ADDITIONAL LINKS

DART News Release

Media Relations Contact:
Terri A.G. Adkisson

April 3, 2009

Building Walkable Urban Spaces

Transit-oriented development is key to livable cities

DALLAS - The DFW region has enormous pent-up demand for walkable urban spaces, and transit-oriented development (TOD) is key to unleashing that energy and improving the urban quality of life.

Image: ULI logo That was the message Thursday at a workshop hosted by Urban Land Institute North Texas District Council. More than 300 developers, city leaders and public transit officials met at CityPlace Conference Center to discuss the latest trends in smart development around an increasing number of rail stations and transit centers.

Transit-oriented development, or TOD, involves the creation of vibrant urban communities where many of life's essentials are just steps from your front door - and a wealth of employment, cultural and entertainment options are just a short walk, train or bus ride away.

To date, DART Rail stations have attracted more than $7 billion in existing, planned and projected TODs. This includes mixed-use communities surrounding the Mockingbird, Downtown Plano, West Village, Park Lane and Cedars stations - plus several TODs now taking shape around forthcoming Green, Orange and Blue line stations.

"Dallas is roaring down the path of walkable urbanism," said Chris Leinberger, founding partner of Arcadia Land Company and visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., in a keynote address. He said the region currently has about six significant walkable urban places, but needs 24 to 36.

"With drivable suburban development, more is less - that is, the more you add to it, the more you decrease the quality of life. With walkable urban development, the opposite is true - the more you add to it, the more you increase the quality of life," he said.

Leinberger said suburban dwellers on average spend 25 percent of their household budget on transportation, while walkable urban dwellers spend only 9 percent. Nationwide, walkable urban properties are worth 40 to 200 percent more than drivable suburban ones.

Despite the positives, the finance industry remains more comfortable with "tried-and-true" drivable suburban development.

"It's like the race car driver who's become very good at what he does - but he always turns left to go around the track. Developers need the flexibility of a fighter jet pilot, who can go left, right, up or down," Leinberger said.

In workshops throughout the afternoon, officials from Dallas, Lewisville, Garland and Fort Worth showcased current and upcoming TOD projects, and offered their plans for critique by panels of nationally known developers.

Dallas officials showed how they're combining tax increment financing (TIF) with TOD to support the growth of the Lancaster corridor in Southern Dallas. The recently created TOD TIF District is the result of four years of collaboration between the city and multiple stakeholders including DART, SMU, the Dallas Veterans Hospital, the Urban League and local development groups.

Nika Reinecke, director of economic development for the city of Lewisville, presented plans for a lakeside mixed-use development at the Highland Village/Lake Lewisville Station on the Denton County Transportation Authority's (DCTA) commuter rail line set to open in December 2010.

"The lake has been very passive, and we knew that more could happen at this location," Reinecke said. "What we're trying to do with each station is create a unique place - to create that sense of place."

Art Lomenick, president of Trammell Crow Company's High Street Residential, said TOD should really be called transit-oriented "district." He said that is what his company and city officials are undertaking in downtown Garland where construction and preleasing are under way on Fifth Street Crossing, a residential/retail/office project. "This is the catalyst phase of the district," he said. "We hope that other players will come and bring more activity."

Closing the workshop, officials from DART, The T and DCTA echoed the need for more TOD projects in the region and urged the passage of state legislation that will allow the 60 percent of the DFW population not currently served by transit to hold local option elections.

"Sprawl is a problem for all of us," said Charles Emery, DCTA chairman. He noted that the forthcoming connection of DART Rail and DCTA's commuter rail line in Carrollton in 2010 is "proving we can do this process - linking one system with another."

DART Chairman Randall Chrisman said the key to successful TOD is for city councils and zoning commissions to get on the same page early with a vision that provides developers with the flexibility they need to be successful. "Stick with a vision and then plan around it," he said.

"Make sure you have everyone at the table who is going to be part of your plans," said Rosa Navejar, board member for the T. When stakeholders are left out of the process, "we go backwards instead of forwards."