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Can a Utica Avenue Subway bring Equity to a Transit Starved Area of ?

Timothy Anderson THESIS II — Presentation Spring 2020 — 4/28/2020 Order of Presentation

● Issue Statement

● Goal and Objectives

● Literature Review

● Project Background

● Methodology

● Existing Conditions

● Analysis

● Recommendations

● Next Steps

● Table of Contents

● Sources and Questions Access to good transportation is critical to the success of millions of residents in City.

The residents of Southeastern Brooklyn along Utica Avenue live in a known

transit desert and face some of the longest commute times in the city. ISSUE STATEMENT ISSUE GOAL AND OBJECTIVES after the arrival of the subway.the of arrival the after and during, before, andbusinesses residents vulnerable most area’s the for displacement initiatives prevent to current and strengthen createways exploreextension,subway andto a of Plan arrival which envisions the Transit a Community form to is thesis this goal of The ● ● ● ● ● displacement and commercial residential prevent to seek that programs and trends current Identify development potential for route proposed along the areas in sites soft Identify city work the in to commute areawherepeople study the in Identify subwayextension proposed along the existing conditions the Define desert transit anurban Define OBJECTIVES GOAL What are transit deserts? Who is transit dependent?

● Transit deserts impact residents in different communities, urban, suburban, and rural, which presents difficulty in measuring who is transit dependent (Jiao and Dillivan, 2015)

● Living in transit deserts can stymie upward mobility and cause health issues, and restrict services for residents (Jiao and Dillivan, 2013; Chetty et al., 2015)

● Spatial analysis is one possible way to find transit dependent populations who rely on mass transit, but this only works in dense urban settings

● Building transit in these areas may also bring (un)intended consequences to residents who may then not be able to afford living in those areas (Ewing et al., 2016; Boyle, 2018; Pickerell, 1992;

Acitelli, 2019) LITERATURE REVIEW LITERATURE PROJECT BACKGROUND 1929 Plan. 1929 Plans for Subway Extension 1969 Plan. 1969 PROJECT BACKGROUND MTA PreliminaryStudy Area 2019 / 2020 METHODOLOGY EXISTING CONDITIONS Area Area Demography Source: NYC DCP Population Factfinder. 2020. Factfinder. DCP NYC Source: Population Demographic Snapshot: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Median household income $63,500 112,000 Total populationall of censustracts over of About45% of population is rent burdened Foreign born population of 27% Black population nearly 75% About 55% use Public Transportation 49 minutes average travel time work to EXISTING CONDITIONS Land Use on Utica Avenue Source: NYC DCP. NYC Source: 2020. Use Land Snapshot: ● ● ● Avenue nearlyfor itsentire length Commercial overlays and C3 Ridge Branch Manufacturing zoningM1 closer to ) residential, mostly zoned R4 and R5 (R6 Area around Utica Avenueisheavily - 3 along LIRR Bay - 1 along Utica EXISTING CONDITIONS MTA SBS Route Source: MTA. 2020. MTA. Source: B46 SBS Snapshot: ● ● ● ● Facing service cuts despite popularity Created in 2015 routes Connectswith six subway lines and 30 bus 44,000 daily riders EXISTING CONDITIONS Surrounding Transportation Infrastructure Source: NYC 2020. DOT, NYC Source: ● ● fillinggaps isthat the MTA missing Dollar vansoperate along Utica Avenue of north Few bike lanes around Utica Avenue,lack - southroutes through the area EXISTING CONDITIONS Neighborhood Organizations Source: NYC Council, Flatlands Flatbush Civic Group, NYC EDC. 2020. EDC. NYC Group,Civic Flatbush Flatlands Council, NYC Source: ● ● ● ● No BID along Utica Avenue CityCouncil Districts 41, 45, 46 Flatlands/Fairfield IndustrialBusiness Zone Brooklyn Community Boards 18 8, 9,17, Soft Site Analysis

Northern part of extension:

● Utica Avenue and Rutland Road

● Zoned: R6 (allows for 0.78 - 2.43 FAR) and C8-1 (allows for 1.0 FAR)

● Parking lot owned by Kingsbrook Medical Center, gas station, and one building

● 81,990 sq. ft. site area

Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. ANALYSIS Soft Site Analysis

Center of extension:

● Utica Avenue and

● Zoned: M1-1 (allows for 1.0 FAR)

● Storage facility, CVS, and Western Union

● 87,882 sq. ft. site area

Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. ANALYSIS Soft Site Analysis

Southern part of extension:

● Utica and

● Zoned: C8-1 (allows for 1.0 FAR)

● Current Walgreens and diner

● 35,695 sq. ft. site area

Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. ANALYSIS ANALYSIS ● ● ● 19 Meetings onhold for now due toCOVID President Eric Adams Project backinghas of Brooklyn Borough progress of the study already MTA holding updates the on Source: MTA, 2020. MTA, Source: - Community Transit Plan

● The MTA is taking the correct initial steps with outreach to communities, but other agencies also need to step up to fight against potential displacement

● Inclusion of additional local, state, and federal partners to provide resources and guidance for residents and businesses

● Having the community’s concerns addressed prior to, during, and after any extension or change is key to success

Source: NYC DCP, MTA. 2020. RECOMMENDATIONS Community Transit Plan

● Additional research needed to see what the affordable housing outcomes would look like and if the city is fulfilling its affordable housing and transportation goals

● Agencies such as the Pratt Center, ANHD, MTA, DCP, DOT, can provide additional information and research into the affected populations

Source: Pratt Center, ANHD. 2020. RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS Soft Site Analysis (Zoning) Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. DCP, NYC Source: Maps. Google Northern site: ● ● ● ● 81,990 81,990 sq.site ft. area Kingsbrook Medical Center housing,and replace parking structure for Potential for commercial spaces, affordable allowsR7A 4.00 or overlay C2 (R6A allows 3.00 Recommended zoning:R6A R7Aor with C1 Utica Avenueand Rutland Road - 4.60 FAR) - 3.60 FAR, RECOMMENDATIONS Soft Site Analysis (Zoning) Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. DCP, NYC Source: Maps. Google Central site: ● ● ● ● 87,882 sq.site ft. area for surroundingindustrial uses manufacturing at site(potential incubator) Encourage advanced industrial or Recommended that the zoningremain Utica Avenueand Kings Highway RECOMMENDATIONS Soft Site Analysis (Zoning) Source: NYC DCP, Google Maps. 2020. DCP, NYC Source: Maps. Google Southern site: ● ● ● ● 35,695 sq.site ft. area affordable housing Potential commercialfor spaces, and overlay (allows FAR) 2.0 for Recommended zoning:R5D with C1or C2 Utica and Flatbush Avenue Programs

● Propose expanding Flatlands Flatbush Civic Group, to work together with more businesses and residents across the geography

● Businesses along Utica Avenue could potentially form a Business Improvement District to help better advocate for themselves

Source: Flatlands Flatbush Civic Group, NYC BID Association. 2020. RECOMMENDATIONS Next Steps

● Continue to monitor updates from MTA and NYC

● Continue to work on affordable housing unit calculations

● Updates to written report, based on feedback

● Updates to final presentation, based on feedback Table of Contents

● Chapter 1. Introduction ● Chapter 4. Analysis ○ 1.1. Statement of Issue ○ 4.1. Soft Site Analysis ○ 1.2. Goal and Objectives of the Study ● Chapter 5. Recommendations ○ 1.3. Methodology and Sources ○ 5.1. Community Transit Plan ○ 1.4. Literature Review ○ 5.2. Zoning Recommendations ○ 1.5. Organization of Study ○ 5.3. Program Recommendations ● Chapter 2. History ● List of Figures ○ 2.1. History of Area ● Appendix ○ 2.2. History of Utica Avenue Subway ● Sources ● Chapter 3. Existing Conditions ○ 3.1. Initial Findings ○ 3.2. Demographics ○ 3.3. Built Environment ○ 3.4. Transportation ○ 3.5. Neighborhood Organizations List of Sources (Presentation)

Acitelli, (2019). East 125th Street gets boost ahead of Second Avenue subway extension. Crain’s New York Business. Boyle, D. (2018). The Future of Transit. Journal of Public Transportation, 21(1). Chetty, R., Hendren, N., Harvard University, & NBER. (2015). The Impacts of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility: Childhood Exposure Effects and County-Level Estimates. Ewing et al., (2016). Flatlands Flatbush Civic Group. (2020). Fitzsimmons, E. (2015). Mayor de Blasio Revives Plan for a Utica Avenue Subway Line. The New York Times. Google Maps. (2020). Jiao, J., & M. Dillivan. (2013). Transit Deserts: The Gap Between Demand and Supply. Journal of Public Transportation, 16(2), 23-39. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (2020). Utica Avenue Transit Improvements Study. Department of City Planning. (2020). Population FactFinder. New York City Department of City Planning. (2020). ZoLa New York City’s Zoning and Land Use Map. New York City Department of Transportation. (2019). New York City Economic Development Corporation. (2020). Pickrell, D. (1992). A Desire Named Streetcar: Fantasy and Fact in Rail Transit Planning. Journal of the American Planning Association, 58(2), 158-176. Regional Plan Association. (2018). Overlooked Boroughs: Where New York City’s Transit Falls Short and How to Fix It. Whong, C. (2019). Where the Doesn't Go. CityLab. Pending Questions

● What are the audience’s thoughts about the impact that COVID-19 could have on this project and future MTA projects? Could a project such as this be beneficial economically at such a critical time?

● What the impacts of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on this project and other transit improvement projects?

● Are there topics that need further expansion or that need to be touched on (in the report that were not mentioned)? Thank You and Questions

Timothy Anderson THESIS II — Presentation Spring 2020 — 4/28/2020