Regional Opportunities and Challenges for Transit-Oriented Development: The Case of the Texas Triangle Dr. Ming Zhang & Brendan Goodrich August 2018 A publication of the USDOT Tier-1 Center: Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions at The University of Texas at Austin DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the information presented herein. This document is disseminated in the interest of information exchange. The report is funded, partially or entirely, by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program. However, the U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. ii PRELIMINARY REVIEW COPY Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. CM2-3 Accession No. ORCID: 0000-0002-4827-1323 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Regional Opportunities and Challenges for Transit Oriented August 2018 Development: The Case of the Texas Triangle 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Dr. Ming Zhang & Brendan Goodrich CM2-3 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) The University of Texas at Austin 11. Contract or Grant No. School of Architecture USDOT 69A3551747135 310 Inner Campus Drive, B7500 Austin, TX 78712 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Center for Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions Technical Report conducted October 2017- The University of Texas at Austin August 2018 310 Inner Campus Drive, Goldsmith Hall, 2.308 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Austin, TX 78712 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Center’s Program. 16. Abstract Transit-oriented development (TOD) has been largely the practice of local communities and transit agencies, but few have explored TOD opportunities and challenges from a regional perspective. This research aims to fill the gap, with a focus on the Texas Triangle. The project contains six tasks. Task 1 summarizes the types and service characteristics of transit systems in the Texas Triangle. Task 2 reviews literature on TOD, paying particular attention to TOD planning/design guidelines and policies/tools for implementation from a regional, state, or national perspective. This task also investigates innovative practices for financing TOD projects. Task 3 designs and conducts a survey of transit agencies, cities, MPOs, state agencies, and relevant private sectors concerning their perceived barriers to TOD in the Texas Triangle. Task 4 interviews key stakeholders of TOD to form a case study in Austin, Texas. Task 5 develops TOD implementation strategies focusing on value capture techniques. The research activities were integrated into a planning studio in the fall of 2017. Finally, Task 6 develops a regional TOD typology for sites in the Texas Triangle and proposes guidelines for TOD planning and design for each type. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Megaregions, transit-oriented development, rapid transit No restrictions. This document is available to the public technologies, regional governance, value capture through the National Technical Information Service, techniques, public agency survey, planners, developers, Springfield, Virginia 22161; www.ntis.gov. transportation, regulations, best practices. 19. Security Classif. (of report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 249 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized iii Acknowledgements We would like to thank Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions (CM2), a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC), for funding of this research. In addition, we would like to thank Sharada Vadali of the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and Ashby Johnson of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO). In addition, we would like to thank all the planners and developers who completed our surveys. Furthermore, we would like to thank interviewees from the Austin metropolitan area: Greg Anderson of Austin Habitat for Humanity, Shayne Calhoun of Capital Metro, Jolinda Marshall of Capital Metro, Anne Milne of the City of Austin, Terry Mitchell of Momark Development, Anne-Charlotte Patterson of the Crestview Neighborhood Association, Alex Tynberg of Tynberg LLC, and Tom Yantis of the City of Leander Finally, we would like to thank the contributions of community and regional planning graduate students of the Megaregion Transportation Practicum of the fall of 2017 to this research: Sadra Dehghanhosseinab, Gregory Grant, Aysha Minot, Sydney Sepulveda, Raj Shah, Kelsey Veazey, Arman Rajaeian, and Caleb Roberts. iv Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. Introduction: Transit-Oriented Development in the Texas Triangle Megaregion ........................................ 4 Chapter 2. Research Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 7 2.1. Research Tasks ................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.1. Transit Inventory ......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2. Literature Review ........................................................................................................................................ 8 2.1.3. Survey ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.4. Interviews .................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.1.5. Value Capture Regulations and Techniques ............................................................................................. 11 2.1.6. TOD Typologies ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3. Review of TOD Practices at the Regional Level and Beyond ................................................................... 13 3.1. Central Purposes of State and Regional TOD Planning ................................................................................... 13 3.2. State- and Region-Wide Definitions of TOD ................................................................................................... 15 3.3. State and Regional Plans’ Stated Benefits of TOD .......................................................................................... 17 3.4. TOD Practice .................................................................................................................................................... 21 3.4.1 Transit Modalities ...................................................................................................................................... 21 3.4.2. Land Use and Intensity ............................................................................................................................. 25 3.4.3. Environment .............................................................................................................................................. 26 3.5. Strategies for Implementation .......................................................................................................................... 28 3.5.1. TOD Zoning .............................................................................................................................................. 28 3.5.2. TOD Incentives ......................................................................................................................................... 30 3.5.3. Smart Growth Maps .................................................................................................................................. 31 3.5.4. Joint Development of TOD ....................................................................................................................... 33 3.5.5. Measuring Performance of TOD ............................................................................................................... 34 3.6. Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 4. Transit Technologies in the Texas Triangle ............................................................................................... 42 4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 4.2. Austin ............................................................................................................................................................... 42 4.2.1. Capital Metro MetroRail Commuter Rail ................................................................................................. 43 4.2.2. Capital Metro MetroRapid BRT-Lite