Findings of the report include:

Metro Denver cities need to close the "community development gap." Metro Denver's most successful TODs will emerge from communities that recognize and plan for profound shifts in the make-up of populations, according to the report. Municipalities that lag in closing that gap will lose a powerful competitive advantage, which ultimately could be extremely costly, according to the report.
TODs must be interconnected with surrounding neighborhoods. "Isolating a TOD from its nearby neighborhoods is akin to cutting off its blood supply," says Tom Boone, principal, Market InfoMania, who administered the study for Peak PR.
Communities must think down the line when planning their TODs. Successful TODs increase ridership, but they also achieve regional, community and economic goals. "Each station must be considered in the context of the whole regional marketplace," Parks says. The study estimates up to $500,000 will need to be invested in the planning of each station--that's $25 million for the entire system.
Above all, TODs must be POPs, or people-oriented places. "In the best TODs, rail is simply another component of success; it is not the driving force," Boone says.
Build it and they will come. Conventional thinking says traditional market studies must prove demand before investment is made. The new study reveals investment in TODs actually stimulates demand. Nearly every person interviewed for the study said TODs were not welcome in their metro areas until the first successful TODs were built. "Communities who blink may come up short," Parks tells GlobeSt.com. "The potential downside to municipalities is quite extensive."

Instant Insights /

Truffles, POPs Drive Multifamily Portions of TODs

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