NJ TOD News
Super Modern Lotus 315 Development Nearing Completion
Jared Kofsky, Jersey Digs, November 26, 2018
The Lotus 315 mixed-use complex in East Orange is almost complete, and when open will bring commercial space to a highly residential area of the city. The development includes a restaurant, bank, supermarket, and retail space, as well as 180 apartment units. Lotus 315 lies two blocks away from the Central Avenue business district, and is one of a number of developments scheduled to go up in the area around the East Orange train station.
Ewing Town Centre breaks ground on site of former GM plant
The Trentonian, November 27, 2018
Construction has begun on the new Ewing Town Centre (ETC) development in Ewing, NJ, on a site previously home to General Motors’ Inland Fisher Guide Plant. The mixed-use development will house residential, retail, office, and amenities space. It lies on Parkwood Avenue just down the street from the West Trenton SEPTA station and the Trenton-Mercer airport, as well as I-295.
First look: Madison Hotel proposes 119 apartments for Convent Station
Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green, November 28, 2018
Owners of the Madison Hotel in Morris Township have proposed the building’s parking lot as a site for 119 luxury apartment units. The hotel owners are selling the proposal as supportive of New Jersey “smart growth” policies, since the lot is adjacent to NJ Transit’s Convent Station rail stop on the Morristown line. The owners are also asking the township for a use variance to develop residentially in an office zone and limit the number of parking spaces the new project must provide.
Regional, National, and International TOD News
VTA plans to develop two of its Milpitas properties into housing, maybe even a hotel
Joseph Geha, Bay Area New Group, November 22, 2018
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is working to develop a parcel next to the Milpitas transit center (and future BART station) and a light rail station it owns into residential developments. The agency is also looking into development on the other 23 sites in its portfolio to spur TOD, raise revenues, and increase ridership of the system. Potential residential and lodging developments will support the businesses of multiple tech firms that lie in the vicinity of VTA stations.
Ontario’s Government for the People is Delivering on Public Transit
Ministry of Transportation News Release, Government of Ontario, November 26, 2018
Ontario’s government has announced a public-private partnership structure with future developers of GO Transit stations. Private developers who pay the construction costs for a station’s transit facilities will be given the rights to develop the land above the station. The goal of the initiative is to facilitate successful TOD work throughout the province. Additionally, the responsibility for constructing and maintaining the Toronto Transit Commission infrastructure will be transferred from the city of Toronto to the province of Ontario to promote efficiency and expedite improvements to the system.
Stoughton mansion eyed as ‘transit-oriented development’ for Boston-bound professionals
Ben Berke, The Enterprise, November 27, 2018
A 22-year old mansion down the street from the Boston Metro’s Stoughton commuter rail station is being converted from apartments to condos. The owners are looking to appeal to young professionals who cannot afford to live in Boston proper. Some of the units offer an old-time architecture feel, including fireplaces, slanted ceilings, and in one case, a four sided turret with 15-foot high ceilings.
How the Union Square Revitalization could help Somerville meet its housing goals
Charles Lane, The Somerville Times, November 28, 2018
The City of Somerville, MA is pursuing inclusive housing and equal access to transit in the redevelopment of Union Square. The current plan calls for 1,000 new residential units, 200 of which are affordable, as well as $10.9 million in housing linkage fees to support the cost of building affordable at other locations. The redevelopment site is located in proximity to the future Green Line station, which will provide a direct transit route into Boston. Proposals for science/tech lab space, retail space, and a public plaza next to the station will soon be submitted to the Planning Board.