North Texas transit leaders say the future of the region's growth involves significant investments in transit-oriented developments, or TODs.
A TOD is an approach to planning that involves building high-density, mixed-use development around transit stations or corridors to create active, walkable communities.
On Thursday, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Urban Land Institute hosted the inaugural Transit Oriented Development Summit where industry leaders from both public and private sectors discussed how TODs are changing the region鈥檚 landscape.
鈥淲e've seen that ... light rail stations and transit centers and so forth have been a catalyst for economic development just naturally by them occurring and their presence,鈥� said Caitlin Holland, vice president of real estate and economic development for DART.
Holland told 四虎影院 that after years of building out DART鈥檚 light real system, the agency is moving forward with plans to convert underutilized parking space into developments. DART currently has five active TOD projects in the works, including at Buckner, Royal Lane and Hampton stations.
鈥淎s we think about transit-oriented development, it鈥檚 really the economic development that I think every single city wants," DART CEO Nadine Lee said during a summit panel. "They want to leverage that land and make it productive financially and also in terms of activity."
Lee said the agency is working on pulling together land that's attractive to developers. But she added recent legislation that would cut DART鈥檚 funding would also impact the agency鈥檚 plans for more TODs.
鈥淎ll of our hopes and dreams to try to create these fantastic spaces around our stations, we won't be able to respond to that,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淲e won't have the resources to respond to our development community and to work with you in order to make things happen and that would be a travesty.鈥�
Trinity Metro CEO Rich Andreski cited the Grapevine station along the TexRail as a 鈥渟uburban success story鈥� for a TOD. He also spoke about how his agency is working with Texas A&M university to create an 鈥渋nnovation district鈥� within walking distance of . It would include digital art spaces, production studios and performance halls near what鈥檚 currently mostly parking space.
鈥淐entral station for us is an opportunity,鈥� Andreski said. 鈥淲e think world class architecture, public space, performing arts is something that really should happen there and so we have a humble little train station, but we鈥檙e thinking big.鈥�
Another panel addressed the impact of TODs on housing, job creation and tax revenue opportunities.
Michael Carroll, an economist at the University of North Texas, said TODs are an economic development strategy for cities that must be designed to prioritize people and make room for affordable housing.
鈥淲e want it to be human centric,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淲hen somebody gets out of the station and takes that first step, they want to be surprised.
鈥淩idership will be an outcome of that if it's done right. If the development is not done right and the plans are not, you know, done correctly, people are not going to want to stay around that station,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淚t has to be useful.鈥�
Pablo Arauz Pe帽a is 四虎影院鈥檚 growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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