CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL GATEWAY SPECIFIC PLAN Transit-Oriented Development Case Studies Prepared for City of Laguna Niguel 27781 La Paz Road Laguna Niguel, California 92677 Prepared by PBS&J 12301 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 430 Los Angeles, California 90025 November 2007 Contents CASE STUDIES Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 CASE STUDY 1 Downtown Arlington Heights, Illinois......................................................................................3 CASE STUDY 2 Del Mar Station, Pasadena.....................................................................................................7 CASE STUDY 3 EmeryStation, Emeryville, CA............................................................................................... 11 CASE STUDY 4 North Hollywood Commercial Core ................................................................................... 17 CASE STUDY 5 Rail Station District, Santa Ana............................................................................................ 21 CASE STUDY 6 Grossmont Transit Station, La Mesa ................................................................................... 25 CASE STUDY 7 Pleasant Hill BART Transit Village ...................................................................................... 29 CASE STUDY 8 Rincon Hill Area Plan, San Francisco .................................................................................. 33 CASE STUDY 9 Transbay Transit Center, San Francisco............................................................................. 39 CASE STUDY 10 Cedros Crossing, Solana Beach........................................................................................... 45 CASE STUDY 11 Jefferson–La Cienega Boulevards Exposition Rail Station Plan.................................... 51 Figures Figure 1 Emeryville Amtrak Station Area........................................................................................................ 14 Figure 2 North Hollywood Redevelopment Commercial Core.................................................................... 18 Figure 3 Pleasant Hill BART Transit Pedestrian/Bicycle Circulation ........................................................... 31 Figure 4 Rincon Hill Streetscape Concept ....................................................................................................... 35 Figure 5 Rincon Hill Land Use Plan................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 6 Transbay Redevelopment Project Area .......................................................................................... 40 Figure 7 Cedros Crossing Site Plan, Reduced Massing Alternative ........................................................... 47 TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDIES CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL GATEWAY SPECIFIC PLAN iii CASE STUDIESI Introduction Transit-oriented development refers to the clustering of housing, jobs, shopping, and services in close proximity to rail stations, trolleys, bus stops, or other travel options that provide access to frequent, high-quality transit services. This pattern of development typically involves compact development, a mix of land uses, and amenities like pedestrian-friendly streets, parks or other open spaces, and buildings that are oriented to the street to provide visibility and easy access to pedestrians. This report presents eleven examples of transit- oriented developments throughout California, including one outside of Chicago. The case studies selected for inclusion here are intended to demonstrate the variety of approaches and strategies that may be used to facilitate successful transit-oriented developments that uniquely address the location, resources, and constraints that may be available within a community. The location of the Mission Viejo–Laguna Niguel Station and proposed improvements in Metrolink commuter rail service provide a significant opportunity for transit- oriented development as envisioned in the updated Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan currently being prepared. The case studies include a description of the transit- oriented development location, the mix of land uses, transit mode, and a discussion of the resources and tools, both public and private, used to facilitate its development. The case studies also discuss the status of development within the areas that have been generally characterized as transit- oriented districts, as the boundaries of these areas are fluid and not necessarily delineated within a planning document. The eleven case studies are presented in order of the length of time that both transit and mixed-use development has been built and operational. These range from Arlington Heights in suburban Chicago where transit-oriented development has been successful since the year 2000 when it was initially developed, to the Jefferson–La Cienega TOD in Los Angeles, which is currently in the planning stages in anticipation of TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDIES CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL GATEWAY SPECIFIC PLAN 1 the Exposition Light Rail Line service in the year 2010. The key factor in the selection of each of these case studies is that they provide a useful approach, ownership or development pattern, implementation tool, or resource that may be considered by the City for its transit-oriented development plans. Implications for Transit-Oriented Development in Laguna Niguel The “lessons learned” for transit-oriented development in the Laguna Niguel Gateway area that can be taken from the case studies that follow can generally be summarized as the need for the following key factors: 1. Catalytic projects. Catalytic projects are developments that will attract people, activity, and recognition to the area. Catalytic projects in TODs are generally supported by public investments of land or other financial resources as well as public investment in the infrastructure that is needed to support the new mix of uses and the increased development intensity. These investments may include amenities such as wider sidewalks, public open spaces, streetscape enhancements, and resized infrastructure to name a few. 2. A mix of land uses. Mixed-use development is characteristic of most successful TOD and includes development of housing, shopping, services, and employment within ¼ to ½ mile walking distance of the transit options available. The mix of land uses may be within a single development— vertical mixed use, a mix of uses in independent structures spread throughout the TOD district or a combination of both. Land uses that should be considered include retail, services, entertainment and leisure, housing, and office and other professional operations that provide employment. It should be noted that the land use mix can, and often does, include industrial development as a component of a successful TOD. Jefferson-La Cienega and Santa Ana are good examples of TOD developments that have a substantial component of industrial and business park activities within the transit-oriented district. 3. Appropriate scale of development. The scale of development must achieve a critical mass to ensure a successful TOD. Small scale developments, even if they are mixed-use, will not transform an area into a transit-oriented district. Appropriate scale is dependent on the location of the development and, of course, its community context. Critically, the scale must be large enough to accommodate a rich mixture of land uses to complement and support the available transit and attract visitors, residents, and shoppers to the area. 4. Density. While density is related to scale, more importantly, it is a tool to ensure that the level of development intensity will be economically feasible to construct without substantial public subsidies. Market analysis dictates the level of density for specific areas based upon land costs and other factors, but successful TODs will have substantially higher densities than surrounding adjacent development. Several of the case studies benefited from having a single developer who consolidated properties for the catalytic projects. An appropriately high density to support the desired development as well as regular transit service is a key feature of successful transit- oriented development. These lessons must be carefully considered in the development of the Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan to assure that the City’s vision for the development of this area as a vibrant and successful transit- oriented development can be achieved. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDIES 2 CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL GATEWAY SPECIFIC PLAN CASE1 STUDY 1 Downtown Arlington Heights, Illinois 1. Project Description Downtown is located near the geographic center of the Village of Arlington Heights, Illinois, which has a population of approximately 80,000 and a geographic area of over 10,000 acres. Arlington Heights is approximately 25 miles northwest of Chicago and, excluding the downtown, is a largely single-family suburban community with auto-oriented retail and services. The Downtown, approximately 65 acres in size, is located along the Union Pacific Northwest Corridor, a major commuter line from Chicago. Institutional uses, including Village municipal service buildings, are located east and north of Downtown. A new commuter station was built in Downtown in 2000, following which a new Downtown Master Plan was adopted in 2006, transitioning the Downtown into a pedestrian