To restart the economy while saving the planet, the Congress for the New Urbanism advocates traditional neighborhoods for all
That's how Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, summed up the call-to-service at CNU 17, the 2009 Congress for the New Urbanism, June 10-14 in Denver. The planning organization has stepped up its no-sprawl message, lobbying in D.C. for new federal law that promotes sustainable development patterns through urban reinvestment. The Obama administration reportedly is listening: "The biggest urbanist in the White House is Barack Obama," observed John Norquist, CEO of CNU and a former mayor of Milwaukee.
New Urbanists are a frankly evangelical bunch; for nearly two decades they've preached that compact urban form can help correct everything from poverty to obesity. Increasingly, their anti-sprawl message appeals to both policy-makers and next-gen lifestylers (the one-third of Americans who now say they'd like to live near a coffee shop and a streetcar stop in a cool city neighborhood). At CNU 17, two overarching themes of national import emerged. One was the economy, stupid: how smart city-shaping, supported by the right federal transportation policy and funding, offers a powerful tool for communities across the U.S. to create value, wealth, and jobs now. The second was climate action: how U.S. policy that promotes compact (re)development is essential to the fight against global warming.
"The problem has been the availability of capital for new development. All developers are suffering from that lack finance," said Plano's Deputy City Manager, Frank Turner.
DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
Not five years ago, the eastern slice of downtown Dallas, once bustling, was more urban blight than business district.
The towering Mercantile Building stood empty, as did the Dallas Grand Hotel, only their doorways full – with garbage and the smell of stale urine. Cut-rate parking lots proliferated, streetlights didn't work and a walk at night down its section of Commerce Street often proved dicey, if not outright dangerous.
Today, the Mercantile Building and a new, adjacent high-rise are filled with hundreds of apartment dwellers.
The Main Street Garden park, built on a city block bounded by Commerce, Main, Harwood and St. Paul streets, is nearing completion.
And earlier this month, the Texas Legislature approved creation of a University of North Texas law school, to operate by early next decade across Harwood Street in two soon-to-be-renovated Dallas municipal courts buildings.
Those projects account for $3.8 billion in construction activity and total 4.6 million square feet of commercial and residential space, according to Chris Wallace, president of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce.Placed on hold for the past several months, the highly touted mixed use project is being managed by private equity firm Cherokee Investment Partners of Raleigh, N.C.. Cherokee partnered with the Texas General Land Office to purchase several hundred acres in and around Imperial Sugar Co.’s historic char house and sugar plant at U.S. 90A and State Highway 6.
Johnson has replaced Southern Land Co. as project developer, according to sources in the real estate community and City of Sugar Land. Neither officials with Cherokee nor Johnson could be reached Tuesday morning. However, City of Sugar Land sources said Cherokee was about to announce the new project manager.
Citing the weak economy, a Tennessee-based developer has chosen to put off a large-scale apartment and retail project in downtown Plano.
The decision by Southern Land Co. comes as city officials are increasing their public commitment to the project. They have agreed to pay the firm as much as $1.7 million in incentives to build – up from $1.1 million initially.
The project was supposed to break ground last fall and finish later this year. Now, the project will probably not start construction until sometime in 2010.
A spokesman said the company's plans to build in Plano have not changed. City officials also expressed confidence in the effort.
The delay represents the latest setback for a project expected to anchor the continued revitalization of Plano's quaint downtown.
Located just south of 15th Street near Haggard Park, the complex will be several stories high and include shops, more than 200 apartments and a parking garage for city police. The endeavor is expected to add some $25 million to Plano's tax rolls.
All told, the city has pumped more than $20 million in taxpayer funds into downtown to help jump-start the area. Downtown got a big lift in late 2002 with the arrival of DART's Red Line train.
Yet progress has come in fits and starts ever since.
New bars, restaurants and apartments have brought some new energy to 15th Street, Plano's main drag. At the same time, a few businesses have struggled or closed, while some residential projects in the area have had sluggish sales.
The down economy has made matters worse. The original firm in charge, Seattle-based Pinnacle Development, turned the project over to Southern Land late last year amid the downturn.
The city's share of the money will come from a pool of East Plano tax dollars meant specifically for downtown projects.
City officials said they expect to recoup some of the investment through a program administered by the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Jim Cheney, a spokesman for Southern Land, said he believes the project will begin soon.
"Our commitment level hasn't changed," he said. "We're not going anywhere."
Frank Turner, assistant city manager in charge of development for Plano, said delays are to be expected given the economy.
"With the financial markets changing – all of it has required some rethinking of the project," he said.
WASHINGTON – The city of Dallas is pursuing about $80 million in federal transportation money to move forward on the first phase of a planned streetcar system.
The streetcars would complement buses and light rail to give the car-dependent city a multi-modal transportation system, said John Brunk, assistant director for public works and transportation for the city of Dallas. City officials hope that the project, which has been discussed for about two years, would spur economic development downtown by encouraging people to spend more time there.
The route won't be decided until planners know how much money is available, said City Council member Angela Hunt. She said she envisions two north-south corridors and one east-west route to connect points such as the Arts District, Victory Park, the Dallas Farmers Market, the West End, Uptown, the future Main Street Garden and the Dallas Convention Center.
"We want to make a strong showing for this first phase," Hunt said.
The city asked Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, to include the streetcar project in the surface transportation bill that the House transportation committee will consider later this month. But if the funding isn't granted, Brunk said, the project will proceed.
After all, building a comprehensive transit system is always an incremental process.
"It's a long-term goal – it's not something that happens even in 10 years," Brunk said.
The streetcars cost about $20 million per mile of track, Brunk said. Dallas hopes to obtain between $60 million and $100 million for the initial phase.
The economic crisis has made it harder for cities to finance projects, forcing planners to look for new funding sources. Hunt said Dallas is also seeking public improvement district and federal economic stimulus funds in addition to money committed by regional transportation planners.
"We are looking under every stone to figure out ways to fund this because, at the end of the day, it will help be an economic generator for downtown," Hunt said.
Gary Thomas, president of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, said transportation projects cannot be limited to traditional government financing and fare boxes for funding, but need to take a "holistic perspective," looking at things like public-private partnerships and advertising revenues.
DART is helping plan the project and will eventually operate and maintain the streetcars.
Robert Puentes, a transportation expert at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, said streetcars are one transit project with the potential to strengthen downtown Dallas – particularly its real estate values. But as with any project, city planners must weigh the city's needs against streetcars' capabilities.
"You can waste a lot of money on a stupid transit project if you don't think it through, but if it's done correctly, it can be transformative," Puentes said. "It's mostly about driving development and revitalizing commercial corridors and providing options for travel."
Cities are being more selective in pursuing projects because it's harder to get funding, said Karen Walz, project manager for Vision North Texas, a public-private partnership. She said streetcars will offer residents a useful alternative to driving, but public transportation in Dallas still has a ways to go.
"We're headed in the right direction, but we need a lot more mobility options," Walz said.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 -
Bolstered by the receipt of $78.4 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Green Line rail project of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is headed for an on-time and on-budget arrival at four new stations on September 14.
The first three-mile section of the $1.8 billion Green Line will extend from Pearl Station on the east side of Downtown Dallas to Deep Ellum Station, Baylor University Medical Center Station, Fair Park Station (at the intersection of Parry and Exposition) and the MLK Station, adjacent to the J. B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center on the east site of Fair Park. It restores rail service to a neighborhood that 50 years ago was home to up to four rail lines. Daily service to Victory Station at the American Airlines Center will also begin September 14.
The remaining 25 miles of the Green Line, scheduled to open in December 2010, will extend southeast to Pleasant Grove to Downtown Dallas and northwest from Victory Station to the Dallas Market Center, the Southwestern Medical District, Love Field Airport and downtown Farmers Branch and Carrollton. Construction of the Green Line, the longest light rail project under construction in North America, has produced more than 2,200 construction jobs.
Major funding for the Green Line comes from a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration. The FFGA was first awarded in July 2006 at the start of Green Line construction. The funds awarded under the ARRA are part of DART’s FFGA.
The 2008 median sales price for a home in the Texas capital was $240,000, an 85 percent jump from the 1998 median price, according to a market study commissioned by the city. The rental side also has its challenges, with only one in six renters earning less than $20,000 able to find affordable housing in Austin, the 16th-largest city in the nation and the country’s second-fastest growing metro between 2007 and 2008.
Wynn cites several moves to help address the housing needs. In 2006, voters approved a $55 million general obligation bond for affordable housing—$33 million for rental and $22 million for homeownership for seven years. About $10 million in bond funds were allocated to 11 projects in fiscal 2007-2008.
Austin also established its SMART (Safe, Mixed-Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced, and Transit-Oriented) Housing initiative in 2000.
By Amy Wolff Sorter of GlobeSt.com Thursday, June 04, 2009
With close to 60 acres firmly in hand just west of the CBD, West Dallas Investments LLC is moving forward to get the plot developed. The local partnership is seeking a partner, or partners, to help develop Trinity River West, a mixed-use project that could total 45 million square feet at an estimated cost of $120 million.
Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. vice president Scott Cullen tells GlobeSt.com that entities with both money and development expertise are being sought for the project along the banks of the Trinity River. Cullen is working with Jones Lang LaSalle managing director John Vick and senior associate Justin Bates to find partners that know how to put up full mixed-use district developments.
Though uses for the acreage are far from set in stone, the developer's thought is that the land could hold residential, retail and office product. But Cullen cautions that there is a long path to travel between here and there. "You wouldn't know, by looking at this site, that it is one 57-acre parcel," he explains. "This consists of a number of different parcels assembled over time. It's a mix of light industrial and some residential." He goes on to say that buildings on the site are still occupied.
Once the partner, or partners, are found, the next step will involve long-term planning and ensuring that the right zoning and entitlement plans are in place. And that's even before horizontal development begins.
Still, West Dallas Investments, which includes Dallas restaurateur Phil Romano and local businessman Larry B. McGregor, have spent years assembling the land. Cullen says it's a good sign that the partnership is moving forward on the project.
"The idea is to find someone, a national or internationally player, that has development expertise on this type of development," he adds. "We're talking about a totally new district in Dallas, that could be an extension of the CBD across the Trinity River. WDI has been the acquirer of the land. Now it's time to find others with a level of expertise to take this to the next step."
Economy scuttles plans for billion-dollar complex near Galleria in Dallas
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
A prominent LBJ Freeway property that was planned for high-rise development is now posted for foreclosure.06/13/2009
Associated Press
Some North Texas lawmakers are lining up huge transportation money requests as a congressional committee readies a highway bill.
The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, the highest-ranking Texan on the House Transportation Committee, is asking for nearly $2.5 billion for 25 projects.
Eighty percent of the Dallas Democrat's request would be for a dozen transit and rail projects. The remainder is for road and highway improvements.
Of some $660 million sought by Waco Democrat Chet Edwards, nearly two-thirds is for transportation or rail projects.
Arlington Republican Joe Barton is an exception. Of his nearly $116 million in project requests, only $3 million is for a public transportation purpose — the addition of a stop on the Trinity Railway Express between Dallas and Fort Worth.
A Barton aide told the newspaper while he supports public transportation, Barton believes it's less useful for people in places like Ennis and Waxahachie. Barton's request includes a $53.6 million expansion of the U.S. Highway 287 Ennis bypass and $42 million for improvements to Interstate 35E.
Johnson's largest request — $593 million — is for engineering and construction of the Cotton Belt Corridor commuter line, an east-west rail project involving Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. Another Dallas Area Rapid Transit Project costing $483 million would extend rail to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
Johnson said those projects and others won't be decided on until committee members see how much money is available. Some $8 billion in federal stimulus money is allocated for high-speed rail projects nationally.
"That is, for Texas, one of the best investments we can make," she said. "Our distances are such that Amtrak is just not fast enough."
One of Edwards' requests is money for a portion of a high-speed rail line, known as the Texas T-Bone, to connect Waco with DFW Airport.
The transportation bill, which could reach $450 billion, undergoes committee scrutiny later this month and would include money for projects over a six-year period
The Houston Chronicle, June 3, 2009
City officials in Houston are set to consider plans to incentivize broad pedestrian walkways near existing and planned light rail stations within the city.
"The city’s urban transit corridors ordinance, which it began developing in June 2006, is expected to be considered by the City Council in July. It would offer incentives for developers in six light rail corridors to include a 15-foot “pedestrian realm” with broad, unobstructed sidewalks and other features intended to create appealing, walkable environments.
The new development created under this ordinance will become part of the daily lives of more than 160,000 people the Metropolitan Transit Authority expects to be riding its trains by 2030. Within the next five years, the agency plans to add five new rail lines to the Main Street line it opened on Jan. 1, 2004.
The impact of the ordinance will depend on developers’ willingness to comply with its mostly voluntary standards. Those who agree to create the pedestrian zone will automatically be exempt from rules requiring buildings to be set back a specified distance from the street, giving them more space to build revenue-generating offices, homes or shops."
In a report, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission cited a “crisis” of neglect for infrastructure, and also called for an eventual switch to a tax based on miles driven, rather than gasoline consumed.
Raising the federal gas tax, now 18.4 cents a gallon, is so politically tricky that the idea has gone nowhere in 16 years. The tax is the main source of federal dollars for fixing roads and bridges. The commission said that a 10-cent increase would cost the average household $9 a month extra.
The report also called for raising the federal diesel tax, now 24.4 cents a gallon, by 15 cents
RLINGTON — The University of Texas at Arlington proposes building a $67 million mixed-use development near downtown that would create more student housing as well as bring new shops, restaurants and office space to the area.
At its meeting in Austin today, the UT board of regents is expected to approve the university’s plans to build the four-story structure. The proposal includes an 1,800-space parking garage to support the planned $73 million Special Events Center and more than 250 residence rooms for students, according to board documents.
The ground level of the building, which would be south of UTA Boulevard on Second Street between Pecan and Center streets, would be available to lease for commercial use. ...
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