TRANSIT-ORIENTEDTRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT STRATEGICSTRATEGIC PLANPLAN COMMUNITY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT August 2, 2006 TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN T A B L E O F Table of Contents C O N Acknowledgements . iii T E N T 1. Executive Summary. 1 S 2. Introduction. 5 3. Defining Transit-Oriented Development . 9 4. The Context for TOD in Denver . 13 5. Denver’s Readiness for TOD . 23 6. City-Wide Policy and Action Recommendations. 27 A. Fine-Tune Roles and Responsibilities with RTD and DRCOG . 28 B. Adopt TOD Typology and Encourage Region to Embrace a Common Definition of TOD . 28 C. Engage in Proactive Planning and Zoning . 29 D. Adopt a Package of TOD Parking and Parking Management Strategies . 30 E. Focus Funding Tools on TOD and Create New Tools . 30 F. Prepare an Affordable and Mixed-Income Housing Strategy for TOD. 31 G. Develop a Public Housing Renewal Strategy. 35 H. Other Potential City-Wide Polices . 37 7. Recommendations for Corridors and Specific Station Areas . 39 Appendices. 69 A: List of Interviewees . 69 B: Summary of Stakeholder Interviews . 71 C: Implementation Tools . 74 Figures, Maps and Charts Regional Transit Systems and TOD Demand. 16 Denver Regional Council of Governments Forecast . 16 Existing and Proposed FasTracks Transit System. 17 Current Denver Transit System and Linkages to Employment Centers . 18 Future Denver Transit System and Linkages to Employment Centers . 18 TOD Typology . 20 Denver Region Monthly Household Transportation Costs . 33 Denver TOD Typology and Activity Priorities. 41 & 42 i Station Area Typology Map . 44 & 45 Denver Union Station . 43 Central Corridor (“C” and “D” Lines) . 46 Evans Station . 50 Southeast Corridor . 51 West Corridor. 56 East Corridor . 59 Gold Line and US-36 Corridor . 65 ii TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN A C K N O ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS W L E CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER D G E John H. Hickenlooper, Mayor M E N T City Council Community Planning and Development S Elbra Wedgeworth, Council President Peter Park, Manager Rick Garcia, District 1 Catherine Cox-Blair, Senior City Planner and Project Manager Jeanne Faatz, District 2 Tyler Gibbs, Manager Planning Services Rosemary E. Rodriguez, District 3 Steve Gordon, Development Program Manager Peggy Lehmann, District 4 Eric McClelland, GIS Specialist Marcia Johnson, District 5 Phil Plienis, Senior City Planner Charlie Brown, District 6 Karen Good, Senior City Planner Kathleen MacKenzie, District 7 Carolyne Janssen, Graphic Design Judy Montero, District 9 Consultants Jeanne Robb, District 10 Michael B. Hancock, District 11 Shelley Poticha, Reconnecting America, Center for Transit Oriented Development Carol Boigon, At-Large Dena Belzer, Strategic Economics, Center for Transit Doug Linkhart, At-Large Oriented Development Planning Board Other Agencies Barbara Kelley, Chair Bill Sirois, Regional Transportation District Laura E. Aldrete Brad Buchanan Frederick Corn, P.E Mr. Richard Delanoy William H. Hornby Mason Lewis Ms. Judith Martinez Bruce O’Donnell Thomas W. Potter Jeffrey Walker iii ChapterChapter 11 ExecutiveExecutive SummarySummary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Strategic Plan is a guide for prioritizing the planning and implementation activities of the City and County of Denver related to transit planning and transit-oriented development. City Council, Planning Board, departmental management, staff, and others will use it to: • Set priorities for where City resources should be directed in the short, mid and long-term; TOD is more than simply development near • Identify effective implementation tools, policies and strategies to facilitate transit, successful TOD creates beautiful, vital, transit oriented development where appropriate; and and walkable neighborhoods; provides housing, shopping and transportation choices; and • Ensure close coordination among City departments, staff and others as generates lasting value for citizens and public and private stakeholders. they undertake planning and implementation activities related to transit and transit-oriented development. Community Planning and Development (CPD) worked with the Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD), a non-profit organization, on the strategic planning effort. To prepare this plan, CTOD staff met with key members of each City department that has a role in planning for and implementing transit and transit-oriented development, including Community Planning and Development, Public Works, Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, the City Attorney’s office, Council members, the Mayor’s Office and the Denver Urban Renewal Agency. CTOD also met with key stakeholders from other agencies and entities, including RTD, the Denver Housing Authority, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Urban Land Institute and Housing Denver. In addition to these stakeholder interviews, CTOD reviewed available data and policies pertaining to TOD and visited each existing and future station area. The TOD Strategic Plan contains: • Definition of Transit-Oriented Development: TOD is more than simply development near transit, successful TOD creates beautiful, vital, and walkable neighborhoods; provides housing, shopping and transportation choices; generates lasting value for citizens and public and private stakeholders; and provides access to the region’s jobs, government centers, healthcare facilities and cultural and recreational destinations. • Context For TOD: A snapshot of the trends creating a demand for development within walking distance of transit stations across the nation and in Denver. Transit provides access to the region’s jobs, government centers, healthcare facilities and • TOD Typology: A framework to help distinguish the types of places that cultural and recreational destinations. will be linked by the transit system and frame expectations about the mix and intensity of development at specific stations. • Current Policies and Programs: An inventory of policies and activities within the City and County that currently focus on TOD and an assessment of Denver’s readiness to support TOD. 2 TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN C H A • City-Wide Recommendations: A set of recommended activities of city- P T wide significance that would help prepare for TOD: E R 1 - Defining roles and responsibilities with RTD — - Adopting TOD typology and encouraging regional TOD vocabulary E X - Conducting proactive regulatory and implementation activities E C - Adopting a package of TOD and parking management strategies U T I - Creating new funding tools V E - Preparing an affordable and mixed-income housing strategy S U - Developing a public housing renewal strategy M M A • Specific Station Recommendations: A set of recommended activities for R the specific station areas. The criteria used to address phasing priority Y and level of effort are: - Frequency of transit service - Existing land use, parcelizaton, and ownership patterns - Real estate market trends in Denver, the transit corridor, and current market activity around each specific station - Physical barriers that limit connectivity to the station - Current or future significant public investment in the station area other than the transit investment - Community support Staff will be working on all of the transit corridors and station areas. However, using the above criteria, the report identifies the following stations as those that warrant immediate City action: - Colorado (Southeast, T-REX) - Southmoor (Southeast, T-REX) - Decatur (West Line) - Sheridan (West Line) - Inca & 38th (Gold Line) - 40th & 40th (East Corridor) - 10th & Osage (Central Corridor) - Alameda (Central Corridor) Who should use the Plan? 10th and Osage Station The TOD Strategic Plan is intended to be a guidance document for Denver staff of all departments to identify issues where additional work is needed to ensure that TOD in Denver is implemented in a way that fits with the community’s long-term vision. It also identifies locations where focused efforts are either needed to set the table for high quality results or where sufficient policies and programs are in place now to let the market function. The TOD Strategic Plan can also provide guidance for elected and appointed officials, developers and community leaders seeking answers to what kinds of change can be expected in their communities and the likely timeframe for these changes. 3 How should the Plan be used? The TOD Strategic Plan will be consulted in annual budget reviews, as development proposals are brought forward for specific transit districts, and as Denver staff work with neighboring communities, regional agencies and other stakeholders to plan for the FasTracks program and implement Denver’s TOD vision. 4 Chapter 2 Introduction INTRODUCTION In November 2004, voters in the Denver Metropolitan Region passed the “FasTracks” ballot measure. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) will use sales tax revenues to fund the expansion plan of six new transit lines in the next decade. This represents a $4.7 billion regional infrastructure investment. This ballot measure was sold to the voters, in part, on two arguments: that the region needs transportation alternatives to remain economically competitive and that clustering growth around transit stations could stimulate development of the type of neighborhoods Denver Metro residents desire. Indeed, the 119 miles of new tracks and the 70 new transit stations will provide an unparalleled level of transit access for a region of this size and, as such, could fundamentally reshape