Hackensack Transit Oriented Development Report Spring 2013 Acknowledgements Principal Investigators Brian Hekemian Charrette # 2 Attendees Darius Sollohub, NJIT Stephen Lo Iacono, Magdy Abdallah Mary K. Murphy, NJTPA Jerry Lombardo Elizabeth Alarcon Jorge Meneses Francis W. Albolino Sponsor: NJTPA Donna Orbach Michael Cohen Lois Goldman Tomas Padilla Mark DeGuzman Scott Rowe Frank Pratt Colleen Diskin Robin Ratliff Larry Eisen Sponsor: NJ Transit Francis Reiner Phil Fernandez John Del Colle Karen Sasso Robert Gartner Vivian Baker Marc Sparta Don Gonzales Jim Gilligan Tony Ursillo Marilyn Graves Sallie Morris Lucy Wildrick Herb Greenberg Thomas Schulze Gale Inwood Richard Wisneski Other Participants: Keith Jensen Richard Roberts NJIT Studio Reviewers Bern Kearney Lucy Wildrick Ed Lipiner Report Production: RPA Robin Ratliff Steve Lo Iacono Ben Oldenburg Francis Reiner, DMR Architects Jerry Lombardo Thomas Dallessio, NJIT Kerry McKenne Report Production: NJIT Darius Sollohub Damian Mucaro Roger Smith Richard Polton Ahmed Okasha Ersin Altin Stephen Lo Iacono Charlotte Panny Kareem El Gendy Roger Smith Karyn Pereny Ha Pham Martin Robins Jeff Pittel John Del Colle, NJ Transit Joseph Portelli NJIT Faculty Vivian Baker, NJ Transit Frank Pratt Roger Smith Fran Reiner Charrette Facilitators Martin Resnisk Consultants Juan Ayala Karen Sasso Martin Robins Martin Robins Victor Sasson Richard Polton Corey Piasecki Basha Shaik Richard Polton Renee Silverman Research Assistants Roger Smith Marlin Townes Ersin Altin Darius Sollohub Anthony Ursillo Ji Hwan Han Moran Vincent Ha Pham Charrette # 1 Attendees Fred Wallace Magdy Abdallah MIP Studio Ed DeGuzman Nana Biney Mark DeGuzman Priti Dhungel Larry Eisen Cory Fernandez Noelle Frieson Kareem El Gendy Lois Goldman Ji Hwan Han Michael Hamza The preparation of this report has been Slavco Mizimakoski Bern Kearney financed in part by the Transportation Kyle R. Moran Steve Lo lacono and Community and System Preserva- Agnieszka Pregowska Jerry Lombardo tion Program of the Federal Highway Adam Rapciewicz Kerry McKenne Administration (U.S. Department of Komal Shah Jeff Pittel Transportation) and the North Jersey Chanhua Zhou Fran Reiner Transportation Planning Authority, Inc. Scott Rowe This document is disseminated under Steering Committee Karen Sasso the sponsorship of the U.S. Department Darlene Damstrom Anthony Ursillo of Transportation in the interest of in- Albert Dib formation exchange. The United States Tom Freeman Government assumes no liability for its Robert Freudenberg contents or its use thereof. Contents Preface 3 Planning and Design 28 Executive Summary 5 Master Planning Studies 28 Discovery 5 Bergen County Master Plan 28 Hackensack Historical Context 5 City of Hackensack 2001 Master Plan 29 Demographics and Social Assets 5 City of Hackensack Master Plan Reexamination Report 2009 30 Economic Assets 5 City of Hackensack: 2012 Downtown Rehabilitation Plan 31 Travel Patterns and Transportation Systems 5 Transit Oriented Development 6 Community Based Design Charrettes 33 Transit Oriented Development in New Jersey 6 Visioning Session 1: City of Hackensack Assets and Opportunities 34 Planning and Design 7 Visioning Session 2: Transit Oriented Design Opportunities 34 Master Planning Studies 7 Community Based Design Charrettes 7 TOD Design Proposals 35 Transit Oriented Design Proposals 8 Essex Street Station 36 Summary of the Economic Impact of the Proposed Recommendations + Implementation 9 Essex Street Development 41 Discovery 11 Anderson Street Station 42 Summary of the Economic Impact of the Proposed Hackensack Historical Context 11 Anderson Street Development 46 Demographics and Social Assets 14 Downtown Bus Terminal & River Street Corridor 47 Recommendations Economic Assets 16 + Implementation 53 Bergen County Seat 16 Hackensack University Medical Center 16 Advantages/Benefits for Hackensack 53 Colleges and Universities 16 Additional Recommendations 53 Hackensack River and Park System 16 Essex Street TOD Recommendations 53 Anderson Street TOD Recommendations 53 Hackensack Office Data 17 Downtown Bus Terminal & River Street Corridor Rental Rates 17 TOD Recommendations 53 Space Available on the Market 17 Bibliography 55 Leasing Velocity 17 Conclusion 17 Figure Sources 56 Travel Patterns and Transportation Systems 18 Automobile 18 Passenger Rail 19 Bus 22 Transit Oriented Development 23 Characteristics of TOD 23 Advantages of TOD 24 NJ TOD Precedents 25 Hackensack TOD 1 Hackensack TOD 2 Preface This report documents a community-based vision to bring Hackensack Transit Oriented Development Zones transit oriented development to Hackensack, NJ. Beginning in spring 2012, a team of faculty, researchers and graduate students from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) generated the work found in this document. The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and NJ TRANSIT both spon- sored the visioning and served on the committee to help steer the effort. A Steering Committee made up of members from Hackensack city government, its business community, its residents, Bergen County officials, and Regional Plan As- sociation guided the team. The project focuses on the areas surrounding Hackensack’s two NJ TRANSIT rail stations and its Bus Terminal. Future development around each will help anchor the city’s retail core, complementing Hackensack’s recently adopted Re- Anderson Street Station habilitation Plan and strengthening the relationship of the downtown to the larger city and region. This planning builds upon Hackensack’s many assets; it has a dense and diverse population; it is the seat of county government; and it is the home to a growing health care sector centered on Hacken- sack University Medical Center. The planning effort described here incorporated a gradu- Downtown Bus Terminal ate-level Infrastructure Planning Studio at NJIT’s New Jer- sey School of Architecture. The studio worked closely with Essex Street Station the Steering Committee in planning efforts and community outreach. The team reviewed background information and interviewed private and public sector parties familiar with retail, office and residential real estate markets. Using these resources, the team developed alternative scenarios for spe- cific sites around the three transit nodes. The NJIT team hosted and facilitated two Saturday visioning sessions in March to advance visions for each site with com- munity support. The first Saturday focused on supplementary efforts in the Rehabilitation Zone, the second on the specific transit nodes. The team then synthesized the results of both sessions during the month of April. Student teams presented their findings to the public at a Hackensack City Council ses- sion in early May. This report includes all outcomes of this process. It could not have come about without the spirited support of Mayor Jorge Meneses, Councilwoman Karen Sasso, and City Man- ager Stephen Lo Iacono; Donna Orbach from Bergen County; Albert Dib, Jerry Lombardo, Frank Pratt of the Hackensack business community; NJ TRANSIT’s John Del Colle and Fran- cis Reiner of DMR Architects. With their continued help, it is our sincere hope that the many great ideas offered by the community and presented here can be realized. Hackensack TOD 3 Hackensack TOD 4 Executive Summary tion between 25 to 34 years of age. 67% of Hackensack’s Discovery population lives in 1-2 person households; some are empty nesters and elderly, others are young single professionals. Hackensack Historical Context Economic Assets Hackensack is Bergen County’s most populated municipal- ity and serves as its county seat. The City of Hackensack Hackensack’s Economic Assets include the Hackensack Uni- covers an area of approximately 4 square miles. A century versity Medical Center, and the Bergen County seat located ago the population stood at 9,443. Since then its popula- downtown, its colleges and universities, its park system and tion has grown to 43,010. Eleven municipalities surround the Hackensack River. Hackensack: the Boroughs of Little Ferry, Bogota, Hasbrouck Heights, Lodi, Maywood, Paramus, River Edge and Teterboro; Hackensack is the county seat of Bergen County, housing the Townships of South Hackensack and Teaneck; and the many county facilities and employing a large number of coun- Village of Ridgefield Park. These surrounding municipalities ty employees. This resident population of office workers and are connected to Hackensack by a series of County roadways other employees can serve as an economic driver creating while three major highways (NJ Route 4, Interstate Route 80, various development opportunities. Over the past decade, and NJ Route 17) define its north, south and western edges. Bergen County has made a major commitment to the City The Hackensack River which flows from the southwestern of Hackensack through construction of a major new county portion of Rockland County to the Newark Bay to the south, office building, parking structure and other related facilities. defines the city’s eastern boundary. Based on our research, the physical requirements of the Bergen County government will continue to grow. We also Hackensack’s first inhabitants were members of the Lenni learned that many visitors to County Government become Lenape Indian community, who interacted with Dutch traders patrons for downtown shopping. in the early 17th century. By the century’s end, the English had taken control of Dutch possessions on the North Ameri- Hackensack is identifiable to many throughout the New York can continent. In 1709, Hackensack