On the Right Track Meeting Greater Boston’s Transit and Land Use Challenges May 17, 2006

Transportation Priorities Task Force  Goal was to bring new voices into the conversation about transit policy and investment  Catalyst was March 2005 release of a draft state transportation plan  Report and recommendations are authored by ULI Boston, not the Task Force

Re-framing the Issue: Transit = Economic Development “This report views the MBTA transit system as a regional asset and critical piece of economic development infrastructure that anchors regional efforts to increase housing production, create jobs, grow smart and embrace diversity and inclusion.”

Why Transit? The New Housing- Transportation Cost Trade-Off  To moderate high housing costs, the pattern has been to “move to affordability”  Factoring in both housing and transportation costs, however, living farther out may not lower total costs  The calculus governing this housing-transportation cost trade-off may be changing and the reason is gas prices

Why Transit? The Future Demographics of Metro Boston Source: MetroFuture

A Rapid Transit System A Network of Great Places

A Commuter Rail System A Network of Great Places

Transit-Oriented Development in Metropolitan Boston  In the City of Boston development “pipeline” Over 9,000 housing units More than 23 million square feet of mixed-use development  In greater Boston excluding the City of Boston (including recently-built projects) Over 15,000 housing units More than 12 million square feet of mixed-use development Transit Oriented Development is compact, walkable development centered around transit stations that includes a mix of uses (such as housing, shopping employment and recreational facilities) within a design that puts a high priority on serving transit and pedestrians.

All stake- holders work together on land use and transit challenges Transit Supportive Growth Station area housing Role of cities and towns Developers and TOD A Financially Stable MBTA Debt Relief Transit-oriented development Ridership growth and service quality Strategic Investment & Expansion Coordinated transit planning Land use evaluation criteria Financing strategies Summary of Recommendations

Transit Supportive Growth  A majority of housing units built in greater Boston during the next decade should be concentrated near existing and planned transit stations  Cities and towns should plan and permit transit-oriented development to generate more riders and revenues for the T  Developers should collaborate with the T and communities to produce both more and better transit-oriented development

A Financially Stable MBTA  The MBTA, as currently structured and funded, cannot support the region’s current or future transit and development needs.  The Commonwealth should therefore relieve the MBTA of the responsibility for paying off bonds that were issued to fund transit projects undertaken before “forward funding” took effect in 2000.

The burden of prior debt...

Remains an issue for many years Source: MBTA

A Financially Stable MBTA  The MBTA must create more potential passengers by supporting transit-oriented development in areas around its stations and joint development of its real estate holdings  The MBTA must focus on both ridership growth and service quality to transform these potential customers into transit riders “Transit agencies are not just about running trains and buses— they are also in the business of creating markets that will fill those trains and buses, largely through cutting deals with private developers to build trip-generation near train stops.” Source: Cervero et al (2002)

What Do They Have in Common?  Community development corporations in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park  City of Lynn  Longwood Medical Area institutions  Developer of CitySquare in Worcester (along with the city of Worcester)  Cities of Fall River and New Bedford  Harvard University  Developer of Assembly Square in Somerville (along with the city of Somerville)

Strategic Investment and Expansion  From a regional economic development perspective, a moratorium on transit enhancement and expansion projects is not an option  It is past time for the Commonwealth to establish a clear timetable and framework under which transit investment priorities will be established and implemented

Strategic Investment and Expansion  The Secretary of Transportation should coordinate with the MBTA, metropolitan planning organizations and regional planning agencies to reach consensus on a transit investment strategy for the Commonwealth  Transportation planning agencies should prioritize transportation investments based on criteria that recognize the importance of land use objectives such as housing production and transit-oriented development  EOT, the MBTA, cities and towns and developers need to identify new ways to finance transit expansion projects