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Opportunities and Challenges for
TOD in the D.C. Region
Since the start of Metrorail service
in 1976, the Washington region has been a national leader
in planning and implementing transit-oriented development.
Spurred by the aggressive pursuit of joint-development
by the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as well
as the plans of individual counties and municipalities,
the fast-growing region encompassing the District of
Columbia, Maryland and northern Virginia has tapped
into Metro’s potential to shape land use patterns.
As 2006 unfolds, a variety of planning
and development efforts in Metro's service area reflect
the opportunities and challenges faced by other regions
seeking to implement TOD. Redevelopment in urban and
mature suburban communities, public resistance to proposed
density increases, transformation of "edge cities"
and fiscal challenges facing transit operation and expansion
are all significant issues confronting the region today.
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At
the region’s heart, the District of Columbia
has witnessed a spurt of TOD in the past few years,
with mixed-use projects transforming many areas
near downtown subway stations. Once derelict streetscapes
are now characterized by attractive low-rise structures
featuring retail, office, and, increasingly, residential
components. But similar projects have been rare
in neighborhoods beyond downtown, especially in
distressed parts of the city.
In an effort to jumpstart TOD
in those areas, the D.C. Office of Planning, noting
that nearly 2,000 acres of vacant and abandoned
land lie within walking distance of Metrorail
stations in the city, has provided neighborhood
activists and developers with a design handbook
— called Trans-Formation. The handbook
offers strategies and tools for restoring the
city’s historic pattern of transit-oriented
neighborhood centers, noting that nearly 2,000
acres of vacant and abandoned land lie within
walking distance of Metro stations.
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Metrorail Map (click to enlarge)
Source: www.wmata.com
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A major focus of current redevelopment
activity is Metro’s New York Avenue station, opened
in late 2004 as the transit system’s first “infill”
station. Located near acres of vacant and underutilized
properties in the NoMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue)
neighborhood, the station will soon be joined by a new
headquarters for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives (ATF). When finished this summer, the
new ATF headquarters will bring 1,000+ employees to
the station area. Plans are also in the works to develop
housing, retail and office space on the nearby Wholesale
Market site. A comprehensive development strategy for
the NoMA neighborhood, to be completed soon, will aim
at turning New York Avenue into a major gateway to downtown,
emphasizing its transit connections and mixed land uses.
In Maryland, suburban Montgomery County
has successfully implemented TOD at Metro stops in the
traditional centers of Bethesda and Silver Springs,
and is developing a vision for future growth that will
acknowledge the county’s dwindling supply of vacant
land. In a January 2006 draft report, the Maryland-National
Capital Park and Planning Commission recommended a planning
framework for Montgomery County that focuses, in part,
on transforming a number of auto-dependent commercial
districts into mixed-use, transit-connected centers
and corridors. With no room to grow, the county envisions
areas now dominated by parking lots and arterials as
future neighborhoods and pedestrian-friendly boulevards.
South of the Potomac in Arlington County,
Virginia, the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor stands as one
of the nation’s premier TOD corridors. An October
2005 update to the Clarendon Station area plan will
help guide the redevelopment of an aging commercial
district into an urban village. The plan calls for medium-density
residential development near the station, improvements
to public spaces and streetscapes, and incentives to
preserve older buildings.
Beyond the Beltway, Fairfax County
still has large swaths of vacant land — unlike
Montgomery and Arlington counties — and is growing
rapidly. Officials in Fairfax are making efforts to
conserve open space and alleviate traffic congestion
by promoting development near Metro stations. At the
Vienna station, a developer is proposing a 60-acre TOD
where 2,250 condos would join retail and office space
in 13 new towers. Known as MetroWest, the development
has drawn criticism from some residents in surrounding
low-density subdivisions who fear that the large scale
of the development will overload area roads and overcrowd
Metro’s Orange line. A crucial land sale from
the transit agency to the developer was approved in
late 2005; county officials will soon determine the
project’s fate when they vote on the developer’s
rezoning application.
Opportunities for TOD in Fairfax County
will multiply if the long-anticipated extension of Metrorail
to Dulles Airport goes ahead as planned. The two-phase
$4 billion project, which is scheduled to begin construction
later this year and for which funding is largely in
place, will include four stations in Tysons Corner,
the D.C. region’s famous “edge city.”
County officials and a number of Smart Growth organizations
in the region are envisioning Tysons Corner transforming
from today’s high-density, but auto-oriented employment
and shopping hub, into a pedestrian-friendly urban center.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission is currently
working on the Tysons Corner Transportation/Urban Design
Study to outline policy and investment options for realizing
TOD in that location.
Rail~Volution in Chicago!
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The 12th annual conference focusing
on transit-oriented development (TOD) will be
held in Chicago from November 4-8, 2006. The meeting
brings together planners, developers, business
leaders, elected officials and academics to discuss
major topics and issues in transportation and
community development. This year's conference
features several important topics, and invites
papers in various sessions. Of particular interest
is a session entitled "Building the Next
TODs" which discusses how to produce transit-oriented
developments in today's increasingly complex urban
environments. The session will address critical
issues in transit-friendly development, including:
community history, culture and diversity; appropriate
planning tools and zoning codes; and the role
of eminent domain in community redevelopment.
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Chicago Skyline
Source: www.railvolution.com
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Besides the major focus on the tools
and techniques of TOD, Rail~Volution
will host numerous sessions on the changing nature of
urban areas, particularly the integration of transportation
and land use strategies. The conference will explore
how various public policy tools and urban design measures
can lead to more sustainable urban development around
transportation. In addition, conference speakers and
participants will analyze how partnerships between public
agencies, cities, developers and transit agencies can
help leverage resources, reduce risks, and build support
for innovative projects that mitigate negative environmental
and social impacts and improve the quality of life for
residents and visitors.
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