Tools to Getting There: Implementing TOD

There are several tools that can be used to promote TOD in communities throughout the region. The list below is by no means exclusive, but can be used as a guide to moving TOD forward as a viable development option for NY, NJ and CT.

Several of these tools are also described in Streetfilms' "Moving Beyond the Automobile: Transit-Oriented Development," which explores how they have been implemented in Jersey City, NJ:

Zoning

According to the New York City Department of City Planning, zoning “determines the size and use of buildings, where they are located and, in large measure, the densities of the city’s diverse neighborhoods.” Ever since the Supreme Court case ruling in Euclid vs. Amber Realty in 1926, zoning has been the purview of local municipalities. As such, specific zoning and development is often guided by narrow local interests and discounts regional planning needs. During the sprawl years, land use zoning separated differing uses such as residential, retail and industry, from one another which led to increased car dependency. By separating different uses far from one another, people were often forced to drive to work from their home miles away or simply to accomplish daily tasks or errands.

However, a new movement towards mixed-use zoning has proven to be an effective tool in promoting successful TOD projects. Mixed-use zoning allows for multiple land uses to be located in one particular area. An excellent example of this zoning can be seen in developments that have housing above retail stores and also incorporate civic uses and commercial uses, including light industry, into certain overlapping areas. In communities that have seen successful TOD projects implemented, a key step to their promotion was the alteration of zoning codes at the local level to emphasize mixed uses rather than separated uses.

Help with the intricacies of zoning issues can be found at Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Company’s SmartCode Central.

Charrette Planning/Community Visioning

Often the task of changing zoning codes can be daunting. However, tools to foster community participation and achieve ‘buy in’ at the local level for such changes are available. Charrette planning and community visioning processes are two such tools that have proven to be effective in promoting zoning changes and subsequently implementing successful TOD projects throughout the region.

Charrette planning, according to the National Charrette Institute, “is a design-based, accelerated, collaborative project management system for all aspects of community planning including sustainable community plans, regional/comprehensive plans, transportation/infrastructure plans, and development plans.” Charrettes take place after background information is gathered and presented to communities. Communities then take this information and engage in an intensive design process to produce community driven solutions to problems faced. This process engages community members and works to overcome antipathy towards major changes in the community fabric and ‘the way things have always been’. The Charrette Center is also a useful resource to learn more about Charrette planning.

Community visioning processes are similar to charrette planning efforts in that they incorporate community input from the beginning planning stages. According to Building our Future: A Guide to Community Visioning, community visioning “is a process by which a community envisions the future it wants, and plans how to achieve it. Through public involvement, communities identify their purpose, core values and vision of the future, which are then transformed into a manageable and feasible set of community goals and an action plan.”

Both tools have proven effective in engaging communities from the beginning of the planning and development process and in moving TOD projects forward. Several organizations can help facilitate both of these processes. For more information, please visit Project for Public Spaces, Regional Plan Association, Vision Long Island and Sustainable Long Island.

Legislation

In many states, legislation has helped catalyze transit-oriented development. For example, New Jersey's Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act has helped keep and attract jobs to transit-accessible locations in Newark and Trenton. The law created tax credits for businesses that build or lease offices and create jobs near urban train stations. In order to be eligible, businesses must employ at least 250 people and invest in a facility within a half-mile of rail stations. These credits are available only to businesses that invest in cities eligible for urban aid.

In California, landmark legislation passed last year directs the state's metropolitan planning organizations to create sustainable development strategies in order to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets set for cars and light trucks. One of the law's key elements is that transportation investments must be consistent with each region's certified sustainable communities strategy, or they will not qualify for funding.

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