencies to test the visualization tools in specific transit planning applications

• Document the results of the case study applications and revise, refine the tools as appropriate.

• Promote deployment of revised tools to transit planners, nationwide.

Integrate Components of ‘Successful’ Projects into the Planning Process

Sample Performance Measure - Transit Score Model

TRANSIT SCORE = 0.41*(Population per land acre)

+

0.09*(Jobs per land acre) +

0.74*(Zero car households per land acre)

Sample Performance Measure - Transit Score Model

• Extensive research on TOD’s is available

• Many good examples are on the West Coast

• Few examples without rail

• Good examples seem to have bridged gaps in the decision-making chart

Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development

What have we learned so far?

• Public sector intervention changes the market

• Impacts of transit accessibility likely to be indiscernible

• Model results need to address stakeholder concerns in terms they can understand

Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development

What do we think we know?

• Data are needed to prove benefits

• Bus Rapid Transit and other bus-oriented development examples are needed

• Metropolitan Planning Organizations need to address land use in their regional plans

• Education is needed at the municipal level

Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development

What are the needs?

THANK YOU

Contact

Jerry Lutin

jlutin@njit.edu

Land Use Planning for Transit Related Development