TOD Marketplace Technical Advisory Sites
City of Monrovia- Station Square Transit Village
For close to 20 years, the City of Monrovia has actively planned for a Transit Orientated Development (TOD) adjacent to the historic Santa Fe Train Depot, located south of the 210 Freeway, at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road. The Transit Village was seen as a chance to combine residential, commercial and retail uses adjacent to a light rail mass transit system.
In 2003 the City Council invited the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to perform an independent assessment of the proposed Transit Village project and to make suggestions regarding its connectivity to the rest of Monrovia. Using the assessment provided by the ULI the Station Square Specific Plan has been prepared to guide development in a 25-acre portion of the Transit Village planning area. As evidence that the plan is a model for future TOD developments, the American Planning Association, Los Angeles Chapter in June 2009, presented the City with an award recognizing the document for its excellence in planning.
The downturn in the economy has delayed the development of Station Square, but it provides the City an opportunity review the original plan and determine if it is appropriate for the new economy. With this in mind the city is interested in understanding if the proposed land uses and densities are still appropriate, and if the architecture and design parameters should be modified and what market timing may look like for the area.
Los Angeles County – Blue Line Slauson Station
The Blue Line Slauson Station Transit Oriented District was established in 1999 by County ordinance as a zoning overlay to encourage transit and pedestrian supportive development which include mixed uses, pedestrian oriented design standards, and improved pedestrian access to transit facilities, with overall goals to reduce congestion through increased transit ridership and to revitalize the neighborhoods around the station.
Existing conditions within the Slauson Station Transit Oriented District include industrial uses to the east of the station. Adjacent to the west of the station is a large City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power utility building and a majority of the remaining parcels in the Slauson Station Transit Oriented District are zoned for multifamily residential uses, however, those parcels are primarily developed as single family residences.
The Slauson Station Transit Oriented District has experienced little new development activity since its inception, signaling a need for more aggressive policy actions if it is to meet the smart growth goals and objectives of the County’s General Plan Update. Successful implementation of transit oriented development in the Slauson Station Transit Oriented District and surrounding community within the ½ radius study area would serve as a model for sustainable and innovative community development for the rest of the county.
Los Angeles County – Green Line Vermont Station
The Green Line Vermont Station Transit Oriented District was established in 2005 by County ordinance as a zoning overlay to encourage transit and pedestrian supportive development which include mixed uses, pedestrian oriented design standards, and improved pedestrian access to transit facilities, with overall goals to reduce congestion through increased transit ridership and to revitalize the neighborhoods around the station.
The Green Line Vermont Station is located in the middle of the Interstate 105 Freeway and Vermont Avenue. The location of the station provides numerous challenges in terms of pedestrian usability, safety, and noise. The Vermont Avenue corridor is also extremely wide and busy, creating additional access and safety issues. The Vermont Avenue corridor is an underperforming commercial corridor, and many of the commercial designated parcels have been converted to non-commercial uses such as residential buildings and churches. The Vermont Station Transit Oriented District land use is characterized by low to medium density residential uses adjacent to commercial designated uses along Vermont Avenue.
With the General Plan Update a transit oriented development (TOD) program is being proposed to focus on the potential of transit oriented development as a synergistic strategy to embrace transit and community assets for development with local and regional benefits such as economic revitalization, affordable housing opportunities, containment of sprawl, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Successful implementation of transit oriented development in the Vermont Station Transit Oriented District and surrounding community within the ½ mile radius study area will realize the goals of the proposed TOD Program.
Housing Authority of the City of LA Jordan Downs Public Housing Redevelopment
The Jordan Downs public housing development is located in Southeast Los Angeles in the community of Watts. The vision is to redevelop the community into a vibrant urban village that offers quality housing, access to quality community amenities, transit connections to the 103rd street rail stop and a built environment that encompasses a "Sustainable Community Strategy" as recommended in CA Senate Bill 375.
What has to occur to fully realize the vision for Jordan Downs is creating the link between housing, transit, education and jobs with the construction of additional street grids to create interior circulation patterns through the site. As it is built, Jordan Downs offers one way in and one way out. Considering the regional opportunities with Jordan Downs at the center of import/export goods movement along the Alameda Corridor, it is strategically situated between the Port of LA to the South, the Airport to the West, downtown to the North and several thriving adjacent LA County Cities to the East.
The redevelopment of Jordan Downs presents a tremendous opportunity to transform not only site itself but serve as the catalyst for economic revitalization in Watts.
