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“An international model” for transit-oriented development

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This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we’re joined by Bill Sirois, Senior Manager, Transit Oriented Communities with RTD in Denver. Bill chats about the success of the transit agency’s TOD program, the project to rehabilitate the historic Union Station (and the area surrounding it), and what comes next when the current period of transit expansion comes to a close.

Graduated density: A way to assuage homeowner concerns? 

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Homeowners in single family neighborhoods along key transportation corridors often fear the specter of new development—especially denser development. But to change the discussion on the construction of housing near transit, famed UCLA professor Donald Shoup has offered a potential solution: graduated density.

Los Angeles rezoning for denser housing 

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New zoning proposed for three transit neighborhoods along Los Angeles’ Orange Line bus rapid transit route would allow “missing middle” housing and taller apartment buildings and guide development through 2040.

Housing for buses or people?

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The Boston region would benefit from increased bus service, but to add more buses the city would need more space to store the vehicles and open space is hard to come by. In a recent blog post, local advocate Ari Ofsevit discusses the tradeoffs between using valuable urban land as bus yards to store buses versus transit-oriented development to house people.

“Rapid Transit Zones” put control of TOD under one jurisdiction

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To streamline interjurisdictional planning along rapid transit corridors, Miami-Dade County adopted a “Rapid Transit Zone” (RTZ) ordinance in which gives permitting and zoning jurisdiction for county-owned properties near designated transit to the county instead of each independent city.

Rare opportunity for joint development in central Phoenix

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In Phoenix, AZ a rare opportunity has presented itself. The city’s Central Station, currently the transfer point over 500 daily bus and light rail trips, will soon be available for redevelopment. Sitting on 2.6 acres, the city hopes that the property will be redeveloped into a mixed-use, walkable project.

Ranking cities on access to jobs by transit

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The Accessibility Observatory at the University of Minnesota has put together a report on transit accessibility in 49 of the most populated US metro areas since 2015. The 2017 report released late last month uses the same methodology to look at how many jobs are accessible by transit in a specific time period.

Opportunity Zones and transit-oriented development

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The Opportunity Zones program is intended to encourage long-term, committed investment in distressed neighborhoods with concentrated poverty and a lack of opportunities. And the Opportunity Zones Navigator can help you explore the census tracts that have been designated as new Opportunity Zones.