AN ADVISORY SERVICES PANEL REPORT Richardson, Texas Urban Land $ Institute Richardson, Texas A Plan for Transit-Oriented Development June 11–16, 2000 An Advisory Services Panel Report ULI–the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West Washington, D.C. 20007-5201 About ULI–the Urban Land Institute LI–the Urban Land Institute is a non- sented include developers, builders, property profit research and education organiza- owners, investors, architects, public officials, tion that promotes responsible leadership planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attor- U in the use of land in order to enhance neys, engineers, financiers, academicians, stu- the total environment. dents, and librarians. ULI relies heavily on the experience of its members. It is through member The Institute maintains a membership represent- involvement and information resources that ULI ing a broad spectrum of interests and sponsors a has been able to set standards of excellence in wide variety of educational programs and forums development practice. The Institute has long been to encourage an open exchange of ideas and shar- recognized as one of America’s most respected ing of experience. ULI initiates research that and widely quoted sources of objective informa- anticipates emerging land use trends and issues tion on urban planning, growth, and development. and proposes creative solutions based on that research; provides advisory services; and pub- This Advisory Services panel report is intended lishes a wide variety of materials to disseminate to further the objectives of the Institute and to information on land use and development. make authoritative information generally avail- able to those seeking knowledge in the field of Established in 1936, the Institute today has some urban land use. 15,000 members and associates from 50 countries, representing the entire spectrum of the land use Richard M. Rosan and development disciplines. Professionals repre- President ©2001 by ULI–the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West Washington, D.C. 20007-5201 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy- right holder is prohibited. ULI Catalog Number: ASR018 2 An Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services he goal of ULI’s Advisory Services Program stakeholders in the project under consideration, is to bring the finest expertise in the real participants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments estate field to bear on complex land use plan- are able to make accurate assessments of a spon- T ning and development projects, programs, sor’s issues and to provide recommendations in a and policies. Since 1947, this program has assem- compressed amount of time. bled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help sponsors find creative, practical solutions for A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique issues such as downtown redevelopment, land ability to draw on the knowledge and expertise of management strategies, evaluation of develop- its members, including land developers and own- ment potential, growth management, community ers, public officials, academicians, representatives revitalization, brownfields redevelopment, mili- of financial institutions, and others. In fulfillment tary base reuse, provision of low-cost and afford- of the mission of the Urban Land Institute, this able housing, and asset management strategies, Advisory Services panel report is intended to among other matters. A wide variety of public, provide objective advice that will promote the re- private, and nonprofit organizations have contract- sponsible use of land to enhance our environment. ed for ULI’s Advisory Services. Each panel team is composed of highly qualified ULI Project Staff professionals who volunteer their time to ULI. Rachelle L. Levitt They are chosen for their knowledge of the panel Senior Vice President, Policy and Practice topic and screened to ensure their objectivity. ULI panel teams are interdisciplinary and typi- Mary Beth Corrigan cally include several developers, a landscape Managing Director, Advisory Services architect, a planner, a market analyst, a finance David O’Neill expert, and others with the niche expertise need- Director, Land Use Policy and Outreach ed to address a given project. ULI teams provide a holistic look at development problems. Each Nancy H. Stewart panel is chaired by a respected ULI member Director, Book Program with previous panel experience. Julie D. Stern The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is in- Manuscript Editor tensive. It includes an in-depth briefing day com- Betsy Van Buskirk posed of a tour of the site and meetings with spon- Art Director sor representatives; a day and a half of hour-long interviews of typically 80 to 100 key community Martha Loomis representatives; and a day and a half of formulat- Desktop Publishing Specialist/Graphics ing recommendations. Many long nights of dis- Kim Rusch cussion precede the panel’s conclusions. On the Graphics final day on site, the panel makes an oral presen- tation of its findings and conclusions to the spon- Diann Stanley Austin sor. At the request of the sponsor, a written re- Director, Publishing Operations port is prepared and published. Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for significant preparation before the panel’s vis- it, including sending extensive briefing materials to each member and arranging for the panel to meet with key local community members and Richardson, Texas, June 11–16, 2000 3 Acknowledgments oth personally and on behalf of ULI–the John Sweeden, and Carol Wilson for providing Urban Land Institute, the panel members leadership in identifying and advancing the and staff would like to thank the city of opportunity for transit-oriented development. B Richardson for giving them the opportu- The panel is grateful to City Manager Bill Keffler nity to work on this important assignment, for and Deputy City Manager Dan Johnson for being such gracious hosts, and for sponsoring the directing the city team in this very significant panel. The panel is particularly grateful for the initiative for the city of Richardson. The panel extraordinary preparation and cooperation pro- also would like to acknowledge the important vided by the city’s staff, led by Assistant City information provided by City Attorney Peter Manager Michael Wanchick and Director of Devel- Smith and special assistance from several other opment Services Monica Willard, in assisting the city departments, including development ser- panel before and during this assignment. The city’s vices, parks and recreation, citizen information team did a terrific job of preparing the panel for services, and citizen information television. its assignment by providing extensive advance briefing materials, conducting on-site briefings Finally, the panel thanks the homeowner associa- and tours, arranging more than 60 interviews tion representatives, local school officials, devel- with a diverse group of approximately 80 individ- opers, business owners, city and county officials, uals, and providing continuous assistance to the city staff and transportation representatives— panel and staff during its six-day visit. including officials of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the Texas Department of Transporta- The panel extends special thanks to Mayor Gary tion, and the North Texas Tollway Authority— Slagel, Mayor Pro Tem John Murphy, and Council and many others for their candid and very help- Members Bob Nusser, Tom Rohm, Jim Shepherd, ful discussions during the interview process. 4 An Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff 6 Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment 7 Overview and Summary of Recommendations 8 Market Conditions 14 Transportation and Circulation 19 Station/Neighborhood Development 22 Implementation 33 Conclusion 40 Appendix 41 About the Panel 43 Richardson, Texas, June 11–16, 2000 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff Panel Chair Michael T. Schueler President Franklin A. Martin Henkle-Schueler Associates President Lebanon, Ohio Hidden Springs Community, L.L.C. Boise, Idaho Alexis P. Victors President Panel Members Victors and Associates, Inc. Portola Valley, California Donald R. Bauer President ULI Project Director Bauer Planning Services Tustin, California David J. O’Neill Director Richard J. Dishnica Land Use Policy and Outreach President Bay Glen Investments, Inc. Berkeley, California ULI On-Site Coordinator Teri Courson Robert T. Dunphy Consultant Senior Resident Fellow ULI–the Urban Land Institute Washington, D.C. Ben Frerichs Principal Huckell Weinman Associates, Inc. Kirkland, Washington Douglas Hale Senior Joint Development Specialist Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Washington, D.C. Hermann J. Kircher President Kircher Research Associate, Ltd. Toronto, Ontario Byron R. Koste Director Real Estate Center, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado 6 An Advisory Services Panel Report Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment he city of Richardson asked the ULI panel The Spring Valley, Arapaho Center, and Galatyn to examine the unique opportunities for Park stations are scheduled to open by June 2002. transit-oriented development (TOD) and/or City leaders therefore have concluded that the T redevelopment in the vicinity of its five time is right to establish a common vision for planned Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) sta- future growth and development around these tions—Spring Valley, Main Street, Arapaho Cen- stations and the future Main Street