ADVANCING REGIONAL
TOD: CORRIDORS &
CLASSIFICATIONS
Integrated
transit corridor
planning in the
Twin Cities
Partnership for Regional Opportunity TOD Work Group
June 4, 2014
Mariia Zimmerman, MZ Strategies, LLC
mariia@mzstrategies.com
SHARE NEW TOOLS WITH YOU TODAY
 TOD and Transitway Corridor Planning Best Practices
 Developed May 2014 by MZ Strategies, LLC based upon Corridor
of Opportunities, Hiawatha and Northstar planning efforts,
interviews, and research
 TOD Classification Tool
 Developed December 2013 by Reconnecting America (now part of
NRDC’s Urban Solutions Team) through McKnight Foundation
grant, in coordination with Met Council TOD Office and local
advisory group
“SHAPING THE NEXT 15 YEARS OF TOD
CORRIDOR PLANNING”
 Advancing TOD through Transitway Corridor Planning
 A resource document for Met Council TOD Office and PRO-TOD partners to
engage project engineers, planners, elected officials and community
engagement groups
 TOD and Transitway Corridor Planning Elements:
 Who leads/partners on different elements
 What are the phases of project development
 What are shared TOD and transitway goals for public engagement, market
analysis, infrastructure needs, and development
 How to coordinate on activities, outreach and decision -making
PLANNING FOR TOD OCCURS AT MANY
SCALES
 Region
 Design & Construct on-time, on-budget
high quality transit project that meets
regional transit system needs; and
 Collaborate to achieve transit supportive
development
 Corridor
 Distinguish types and function
 Desire for catalytic investments
 Station Area
 Support placemaking, “last mile
connections,” & neighborhood and/or
community benefits
 Land Parcel
 Maximize development and
redevelopment site potential
Source: Flessig & Carlton, 2014
TRANSITWAY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
WHO HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE
 Lead/partner agencies and
jurisdictions defined by
 who brings $ to table
 who influences land use
decisions
 who makes transportation
engineering decisions
Collaboration is key!
REGIONAL BEST PRACTICES
1.
2.
3.
4.
The importance of
corridor level
partnerships
Corridor context impacts
TOD potential
Creative methods
needed to tackle
challenges implicit in
TOD
Community Engagement
must be coordinated and
continuous
TOD CLASSIFICATION TOOL
• Goals:
–
–
–
–
Prioritize and inform public and private investment in TOD
Coordinate actors making regional and station area investments
Inform local community strategies
Input to more detailed market assessment work
• Objectives:
– Differentiate TOD areas based on quantitative factors
– Provide a measure of TOD readiness
– Create a shared understanding of prioritization needs
ADVISORY GROUP MEMBERS (2013 – 2014)
Roles
 Provide input on approach, development of Prioritization Tool, TOD
investments
 Consider how to apply the Prioritization Tool within respective
organizations
 Brief leadership and partners on the Prioritization Tool
Members
 GreaterMSP, ULI, the Met Council, Hennepin County, Minnesota Housing,
DEED, local jurisdictions and the McKnight Foundation
 Developed by Reconnecting America through a grant from the McKnight
Foundation
METHODOLOGY
 Identify station areas
 Score station areas on nine different metrics
 Transit-Orientation
 Market Potential
 Overlays for Economic Development and Equity
– Location of significant job centers
– Fair Housing and Equity Assessment (FHEA) analysis identified
areas of racially concentrated areas poverty and opportunity
 Add metrics to calculate composite scores
TOD CLASSIFICATION T YPES
Different opportunities and support needed in different
station areas; all have TOD potential
Catalyze
Transition
Plan and Partner
Raise
the Bar
Connect
Local Connections and Planning Support Critical
TOD Classifications: Twin Cities Transitway Station Types
Existing LRT TOD Classification Types
TRANSITION: SOUTHWEST STATION
Transit-Orientation
•
•
Market Potential
•
Implementation Priorities
– Implement preliminary station area
planning
– Planning and visioning where necessary
Overlays
– Economic: Engage in detailed planning,
form public/private partnerships
– Equity: Engagement with traditionally
under-represented communities
Examples of Programs
– Station Area Planning
– Met Council and Local Jurisdiction
Comprehensive Planning
CATALYZE: WESTERN AVE STATION
Transit-Orientation
•
•
Market Potential
•
Implementation Priorities
– Catalytic development projects
– Placemaking investments a priority
Overlays
– Economic: Major employers can be private
catalytic force, transit-oriented facilities
– Equity: Mixed-income housing, affordable
housing can act as catalyst
Examples of Programs
– Metropolitan Council’s TOD Office
Activities
– Met Council’s LCA TOD Grant Program
– Minnesota Housing loans and grants
– DEED’s Redevelopment grants
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
•
Provide a unified way of talking about the system and how station areas differ.
•
Align multiple stakeholder interests in stations or sites near stations.
•
Add transit orientation into conversations about site selection, market potential into
conversations about transit and transportation investments.
•
Help guide county and city Capital Improvement Plans (CIP)
•
Use in applications or consider as criteria or bonus points for grant programs
PANEL
Julie Farnham
Lucy Thompson
Senior Planner
City of Bloomington
Principal City Planner
City of Saint Paul
Charles Carlson
Katie Walker
Senior Manager, BRT/Small Starts Projects
Metro Transit
Southwest Community Works Manager
Hennepin County
PANEL QUESTIONS
• Potential uses and value of the TOD Classification
Tool?
• What are possible audiences and opportunities for
using the Corridor Planning Report?
• How can our region best address local planning and
last mile needs?
• What other kinds of tools do we need in this region
that Metro Transit TOD Office could provide?