ULI Outlines Paths for Transit Development

Arrington opened his remarks by saying that if the 20th Century was about getting around, the 21st Century "will be about staying in a place that is worth staying in." He outlined six major principles that drive TOD development, touching on topics ranging from density of development to the mix of uses, proper size of projects, how to keep them pedestrian-oriented, the need to create an active defined center for the TOD district, how to handle parking and the role of public officials in fostering TODs. Following Arrington's remarks, representatives of four ULI technical assistance panels who studied TOD sites in the cities of Placentia, Corona, Riverside and Ontario presented their findings and recommendations.

Density in TOD projects can range from medium to high, depending on the specific project, with retail and office uses located close to the transit stations because experience shows that such projects work better, Arrington said. Commenting on how well-designed TODs encourage the use of mass transit and discourage the over-use of automobiles, he said, "If you change land use, you change transportation behavior." For example, Arrington explained, TOD projects should not incorporate designs such as drive-through banks or types of drive-through uses because such development defeats the purpose of a TOD.

One of Arrington's admonitions was "Build a place, not a project." He explained that a project of just a few acres is only a project, but a project that is large enough to create a sense of place is far likelier to succeed. To remain pedestrian-friendly, he said, projects should maintain small block sizes--no more than 400 feet per side. Just being near a transit station doesn't necessarily mean that a project is transit-oriented, Arrington said. Many developments are "transit-adjacent" but not transit-oriented, he pointed out.

As an example of a development that has created an active, defined center, Arrington cited the 100% leased Market Common in Clarendon, VA, which opened in November 2001 and includes 240,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of office, 300 apartments and 87 townhomes. Another successful project he cited was Rosslyn Ballston Corridor near Washington, DC, which has been under development since 1980 and includes 25 million square feet of office space and 14,400 residential units. Rosslyn Ballston continues to perform well despite the recession, he noted.

Arrington concluded his remarks by urging public officials to smooth the way for transit-oriented developments because such projects, in the long run, offer benefits for cities as well as developers. Analyzing those benefits was one of the tasks of the four ULI technical assistance panels that studied TOD sites in Placentia, Corona, Riverside and Ontario.

For each of the four cities, the technical assistance panels listed the city's goals, the opportunities for development, potential barriers to development, a detailed list of recommendations on how to proceed and a general conclusion. For Placentia, for example, the panel's conclusion was that "there is a great opportunity for transit-oriented redevelopment" in the city. In Corona, the panel concluded that the North Main Street Station "could be the next hot spot for TOD" and recommended that the city consider Main Street and Downtown as TOD redevelopment possibilities.

The Riverside panel recommended that the city's approach to TOD "needs to connect the development with other existing assets including Downtown Riverside and the University of California at Riverside" in a collaborative effort with the university, businesses and local residents. In Ontario, the ULI technical assistance panel focused on a property called the Meredith site, the largest remaining undeveloped parcel in the city, which is envisioned as a mixed-use plan with up to 2,940 residential units and nearly 7.5 million square feet of commercial uses. The panel said that the city "has the expertise and political will to move forward on a comprehensive TOD strategy for the Meredith site," and it listed a series of steps that Ontario needs to implement to accomplish that, ranging from getting a Gold Line extension to the Ontario International Airport to taking the lead on infrastructure and funding for the project.