Building a Transit-Friendly Community
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BUILDING A T R A N S I T - F R I E N D LY C O M M U N I T Y P L AC E AC C E SS D E V E LO P M E N T PA R K I N G PA R T N E R S H I P S I . W H AT IS A TRANSIT- F R I E N D LY COMMUNITY? TA B L E 0 8 II. O F H OW TO START DOW N KEY FINDINGS AND THE TRANSIT-FRIENDLY C O N T E N T S L E SSONS LEARNED T R AC K 0 3 1 1 34 P L AC E I I I . L E SSONS 1- 4 GETTING STA R T E D I N T R O D U CT I O N A P P E N D I X 0 7 1 7 34 36 AC C E SS THE PROGRAM L E SSONS 5-7 THE PROCESS COMMUNITIES SELECT E D 2 1 35 3 7 D E V E LOPMENT L E SSONS 8-13 MAKING IT HAPPEN S TATIONS SELECT E D 2 7 3 9 PA R K I N G L E SSONS 14-18 PROGRAM EVA LU ATO R 3 1 4 0 PA R T N E R S H I P L E SSONS 19-22 PROGRAM PA R T N E R S 0 3 I N T R O D U CT I O N A c ro ss the nation, A m e r i cans are re d i s covering the place s the auto m o b i le age left behind. Long-negle c ted dow n tow n s , built generations ago around public transit systems, are d rawing a second look from people and businesses weary of t raffic co n g e stion and auto - o r i e n ted sprawl, who seek i nstead the benefits of being near one another, and near tra n- sit options. Such communities are fo cal points of the "smart g rowth" movement. The movement has deep roots in New J e rs ey, perhaps because the Garden Sta te has more ca rs per m i le of road than any sta te in the nation. The urgency to "grow smarter" led in 1992 to adoption of New Jers ey ’s State Development and Redevelopment Plan, with the specific goals of building and rebuilding "communities of place . " N ew Jers ey ’s communities are re p re s e n ta t i ve of the s p e ctrum of community types acro ss the nation when it comes to building or rebuilding communities around tra n s i t . Its rail stations opera te in many settings, from older dow n- towns, to established suburban commuter villages, to regional p a r k -and-rides. Many of these stations will soon see new and expanded service, as a result of NJ TRANSIT i n i t i a t i ves and in turn, their communities will ex p e r i e n ce new parking and deve lopment pre ss u res, which will re q u i re sensitive , community-based planning that respect the needs of both the co m m u ter and the co m m u n i t y. 05 I N T R O D U CT I O N 12 For the past two years, the program described Communities for New Jersey" pilot community Jersey Coast and, since 1996, the Morris and west transit links. When completed, the line in this report – Transit-Friendly Communities planning assistance program; and Essex lines, which were connected to the will extend along the Hudson River waterfront for New Jersey – has brought together diverse Northeast Corridor with completion of Midtown to Bergen County. community and professional partners to develop > To convey lessons learned to other communi- Direct service (a.k.a. the Kearny Connection). Finally, construction is underway on the specific ways that New Jersey towns and cities ties both in New Jersey and nationally, to help The Raritan Valley line serves Newark Penn Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit System can become more "transit-friendly," by planning guide their own efforts. Station, and the remaining rail lines converge on which, when completed, will connect Camden their growth in partnership with transit invest- Hoboken, requiring awkward and time-consum- to Trenton and the Northeast Corridor. ment. The program was built on NJ TRANSIT’s ing transfers to reach Manhattan. Together, these connections, upgrades and initiatives to make train stations themselves B AC KGROUND: NEW JERSEY’S To overcome the disjointed nature of the rail new lines cost more than $2 billion, and will "passenger friendly;" and statewide smart- PA SSENGER RAIL SY S T E M system, NJ TRANSIT is completing a massive result in an interconnected rail network with growth initiatives to reduce sprawl and encour- capital program to connect all these passenger more than 200 stations serving the majority of age new development within walking distance During the past 20 years, NJ TRANSIT has lines into one seamless system: state residents. of transit stations. in ve sted more than $8.2 billion to repair, reh abil- Supporting the growth and the efficiency of Oftentimes communities are not prepared itate, expand and connect the state’s passenger > The Montclair Connection (completed in transit in New Jersey is best accomplished by for prospective growth at or near their stations. rail lines – many of them built more than 2002) merges the Montclair Branch and the ensuring that the investments of the past are Station use may be constrained by lack of ade- 100 years ago by competing rail companies. Boonton Line, and connects these two Hoboken- used most effectively. New Jersey’s rail stations quate parking, an absence of feeder services, NJ TRANSIT’s commitment has reversed bound lines directly to Manhattan. and hundreds of bus stops are the gateways and inhospitable walking or biking options, years of transit and rail station neglect – and has for moving around the state and to neighboring sometimes resulting in grea ter traffic con g e stion. begun to have a positive impact on investment > The Secaucus transfer station will provide New York City and Philadelphia. By planning Moreover, there has been a lack of awareness and property values in many communities sur- the remaining Hoboken-bound lines collaboratively, NJ TRANSIT and the various host in many New Jersey communities about how rounding these stations. These connections and (Main/Bergen, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley) communities can ensure that these gateways to leverage transit investments to revitalize upgrades of existing commuter rail lines, and with direct access to Manhattan. Ridership is ex- are attractive and accessible. In addition, transit downtowns, encourage business and local the construction of new light rail lines, go a long pected to nearly double at the 30 stations that facilities are public inve stments that can economic development, and reduce reliance way toward providing an interconnected, will gain direct service to New York with the be used by communities to attract private and on the private car. statewide rail network, with 160 commuter rail completion of this project. public/private partnership redevelopment, thus Communities that plan their growth in part- stations and 26 light rail stations serving the contributing to the success of the local economy. nership with transportation investment stand to majority of state residents. Ridership has doubled These projects will transform northern New reap a host of benefits, from fewer traffic prob- in this 20-year period, a greater increase than Je rs ey's rail network, giving millions of res idents lems, to more vital downtowns, to higher prop- experienced by any other major U.S. transit sys- in communities near 80 rail stations direct 1 As part of the re n ovation of South Orange Train Station, lo ca l erty values. What follows is a guide for commu- tem in this same period, evidence of the public access to midtown Manhattan, for the first time, m e rchants we re re c r u i ted to opera te businesses in the re tail space s lo ca ted underneath the tre st le. They draw lo cal people to the stat i o n nities seeking to be "transit-friendly." It has two demand for transit investment and connectivity. as well as to one another. on a regular basis, as well as provide high-quality b a ked goods and purposes: However, as of 2002, the network did not yet Construction has also been completed on the other pass e ng e r - re l a ted services. The landscaped outdoor seating and the new plaza function as a civic square for the tow n . operate as a single system. Only four rail lines first phase of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail > To document the key findings and conclu- offered direct service to Penn Station in System, which opened in 2000 and now connects 2 NJ TRANSIT's Secaucus tra n s fer station, to be co m p le ted in 2004, will connect communities in northern and we stern New Jers ey to sions from N J TRANSIT’S "Transit-Friendly Manhattan: The Northeast Corridor, the North Bayonne to Hoboken, and to existing east- m i d town Manhatta n . THE PROGRAM: 0 7 T R A N S I T - F R I E N D LY COMMUNITIES FOR NEW JERSEY THE PROGRAM The "Transit-Friendly Communities for New The Transit-Friendly Communities for Jersey" program began formally in 1999 with the New Jersey program has provided educational awarding of a Federal Highway Administration workshops and technical assistance to a wide grant to NJ TRANSIT from the Transportation range of rail station communities throughout and Community and System Preservation Pilot the state.