An Alternative Transit Plan for Shockoe Bottom Redevelopment

AN ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT PLAN FOR SHOCKOE BOTTOM REDEVELOPMENT Geoff Urda Master Of Urban and Regional Planning Program L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University Spring 2014. Prepared for GRTC Transit System and the City of Richmond. 2 3 An Alternative Transit Plan for Shockoe Bottom Redevelopment Prepared For: GRTC Transit System City of Richmond Prepared By: Geoff Urda Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University Spring 2014 Studio Panel Xueming (Jimmy) Chen, Ph. D., VCU James Smither, AICP, VCU Katie Schwing, GRTC Transit Company Mark Olinger, City of Richmond, Department of Planning and Development Review Copyright 2014 Geoffrey Urda. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or means-graphic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems-without written permission of Virginia Commonwealth University. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This plan would not have been possible without the assistance of many individuals from Virginia Commonwealth University, GRTC Transit System, the Michael Baker Corporation and the City of Richmond. In addition, none of the analysis in this plan would have been possible without the coop- eration of transit agencies across the nation, which were extremely gracious in sharing their ridership data with me. I would like to thank, in particular, my panel members, Xueming (Jimmy) Chen, James Smither, Katie Schwing, and Mark Olinger, all of whom have been very generous with their time. I would also like to thank Lorna Parkins and Scudder Wagg at the Michael Baker Corporation for helping me to get this project started. An extra round of thanks goes out to all of the individuals that I have been in contact with at all of transit agencies in cities this plan examines, without the help of whom no analysis would have been possible. Lastly, I would like to thank my family, friends and classmates, many of whom I now count as close friends, for all of their support over the last two years. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 9 Introduction Introduction 11 Client 12 Plan Purpose 15 The State of the Art 16 Approach and Methods 18 Roadmap to the Document 20 Part I: Research and Analysis Flying Squirrels Attendance 23 Precedent Examples 25 Toledo, Ohio 27 Buffalo, New York 31 Cleveland, Ohio 34 Phoenix, Arizona 38 Washington, DC 41 Modal Split Projection 46 Bus Rapid Transit 49 Base Line vs. Alternative 51 Revenues 52 Part II: Recommendations Goal 1 55 Goal 2 58 Goal 3 59 Recommendations 62 Conclusion 73 Sources 76 6 FIGURES Figure 1: BRT Map 13 Figure 21: Plan View 55 Figure 2: Revitalize RVA Plan 14 Figure 22: Valley Metro Interior 56 Figure 3: Downtown Toledo 27 Figure 23: HealthLine Interior 56 Figure 4: Fifth Third Field 29 Figure 24: BRT Stops and Stadium 59 Figure 5: Street Level View 29 Figure 25: Wayfinding in DC 60 Figure 6: Coca-Cola Field 31 Figure 26: Wayfinding in Shockoe 60 Figure 7: Seneca Station 32 Figure 27: BRT Stop Locations 62 Figure 8: NFTA Vehicle Interior 32 Figure 28: Farmers Market Existing Cond. 63 Figure 9: Progressive Field 34 Figure 29: Cathedral Walk 63 Figure 10: East 9th Street HealthLine Stop 35 Figure 30: GRTC Kiosk 64 Figure 11: Entrance Plaza 37 Figure 31: Organizing Element 65 Figure 12: Chase Field 38 Figure 32: Staging Area Connection 66 Figure 13: Jefferson Street Station 40 Figure 33: Great Ship Lock Park 66 Figure 14: Nationals Park 41 Figure 34: No-Passenger Train 67 Figure 15: Half Street 43 Figure 35: BRT-Only Lane 68 Figure 16: Half Street Pre-Game 44 Figure 36: Possible Choke Point 68 Figure 17: Navy Yard Metro Queue 44 Figure 37: Concern and Alternate Routes 69 Figure 18: Half Street Rendering 45 Figure 38: Broad and 14th 70 Figure 19: Farmers Market 45 Figure 39: Broad Street Overpass 72 Figure 20: Census Tract 205 50 Figure 40: Pedestrian Safety 72 7 TABLES Table 1: 2013 Richmond Flying Squirrels Attendance By Day of Week 23 Table 2: Modal Splits and Other Information for Selected Downtown Ballparks Serviced By Transit 26 Table 3: Muddy Shuttle Ridership by Day Type 30 Table 4: Mud Hens Attendance by Day Type 30 Table 5: Percent Share of Modal Split by Day Type 30 Table 6: Average HealthLine Boardings (May-August 2013) On Indians Home Dates vs. Non-Home Dates 36 Table 7: Average Indians Attendance (May-August 2013) 36 Table 8: HealthLine Estimated Modal Split 36 Table 9: Nationals Attendance Sorted By Day Type 42 Table 10: Metrorail Post-Game Entries by Day Type 42 Table 11: Metrorail Modal Split Estimate 42 Table 12: Shockoe Bottom Stadium Modal Split and Ridership Projections 46 Table 13: Density By County 47 Table 14: Percentage of Employees Taking Public Transportation To Work 48 Implementation Table 74 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document was produced for the GRTC Transit System and the City plan and a BRT line, it is possible right now to link these two planning of Richmond as a transit plan to accommodate potential demand creat- processes together and have them implemented in concert when they ed by proposed redevelopment in Shockoe Bottom. It also fulfills the reach that phase, and that is what this plan seeks to do. Professional Plan requirement in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at Virginia Commonwealth University. BRT should be preferable to driving as a mode of traveling to and from baseball games, but to be the preferred mode, it must be a superior GRTC Transit System, which is preparing to begin running Bus Rapid experience for the passenger. This plan attempts to, by examining prec- Transit (BRT) in the coming years, requested a plan to anticipate, pro- edent examples, anticipate the level of demand on game days and project and prepare for increased ridership demand on its BRT line that ject a modal split. This plan also makes recommendations regarding would be generated by potential implementation of the Revitalize RVA where to locate both eastbound and westbound BRT stops in order to plan. Introduced to the public by Mayor Dwight Jones on November 11, handle this volume of ridership as efficiently as possible, and how to 2013, the centerpiece of the Revitalize RVA plan is a new minor league orient the stops so to fit into the neighborhood. baseball Stadium in Shockoe Bottom for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Analysis of five cities with downtown ballparks served by transit reveals Other aspects of proposed redevelopment include a hotel, grocery a wide range of modal splits, with transit capturing as little as 1 percent store, apartments and a slave heritage trail. Independent of the Revi- of the mode share in one example, and as much as 30 percent in an- talize RVA plan, discussions are also underway to convert the 17th other. The cities examined (Toledo, Buffalo, Cleveland, Phoenix and Street Farmers Market into a European-style, pedestrian-oriented pub- Washington, DC) vary in population size and density, include four lic square. different types of transit systems with varying levels of penetration into the surrounding suburbs, and include both major and minor league baseball teams. The purpose of this plan is to seize the opportunity to use BRT as a choice transit mode for travel to and from a redeveloped Shockoe Bottom and to reimagine the area, with all its proposed attractions, es- Data acquired from these case studies inform a modal split projection pecially the stadium, as a transit-oriented destination. Since implemen- for the proposed Shockoe Bottom stadium, an anticipated mode share tation is still a year or more into the future for both the Revitalize RVA of 6-10 percent for BRT and the physical stops/stations themselves 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY offer valuable siting and design lessons for the recommendations con- tained in this plan. Many of recommendations this plan makes seek to create a transit alternative that would not only alleviate current concerns about traffic and parking associated with the proposed Shockoe Bottom stadium, but would also produce an outcome where riding BRT to the stadium is a more attractive option than driving. Other recommendations focus on the BRT stop’s role in reimagining Shockoe Bottom as a transit-oriented destination; a place with a varie- ty of attractions that will draw people from all over Richmond and how to feature BRT as a prominent part of that place. 10 INTRODUCTION Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and building a replacement stadium for The Diamond are both on the City of Richmond’s radar as near- future projects. While seemingly independent of one another, the two projects provide a unique opportunity if recognized early enough in the planning process for both. Last fall, Mayor Dwight C. Jones identified Shockoe Bottom as a potential site for a new baseball stadium. Unlike the current location of The Diamond, a stadium in Shockoe Bottom would give Richmond a neighborhood ballpark. This is where opportunity in relation to Bus Rapid Transit emerges. Some of the most famous neighborhood ballparks in the country, including Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, are served by transit and public transportation as prime methods of travelling to games. Furthermore, the Revital- ize RVA plan identifies a new baseball stadium as part of a larg- er downtown redevelopment project. BRT can plan an integral part in that process and, with concurrent timing of the BRT and stadium projects, a future scenario that has Richmond baseball fans riding Bus Rapid Transit to games is possible.

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