An artist’s rendering of the view towards Jersey Avenue as seen from the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza. Courtesy of The City of Jersey City and Maser Consulting.
NJ TOD News
296 Apartments Proposed For Bordentown City
Lisa Broadt, Burlington County Times, September 28, 2019
Developer Modern Recycled Spaces is seeking approval from Bordentown City’s Planning Board for the construction of 296 apartments on East Park Street. The proposed apartments, Cranberry Lofts, would be part of a four-phase, mixed-use redevelopment project, Cranberry Park, located at the former site of the Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. industrial packaging plant. Modern Recycled Spaces will present preliminary and final site plans to the board on October 7th.
NJ Transit Set to Begin Elizabeth Upgrades
By Andrew Corselli, Railway Age, September 30, 2019
NJ TRANSIT has recently announced the construction of new station buildings and the extension of the platform at Elizabeth Station on the Northeast Corridor. In spring 2018, the agency approved the final design and construction with Anselmi and DeCicco. WSP USA Inc. will provide construction management services. The total project costs are estimated at $71 million and are scheduled for completion in 2022. The work will improve ADA access.
Demand for New Jersey’s Transit Hubs Expected to Remain Strong
John Jordan, GlobeSt.com, September 30, 2019
According to an in-depth report on the transit hub markets, “Keeping on Track” from JLL, despite decelerating leasing volume for the Northern and Central NJ office markets, tenants continue to be drawn to buildings with good access to mass transit. The report breaks down key markets as either Urban Transit Hubs, consisting of major CBD office markets with rail stations such as those in Hoboken, Jersey City and New Brunswick, or Suburban Transit Hubs, consisting of smaller-sized buildings in a larger area, such as Metropark and Morristown. Both transit hub markets are expected to remain active in the upcoming years.
Leasing Underway for Luxury Rental Residences near Rutherford Train Station
NJ Biz, September 30, 2019
The Parker, a luxury rental residence in downtown Rutherford, began leasing 52 residential units. The project at 106 Park Avenue is expected to draw commuters as it is situated two blocks from the Rutherford Station, which is one stop from Secaucus Junction and a less than 30-minute ride to both Hoboken and New York Penn Station. Monthly rents start at $1,955 with immediate occupancy available.
Murphy Wants ‘Transit Hubs’ at Major N.J. Rail Stations. Here’s His Plan.
Matt Arco, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 1, 2019
As part of his economic agenda, Governor Phil Murphy unveiled a plan on Tuesday that could transform unused land and parking lots around NJ train stations into lively developed areas. According to Governor Murphy, the NJ Economic Development Authority (EDA) will partner with NJ TRANSIT to develop and redevelop land surrounding the agency’s major stations throughout the state. EDA CEO Tim Sullivan noted that Murphy’s economic strategy is focused around TOD and encouraging smart growth.
Overhaul of Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza to Begin in December
Chris Fry, Jersey Digs, October 1, 2019
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s promise for a suitable pedestrian plaza on Newark Avenue will soon be fulfilled through a $4 million revamp project that aims to create a friendlier and more welcoming environment in the city. The pedestrian plaza project kicked off back in 2015 with the elimination of vehicular traffic between Grove Street and Erie Street and continued last year with westward expansion to Jersey Avenue of the green paint indicating the car-free road. Construction of the project is slated for December.
Regional and National TOD News
Millions Secured to Help Prep for the Redevelopment of NAVWAR
Jennifer Van Grove, The San Diego Union-Tribune, September 27, 2019
The Board of Directors for San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) recently approved a budget amendment providing an additional $50 million to support initial site planning efforts for the redevelopment of a former Navy base. The project, “San Diego Grand Central Station,” would transform the 70-acre Naval Base Point Loma, Old Town Complex in the Midway District into an airport transit hub and vast mixed-use project. SANDAG and the Navy are currently evaluating how to redevelop the NAVWAR property and are expected to design an initial site plan this month.
Sedona Transit Implementation Plan Ready for Final Input, Will Be Presented to Council on Oct. 23
Staff, SignalsAZ.com, September 29, 2019
Transportation and traffic engineering firm LSC Transportation Consultants released a 330-page draft-final implementation plan, the Sedona in Motion Transit Plan, for an ambitious public transit program for Arizona’s Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area. The transit plan aims to bring to fruition, through implementation, various concepts generated from years of transit studies. The focus of the effort is to enhance circulation service and develop a visitor-oriented shuttle with extended reach. The Sedona City Council will review the draft-final plan for approval and the public will be able to comment on the transit implementation at the City Council meeting on October 23rd.
Downtown Cleveland Prioritizes Mobility Option in Talent Attraction Strategy
Downtown Cleveland Alliance, Columbus Business First, October 1, 2019
Downtown Cleveland is able to attract and recruit some of the youngest and most highly skilled employees in the USA by prioritizing multi-modal transportation options and a pedestrian experience that connects where employees live to where they work. According to Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) Executive Vice President for Business Development Michael Deemer, to better position downtown employers to attract and retain a skilled workforce, the Alliance’s business development center concentrates on raising awareness among employers of the variety of mobility programs and options that exist in Downtown Cleveland.
Auburn Gresham Metra Stop, Which Broke Ground Yesterday, Could Spur South Side Retail
David Zegeye, Streets Blog Chicago, October 1, 2019
On Monday, the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation broke ground on the new Auburn Park Metra Station on the Rock Island District (RID) line in Chicago. The $20 million station will comprise a pedestrian plaza and retail storefronts. As the new station will expand transit and job access, it is hoped that it will spur new transit-oriented development and businesses on the South Side.
Tritec Holds Groundbreaking for Lindenhurst TOD
David Winzelberg, Long Island Business News, October 2, 2019
On Wednesday, Developer Tritec Real Estate, elected officials and business and civic leaders attended the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a transit-oriented apartment complex in Lindenhurst. The $102.6 million TOD project, The Wel on Hoffman Avenue, is situated adjacent to the Lindenhurst Long Island Rail Road Station. Construction is expected to take approximately 22 months with the project’s completion slated for 2022.
International TOD News
Riyadh Metro Closes in on Completion
David Briginshaw, International Railway Journal, September 27, 2019
Saudi Arabia’s capital, the City of Riyadh, is nearing completion on the construction of a 176km six-line fully-automated metro and a 1900km bus network with three levels of service. The ambitious transit project will serve 85 metro stations and 3,000 bus stops. Following the opening of the bus network, slated for the fourth quarter of this year, metro lines will begin opening in mid-2020 with the whole system launched by the end of 2020.
RTA Joins Hands with Majid Al-Futtaim to Develop Land Near Metro and Bus Station
Gulf News Web Report, Gulf News UAE, October 1, 2019
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Majid Al Futtaim Group (MAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a project to develop a parcel of land near the Mall of the Emirates Metro and Bus Station. The RTA’s Rail Agency CEO, Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, noted that signing the MoU serves the RTA’s objective of advancing public-private partnerships. The project is part of RTA’s transit-oriented development concept, which aims to increase the number of residential, business, and leisure spaces located within walking distance of public transportation in Dubai while simultaneously reducing traffic congestion and promoting environmental sustainability.
Broadway Subway’s South Granville Station to Include Office and Retail (Renderings)
Kenneth Chan, Daily Hive, October 2, 2019
Last month, Vancouver’s provincial government revealed the final entrance locations of SkyTrain’s rail transit project’s six new underground stations between VCC-Clark Station and Arbutus Street to include South Granville. As part of SkyTrain’s Millennium Line Broadway Extension, the South Granville subway station entrance located at 1465-1489 West Broadway will be fully integrated into PCI Developments’ new mixed-use, TOD redevelopment. Once open, the Millennium Line’s capacity will increase to 5,100 passengers per hour per direction. Construction on the Broadway Extension is slated to start in late 2020.
Retailers Line Up at Dubai’s Gold Souq Extension
Manoj Nair, Gulf News Business, October 3, 2019
In conjunction with the revival of the Gold Souq Extension, the Investment Corporation of Dubai’s (ICD) real estate division, Ithra Dubai, is putting its resources behind a transportation hub that would serve the wider Deira area. The intention of the TOD investment aims to “make people’s lives easier by reducing the distance between all three vital centres – their place of residence, their place of work and their place of leisure.” The 25-metre TOD site will comprise a bus station, the Palm Deira Metro Station, a taxi assembly line and a parking lot. A mixed-use complex for office space, hotel, retail and more will be constructed as part of the transit-oriented development.