Long-delayed Red Line arrives at Austin TODs

Long-delayed Red Line arrives at Austin TODs

By Mary Tuma Friday, 09 April 2010

AUSTIN — While the Capital Metro Red Line stations sprawled across the city have lain dormant awaiting the train’s arrival in March, areas surrounding these stops remained active despite the delay.

Crestview Station, MLK Jr. Boulevard and Plaza Saltillo are each marked by existing or planned urban epicenters, called transit-oriented developments, or TODs. The idea behind this type of development is to set living, office and retail space in proximity to major modes of alternate transportation, creating an environment where residents can be within walking distance of work, shopping, dining and transportation to other parts of town.

Moving parts

When Capital Metro began planning the Red Line in 2004, the City of Austin worked with the transit agency to craft guidelines to accommodate future growth around the proposed stations. One year later, the first TOD ordinance passed, creating a specific framework for building close to the rail. Guidelines included limited auto use, wide pedestrian and bicycle-friendly sidewalks, public spaces and buildings oriented to the street.

Lucy Galbraith, Capital Metro’s Transit Oriented Development manager, said it is not typical for land use and transportation to be coordinated concurrently, but is becoming more popular as people begin to realize its benefits.

“Transit is most successful when it is paired with the appropriate land use,” said Molly Scarbrough, the city’s Neighborhood Planning and Development Review department’s urban design senior planner.

At the time, the area comprising the TODs contained industrial, low-density and auto-oriented developments. The new policies allowed for previously prohibited mixed-use and multi-family residential development.

The economic recession caused several property owners to back out or place their ideas on hold, but Scarbrough has noticed a recent uptick in interest since the opening of the rail. Property and redevelopment interest, said Scarbrough, are most concentrated within a quarter mile of the rail stations, which translates to about a five-minute walk.

With the proposed urban rail on the horizon and the upcoming Rapid Bus system in its final stages of completion, Galbraith said officials are continuing their commitment to TODs.

Midtown Commons

Midtown Commons, a mixed-use development, rests at the northwest intersection of North Lamar and Airport boulevards, adjacent to the MetroRail at Crestview Station. Largely described as the city’s model TOD, it is only one-third complete today.

Dubbed a “transit village,” the first phase of Midtown Commons opened in 2009. The combination of a down economy and the postponement of the commuter rail left the newly minted complex without the transit component, stalling tenant occupancy.

“For the development to truly take flight and achieve what it was meant to achieve, we need the rail to start. It’s the missing piece,” said John Heffington, associate at CB Richard Ellis, the brokerage firm in charge of leasing commercial space within Midtown Commons.

Currently, Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery, slated to debut in June, occupies 4,000 sq. ft., leaving room for about two restaurants, a convenience store, retail and office space likely for creative professionals. With the Red Line up and running, renewed interest in the development is expected, but some residents have expressed concerns.

Paige Hill, vice president of Crestview Neighborhood Association, said the development has caused mixed reactions.

“While some residents voiced excitement for the project, others feel the area sequesters the rail from the neighborhood, closing it off from those it intends to serve,” she said.

M Station

TODs can also provide cost-effective living opportunities for those who rely on mass transit. The MLK Jr. Boulevard district, stretching alongside IH 35 from 12th Street to Manor Road, will soon be a major stop for lower-income residents.

M Station, a 150 multi-family affordable housing complex and childcare center on nearly 9 acres of land, is set to open in July 2011. The nonprofit in charge of the planned development specifically sought to find land zoned for TODs, said Sunshine Mathon of Foundation Communities.

“Our goal is to provide a situation where residents have access to sufficient public transportation,” Mathon said. “[...]We hope this will allow people to trim down to one or even no vehicle at all.”

Saltillo Lofts

Larry Warshaw and Perry Lorenz, developers of Pedernales Lofts on East Sixth Street, teamed up to build Saltillo Lofts in 2004 on East Fifth Street next to the Plaza Saltillo courtyard rail station.

“It was a very early example of a catalyst for redevelopment on the east side,” Warshaw said. “And a risk, since this type of development hadn’t been proven quite yet.”

Warshaw calls Saltillo Lofts the first true TOD in the city and one of the first new urbanist projects ever built. Interestingly, the commuter rail was not the strongest selling point for the development, he said. More than 70 percent of the units were sold before the lofts opened.

“It didn’t really affect most people’s decision to live there because they were not necessarily needing to ride the train to Leander all the time,” Warshaw said.