Article of the Week
Penn Station Remodel to Move Forward Without High-Rise Development
Staff, Trains, June 27 2023
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA officials have announced a Notice to Proceed to preliminary design for the reconstruction of Penn Station New York. Work on the project will advance without earlier plans for high-rise development adjacent to the station. Flagging demand for office space as a result of the pandemic reduced the viability of funding the renovation with proceeds from such development. Hochul stated that New York has committed $1.3 billion to the project. Amtrak and the State of New Jersey have also pledged support.
NJ TOD News
PERTH AMBOY—In Perth Amboy, Push for More Development Comes with Portfolio Incentivizing 5 Areas
ROI-NJ Staff, ROI-NJ, June 26 2023
The City of Perth Amboy has designated five areas in need of redevelopment, including two areas proximate to the NJ TRANSIT rail station, located on the North Jersey Coast Line. In April 2022, Gov. Phil Murphy and others celebrated the groundbreaking of a $45 million station renovation, expected to be completed in early 2024. The designation will allow the city to more easily approve redevelopment plans, create tax incentives and special financing, and condemn blighted properties in its effort to promote development near the station.
NJ Transit Gets $47M Federal Grant to Help Electric Buses Roll in Newark
Larry Higgs, NJ.com, June 26 2023
NJ TRANSIT will receive a $47 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The grant is part of a $1.7 billion in funding awarded to 46 states. The grant will provide the funding for bus charging infrastructure at five bus garages, including the Hilton Bus Garage in Maplewood, which serves 13 bus routes. In a second phase, NJ TRANSIT will test eight electric buses, a follow-up to its recent test of electric buses in Camden. Following the test program, the agency will decide on the deployment of 100 electric buses, aligning with Governor Murphy’s plan of purchasing only electric or zero-emission buses by 2032 and a completely electric bus fleet by 2040.
MORRISTOWN—SJP Properties and Scotto Properties Celebrate Groundbreaking for Second Phase of M Station in Morristown, N.J.
Staff, REW, June 24 2023
SJP Properties and Scotto Properties have completed the first phase of the M Station East, a 120,000 sq. ft. development. The partners broke ground to develop second phase, with a mixed-use development comprising office and retail space. Sanofi, a French-based healthcare company, will occupy the complete 260,000 sq. ft. of office space in M Station West. Additionally, both M Station buildings will be essential to increasing ridership at the Morristown Rail Station.
Transit and Equity News
CALIFORNIA—We’re Building More Housing Near Transit; Metro’s 10,000-Home Commitment
LA Metro, TheSource, June 28 2023
With an April 2023 update to its Joint Development Program, LA Metro advances its commitment to build 10,000 homes near transit by 2031. The updated program, supported by the agency’s June 2021 Joint Development Policy and a September 2021 mandate to build housing, has identified 20 sites throughout Los Angeles County as candidates for housing development. The program will host a Developers Industry Forum in July to share information about the updated process and to preview the upcoming Request for Qualifications (RFQ), scheduled to be released later this summer.
NORTH CAROLINA—Riding Triangle Buses Will Be Free for Another Year. Will It Last Beyond 2024?
Richard Stradling, AOL/The News&Observer, June 27 2023
Passengers will enjoy free fares on local buses in the Triangle (Durham and Wake counties) until at least July 1, 2024. Currently, transit providers rely upon federal COVID-19 funds, which when depleted will require the reintroduction of fares. GoRaleigh, GoDurham, GoTriangle, and GoCary suspended fare collection to reduce the spread of the virus through social distancing. Some argue that a reintroduction of fares will harm low-income riders, while others claim the elimination of fares has transformed buses into shelters.
America’s Auto Centric Infrastructure Is Hurting Our Health
Wyatt Gordon, ggwash.com, June 26 2023
Seeking funds to support his proposed documentary, Richmond filmmaker and urbanist Andy Boenau discusses plans for “White Collar Epidemic: Infrastructure Is Crumbling Our Minds & Bodies,” which will focus on the failings of traffic engineers and planners. Boenau contends that these professions have not delivered the “healthy infrastructure that we need” in the form of walk-, bike-, and transit-friendly infrastructure and are at odds with the recommendations of healthcare providers and the needs of communities.
Regional and National TOD News
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Funding for 162 Community-Led Infrastructure Projects as Part of the Investing in America Agenda
Press Release, U.S. Department of Transportation, June 28 2023
The Biden Administration will fund 162 community-led infrastructure projects, totaling $2.2 billion from the RAISE grant program. Funded projects are located in both urban and rural areas and are designed to create and expand clean energy infrastructure. Importantly, 70 percent of the projects are in areas with persistent poverty or a historically disadvantaged community. Grantees include the City of New Orleans, which seeks to create a downtown transit center. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enables the RAISE Program.
UTAH—100 Years of Urban Sprawl — Is this Your City’s Future or Can Planners Turn the Tide?
Colin Leonard and Lois M. Collins, Deseret News, June 27 2023
Part history lesson, part call to action, Leonard and Collins examine the introduction and growth of transit-oriented development in the Salt Lake City region since the 1990s as well as new challenges such as pandemic-induced transit ridership declines and housing affordability.
FLORIDA—$600M Transit-Oriented Development Announced in Hialeah
Staff, The Next Miami, June 26 2023
MG Developer and Baron Property Group of New York have announced the 2.3 million sq. ft. Metro Center in Hialeah. The multi-building transit-oriented development will comprise Metro Parc (559 units), Metro Parc North (620 units), and Metro Parc South (347 units). The 2.3 million sq. ft. project will offer a total of nearly 1,000 apartments and include 35,000 sq. ft. of ground floor commercial space.
International TOD News
MALAYSIA—UEM Sunrise on Track to Launch Its First Transit-Oriented Development Called the Connaught One
Press Release, MalaysiaKini, June 28 2023
UEM Sunrise unveiled Connaught One, Kuala Lumpur’s first transit-oriented development. The Connaught One project will be proximate to the Tamam Connaught MRT Station, which is located six stops from the TUN Razak Exchange, a new 70-acre development designed to serve as Kuala Lumpur’s central business district. Connaught One will comprise two towers on 3.4 acres and offer 1,334 units.
AUSTRALIA—Top Five Stations for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Perth Revealed
Lucas Meyer, The Property Tribune, June 22 2023
The Property Council of Australia (PCA), a lobby group representing property developers and owners, released its study on the best transit-oriented development (TOD) locations in Perth. The study assessed locations based on several criteria, including housing quality, access to public transportation, and urban amenities such as parks and open space. Among the top five locations are Leederville, Cottesloe, Maylands, Bayswater, and Burswood.