INTERSECT
Newsletter of the Washington Regional Network For Livable
Communities
Volume 8 Number 4
September 8, 2004
Support Intersect, join WRN!
Summary:
* WRN Fall Forums: Housing Strategies for a Smart
Growth City
* Metro's Leaders Appeal for Public Outcry on
Essential Funding
* Mallternatives: How Retail Fits into Transit-Oriented
Development
* Vienna Metro Development Project Deferred
* Montgomery Considers Tightening Inclusionary
Housing Policy
* Region's Travel Model Shows Roadbuilding Bias,
Study Documents
* 105 Acres of Metro Land Offered for Development
* Events & Thank You's
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WRN Fall
Forums: Housing Strategies for a Smart Growth City
WRN's fall forum series addresses current dilemmas
and opportunities for building and maintaining affordable housing and
mixed income neighborhoods in the District of Columbia and the region.
In part, this series will inform the D.C. Comprehensive Housing Strategy
Task Force process. The series will also explore how federal polices
dramatically impact local affordable housing supply. Watch for upcoming
events and check our website: www.washingtonregion.net.
***************************************************************************************
Metro's
Leaders Appeal for Public Outcry on Essential Funding
By Cheryl Cort
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA or "Metro") Board chairman and Maryland representative
Robert Smith and Arlington County representative Christopher Zimmerman
agreed strongly on the need for public outcry over Metro's dire funding
needs. The two Metro leaders spoke at an August 11 forum moderated by
Bruce DePuyt, host of Newschannel 8's "Newstalk." The forum
was co-hosted by WRN and the Sierra Club.
Smith said that there is not a groundswell among
the public talking about Metro's funding problem. "People need
to get involved in the system, a lot more people."
When Smith joined the board last year, he was
surprised to learn that Metro "doesn't have a dime saved"
to replace 30-year old facilities, as a homeowner would. Smith said
that the public and Metro board members expect all the jurisdictions
Metro serves to pay for the rehabilitation of the aging system. According
to Smith, "that's the billion dollar problem, it's not something
you can fix right away."
Zimmerman concurred, "We need everyone to
see this as the problem that needs to be solved," Zimmerman said.
Today, the system carries more people than anyone ever dreamed of 30
years ago, Zimmerman said.
The current $1.5 billion unfunded six-year capital
program proposed by Metro staff, which will buy 120 rail cars and 185
buses and provide essential rehabilitation of the aging infrastructure,
is _what we need to avert disaster_ according to Zimmerman. He said
that Metro has developed 10- and 20-year capital investment programs
of billions of dollars to meet demand, improve service and expand the
system. However, support for such high expenditures was considered unrealistic.
These plans by WMATA, he said, were continually pared down until the
Metro staff proposed a $1.5 billion capital renewal program to provide
the bare minimum necessary to repair the system and keep up with growing
ridership.
While Smith focused on securing funds from the
federal government to support renewing the system, Zimmerman emphasized
that every level of government needs to pitch in - federal, state and
local. According to Zimmerman, broader public support for the system
is justified because transit is a great benefit to the region's economy,
private land-owners and drivers who would contend with worse traffic
if transit riders drove to work.
At the Aug. 19 WMATA Board and Budget Committee
meetings, Metro's leaders adopted a funding plan to request member governments
to fund a six-year Infrastructure Renewal Program for $524.9 million,
a Rail Car Program for $600.6 million, and a Bus Program for $171.5
million. It is assumed that the federal government will pay the full
cost of the Security Program ($143.5 million). WMATA expects a significant
portion of the other programs to be funded by the federal government.
The Budget Committee approved a change to purchase an initial 50 buses
now rather than the full original 185 buses. While the committee committed
to fully fund the bus program, prior to additional purchases, member
jurisdictions will evaluate the future needs of Metrobus and local bus
service. The final decision on the entire funding package will be made
at the October 21 board meeting.
At the Aug. 19 Budget Committee meeting, the
staff presented a projected operating budget deficit of $42 million
for FY06 and $31 million for FY07. Although ridership is forecast to
increase by 2 percent on rail and 0.5 percent on bus for a 3 percent
growth in revenue, labor costs, along with new service expenses are
driving an over 6 percent increase in costs. The board adopted a resolution
calling for the establishment of a _blue ribbon_ panel to address the
issue of dedicated funding for both operating and capital needs.
***************************************************************************
Mallternatives:
How Retail Fits into Transit-Oriented Development
By Cheryl Cort
Downtown District of Columbia, like other cities,
used to be a shopping destination with major department stores. Some
time ago, this shopping decamped to the suburbs, and the city has struggled
ever since to recapture stores and shoppers. Speaking at WRN's forum
July 12 on retail and transit-oriented development, Seth Harry, new
urbanist architect, planner and retail development specialist, outlined
the dynamics of how high volume, high capacity roads and automobile-oriented
mega stores have disconnected retail from a community context.
Harry explained that while basic categories of
retail (the goods that households need to purchase) have not changed,
store sizes and formats have in response to the need and ability to
capture a larger number of households to remain competitive in the low
density/large road land use patterns prevalent in suburbia. As a result,
while the actual sales per square foot of individual stores as well
as square footage of retail space per household has not essentially
changed, the distance that shoppers travel has.
"The bigger the box, the more powerful the
draw," Harry said. He pointed out that the big box model of relying
on bigger and bigger roads leads these large scale retailers to continuously
abandon their last big box store in order to create an even bigger one
in their never-ending efforts to control marketshare. According to Harry,
this leads to "a lot of empty real estate." Harry suggested
that stronger, more coordinated land use and transportation planning
will lead to the community context itself defining the most appropriate
types and scales for retail centers, including neighborhood store, main
street shops, town center shops, and regional shopping districts.
Repairing the viability of urban retail relies
on household densities and walkability that allow retailers to serve
a market within a "ped-shed" of households within walking
distance of the store, or at most, a short drive on local streets.
Harry said that parking to serve most types of
retail will be a reality for the near future until such densities for
walkability are achieved. He cited Vancouver, British Columbia as an
example of a community having a high enough level of density and livable,
walkable neighborhoods to support true urban retail. "You need
real density to get a pedestrian scale," Harry said, not just something
that looks urban.
Randy Gross, an economic development consultant,
also spoke at the event. Gross said that market potential for retail
depends on not just the number of households in the trade area, but
the expenditure ability of those people. He said that retail amounts
to a minor part of a transit-oriented development strategy. Instead,
retail lives off of housing and jobs located near retail, which may
be sited to take advantage of transit. Metrorail stations have provided
some expansion of a retail market, but the key factor is an increase
in the number of households and employment, Gross said. He emphasized
that mixed-use development provides an opportunity to reduce traffic
if more people are able to walk to stores.
Regarding the question of scale, Gross said it
is important for a community to develop its own vision for development.
He suggested that retail development strategies are successful when
based on enhancing a sense of place and fostering a distinct identity.
Gross suggested that expanding existing retail might be a better strategy
than working to bring in new stores. He stressed that a mix of national
and independent retailers is a healthy strategy for sustained success.
He also suggested that attracting some higher income households to lower
income neighborhoods helps create healthy, diverse communities that
can support a broader mix of retail. Both Harry and Gross stressed that
communities should decide what kind of communities they want to be and
what kind of retail best makes those neighborhoods good places to live.
************************************************************************
Vienna
Metro Development Project Deferred
By Peter Buryk and Cheryl Cort
Ambitious plans to redevelop a 70-acre area into
a mixed-use transit-oriented community at the Vienna Metro station in
Fairfax County, Va., were postponed again by the Fairfax County Planning
Commission until October 14. At a July 22 public hearing, citizens testified
both for and against the proposed Fairlee-Metro West project. Supporters
cited the developers' commitment to smart growth principals, while opponents
criticized higher residential densities in a suburban area and questioned
if Metrorail has the capacity to serve future growth.
The project proposes up to 2,350 residential
units, 300,000 square feet of office space, and between 25,000 and 75,000
square feet of retail space. In July 2003, the Planning Commission voted
to defer consideration of the Out-of-Turn Plan Amendment to the Comprehensive
Plan covering the project due to the complexity of the issues and a
desire to have more time to evaluate the proposal. After another round
of public testimony in July 2004, the Planning Commission voted to defer
its decision until September and again deferred to October. Part of
the plan's distinctiveness originates from its voluntary buyout of 61
existing homeowners to make way for more than 2,000 new residences,
along with offices and shops.
The Metro West project, located south of the
Vienna Metro station between Interstate 66 and Route 29, would create
a community based on transit-oriented design principles emphasizing
pedestrian access, higher residential densities, and a mix of uses.
Most new residents would live within a quarter-mile of the Metro station
and could safely walk to the station, offices and shops. Retail spaces
would cater to neighborhood residents and would not serve as a shopping
destination for the larger community. Plans also include parks and community
meeting facilities.
The proposed development provides for approximately
100 affordable housing units, or roughly 4 percent of the total number
of new homes. Sixty-one of those units will replace existing affordable
homes on the site, and the remainder will satisfy requirements of Fairfax
County's Affordable Dwelling Unit ordinance.
WRN pointed out in testimony at the July hearing
that although it would like to see more affordable housing, it supports
the proposal because it will offer a dramatic increase in the amount
of housing at this Fairfax Metro station. This increase would allow
more moderate-income families to live close to mass transit. WRN noted
that Fairfax County provides the lowest amount of affordable housing
per capita in the area according to a recent study by the organization.
WRN, along with the Sierra Club and the Coalition
for Smarter Growth, testified in favor of the project citing development
like Metro West as an important contribution to accommodating the Washington
region's rapid growth and demand for housing, retail, and offices accessible
by transit. Smart growth advocates explained that walkable communities
near transit like Metro West reduce residents' reliance on cars and
congested highways, and help improve air quality.
********************************************************************************
Montgomery
Considers Tightening Inclusionary Housing Policy
By Cheryl Cort
County leaders agree that Montgomery County's
30-year old Moderately Price Dwelling Unit Program (MPDU) is due for
an overhaul. Despite many changes along the way and remarkable accomplishments
- the county leads the region and the nation in the production of affordable
housing as part of private developments - the law crafted 30 years ago
is failing to meet many of the challenges of the hot housing market
in an affluent, job-rich urbanizing county.
The MPDU law requires that residential developments
of 35 or more units provide 12.5 to 15 percent of the units at prices
affordable to moderate income households. Projects that include more
than the minimum 12.5 percent MPDUs are eligible for a density bonus
on a sliding scale up to 22 percent overall increase in density if 15
percent of the units are MPDUs. The density bonus is designed to compensate
developers for the cost of the affordable units. As residential development
has increasingly shifted to high-rise zones, height and density limitations
along with the high cost of high-rise construction have constrained
the MPDU program's ability to compensate developers. In high-rise zones,
this has led to developers typically being allowed to buy-out of half
of their MPDU obligation through fees contributed to a county housing
fund. Buy-outs have been criticized for allowing developers to pay too
little for avoiding building MPDUs on site.
Responding to piecemeal bills in 2003, then Montgomery
Council President Michael Subin commissioned council staff to conduct
a comprehensive review of the MPDU program, which was completed in February
2003. Following this report's release, two sets of legislative proposals
emerged from different alliances of council members. Councilmember Nancy
Floreen spearheaded a set of bills and five zoning text amendments (ZTAs)
to implement the changes. Councilmember Marilyn Praisner offered a single
bill that closely follows the council staff report's recommendations.
These bills and ZTAs will be considered by the Planning Board and County
Council in September, along with two other bills from last year: one
barring buy-outs altogether, and one requiring MPDUs in large lot residential
zones.
Key issues addressed by the proposed legislation
are intended to correct what many county government staff, elected officials
and housing activists see as critical shortcomings in the existing program.
The following is a brief review of some of the main issues addressed
by the legislative proposals:
Control Period of Affordable Units: While the
county has produced more than 11,000 housing units over the program's
27-year history, only about 4,000 units remain in the program today.
Thus, the council is considering extending the control periods, which
is currently 10 years for ownership units and 20 years for rental housing.
The Floreen bill would extend the control period to 30 years for for-sale
and rental units. The Praisner bill follows the staff report recommendation
and proposes 99 years for all MPDUs, with a provision to create funds
to compensate owners and provide rehabilitation loans for their properties.
Projects Covered by MPDU law: The Praisner bill
proposes reducing the size of a residential development project requiring
MPDUs from 35 to 20 units. The Floreen bill proposes no changes.
High-Rise Zones: The Floreen legislation addresses
the density restrictions in urban zones in a series of ZTAs mentioned
below. The Praisner bill offers the staff report recommendation that
reducing the MPDU requirement from 12.5 to 10 percent be allowed in
high-rise buildings where height is restricted by the master plan. This
is in response to developers typically paying fees instead of building
about half of the MPDUs required in high-rise zones where additional
density is restricted.
Unbundling High Condo Fees: The Praisner bill
follows the staff recommendation to separate out non-essential condo
fees such as recreation facilities in order to reduce the fee, which
can cause the overall housing cost to be unaffordable to an eligible
household.
Buy-Outs: The Floreen bill permits a developer
to buy-out of on-site MPDU requirements only if the county finds that
condo or homeowner association fees for an "indivisible package
of services and facilities" make the unit unaffordable to eligible
households. The bill further requires that any buy-out fee paid by the
developer must equal the cost of building 25 percent more MPDUs than
would have been required on-site. The bill also allows MPDUs to be provided
in another location within the same planning area if fees are deemed
too high or limits on development would not allow the applicant to achieve
the density allowed while building all MPDUs. The Praisner bill provides
for buy-outs only in the case of high fee housing where fees cannot
be separated, for example in senior or special needs housing.
The Zoning Text Amendments (ZTAs) proposed by
Floreen and colleagues address land use regulations in two categories:
those around transit stations, and those far from transit stations.
To address the problem of density limitations preventing MPDU production
in high-rise development districts, Floreen offers ZTAs to reduce public
use space requirements and surpass height and density limits in order
to locate bonus market rate units and MPDUs on site. Civic groups have
strongly objected to these provisions. Others, however, have suggested
a compromise.
"Both these exceptions [offered in the Floreen
ZTAs] are much more sweeping than needed to encourage developers to
build the 12.5 percent on site," according to Pam Lindstrom, a
longtime Montgomery civic and smart growth activist. Lindstrom suggests
choosing one of a number of alternatives of less permissive provisions
to achieve the full 12.5 percent MPDUs on site: a reduction in public
use space from 20 to 10 percent (rather than reduced to 5 percent as
proposed by the Floreen ZTA), or lot coverage increase from 75 to 80
percent, or possibly adding one additional story to the building. Developers
are offered a density bonus for extra MPDUs provided above 12.5 percent.
Fitting these market rate bonus units on site is not necessarily possible
or desirable, Lindstrom said. She recommends focusing on achieving construction
of the 12.5 percent MPDUs on site, which does not require a density
bonus.
"The few extra MPDUs would not justify a
large overall increase in the number of market rate units," Lindstrom
explained, if a density bonus was in excess of master plan limits.
The staff report states that the best way to
address scale and bonus densities desired is in the master plan. This
proposed legislation however, is in part a response to master plans
that are currently constraining the siting of MPDUs in development projects.
A ZTA introduced last year calls for requiring
MPDUs in certain large lot zones if the parcel has sewer service. Only
a limited number of properties would be affected, and the yield of total
number of MPDUs would be low, according to the staff report. At last
year's hearing, civic groups opposed this proposal, as well as some
housing activists and smart growth groups. Some objected to increased
rural densities, while others did not see enough benefit relative to
the negative impacts of increased densities far from urban infrastructure.
A public hearing will be held by the County Council
Sept. 23 at 7:30 pm. For more information call: 240-777-7931, or see:
<http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/csltmpl.asp?url=/content/council/2004news/mpdu.asp>
***************************************************************************
Region's
Travel Model Shows Roadbuilding Bias, Study Documents
By Cheryl Cort
The Washington region's transportation traffic
model overstates the benefits of new highways, and understates the benefits
of better transit service, according to a new independent study sponsored
by Environmental Defense. Based on this study, the environmental group
calls on the region's leaders to urgently address the travel model's
many flaws. The results of this model are of critical importance to
the region because they form the basis for assessing what kinds of transportation
investments will be required to meet future travel needs and manage
traffic congestion.
According to the analysis by Smart Mobility,
Inc., a transportation modeling consulting firm commissioned by Environmental
Defense to conduct the study, the National Capital Region Transportation
Planning Board (TPB) continues to use a traffic model that contains
many errors that are considered outside acceptable practice and that
produce large errors on estimating amounts of traffic and transit riders
during rush hour. In addition to the independent study by the environmental
group, the analysis concurs with many of the concerns raised by an audit
conducted by an expert panel from the Transportation Research Board
(a division of the National Research Council), which was commissioned
by the TPB itself to assess the adequacy of its travel model.
Without correcting these errors, Smart Mobility
asserts, "the region cannot be confident that the planning efforts
underlying billions of dollars of public investments are valid, or whether
air quality standards crucial to public health will be achieved."
The following are examples of specific problems
with the model identified by Smart Mobility:
1. The model shows large errors in vehicle counts
for freeways carrying large volumes of traffic. These model traffic
counts are a good indicator of how well the entire travel model performs.
Given the level of inaccuracy, the study suggests that the poor model
results call for a complete reworking of the TBP model rather than tinkering
with portions of it.
2. The model relies heavily on ad hoc adjustment
factors or "fudge factors" that are insensitive to changes
in travel time and travel cost, and hide induced traffic that is produced
by widening or building new highways, as well as dampening the traffic
reduction benefits of investments that improve public transportation,
walking and bicycling.
3. The transportation model is run in a manner
that does not properly balance its books to produce sound, consistent
and repeatable estimates of travel time and traffic flows. This likely
causes the model to overestimate future traffic volumes on congested
roadways. Therefore, the model overestimates the need for additional
roadway capacity.
4. The transportation model consistently produces
very large errors in estimating how many cars and transit riders travel
during morning and evening rush hours when compared with actual counts
of traffic or transit riders. This means the model produces significant
errors in estimating congestion, travel time delay, and how people will
respond to changes in highways, transit, and travel costs. This undermines
the credibility of any analyses done with the model.
There is a fundamental disconnect between the
assumptions used for air quality analysis and the estimates of travel
produced by the transportation model. This has until now been ignored
by the TPB staff, but is of great concern to the Transportation Research
Board Review Committee and Environmental Defense because it means that
the models cannot be trusted to produce reliable estimates of traffic,
congestion delay, air emissions, or the differences between various
alternative transportation investments and scenarios. Unless these errors
are corrected, the model cannot fairly characterize the congestion and
delay that shape travel behavior in our region, and the response of
travelers to changes in highway capacity like the InterCounty Connector
(ICC) highway, value priced lanes (HOT lanes), or Metro improvements.
5. TPB staff recently found errors of 20 percent
or more in base year employment estimates. The household and employment
inputs are the foundation of travel demand modeling and affect all outputs.
These problems have until now been covered up by the extensive use of
adjustment factors that directly affect the model's estimates of travel
and traffic.
Despite the potential that an improved model
could produce different results - possibly showing worse air pollution
- Michael Replogle of Environmental Defense urged the TPB to revamp
the model. Replogle said, "investments in better analysis tools
can yield huge payoffs in better decisions that produce more efficient
transportation systems and better travel choices, while better protecting
the environment and public health."
******************************************************************************
105 Acres
of Metro Land Offered for Development
By Cheryl Cort
More than 105 acres of Metro-owned land at six
Metro stations in the District of Columbia, Prince George's and Montgomery
County, Maryland are offered for development under the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority (WMATA or "Metro") annual "Joint
Development Solicitation" issued in July. No properties in Virginia
were included in this year's solicitation.
The solicitation calls for transit-oriented development
on Metro lands that meet Metro's Joint Development Program goals adopted
in 2002. Projects will be preferred that best meet these criteria, including
those that: reduce automobile dependency; increase pedestrian/bicycle
trips to transit; foster safety in surrounding areas of transit stations;
improve connections to transit stations, including bus access; provide
mixed-use development, including housing, retail and office uses; create
opportunities to obtain goods and services near transit stations; and
offer active public spaces.
In D.C., the two sites offered by Metro are at
the Anacostia and Fort Totten Metro stations. The west parcel offered
at Fort Totten Metro station is currently a 425-space surface parking
lot. The request for proposals asks that WMATA facilities be replaced
on site. No reduction in parking is mentioned, although D.C. has requested
a 43 percent reduction in replacement parking for the Rhode Island Avenue
Metro station joint development site. A strong preference by the D.C.
Office of Planning for projects that provide affordable housing and
optimize allowable density was cited. The east WMATA parcel at the Fort
Totten Metro station was awarded to Clark Realty previously and is approved
for 320-360 rental housing units. The project will reconnect a closed
street, create apartment buildings fronting the street, offer on-street
parking and locally serving retail across from the Metro station entrance.
The Anacostia site owned by WMATA is within the
Anacostia Framework Plan area and is being promoted by the D.C. Office
of Planning as an opportunity area to create a "highly walkable
civic area with relatively higher densities of residential development
and ground floor convenience retail uses." The main parcel covers
4.63 acres and is designated for high-density use allowing for a floor
area ratio of 6.0. However, bus bays for 24 bus routes currently cover
a majority of the parcel, and would need to be replaced as part of any
project.
In Prince George's County, development at the
new stations at Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard will be guided
by the county's Development District Overlay Zone which includes design
standards and provisions for parking reductions and site plan flexibility.
At Morgan Boulevard, however, WMATA is moving forward with plans to
construct two parking garages flanking each side of the station entrance,
totaling 2,100 parking spaces.
Other development sites offered were located
at New Carrollton and Grosvenor Metro stations. Written expressions
of interest in the sites are due Sept. 10. Full proposals are due Oct.
22.
**********************************************************************************
Events
Wednesday, September 15, 12:30-1:30 pm: Envision
Utah: Lessons from the Front. Discussion of Salt Lake City's smart
growth strategy, with a focus on key strategies and useful lessons on
growth planning for all regions. Free. National Building Museum, 401
F Street, NW. See <http://www.nbm.org>.
September 18 - 19: Green Festival. Events at the DC Convention
Center promoting social justice, ecology, sustainable economy. See <http://www.greenfestivals.com>.
Saturday, September 18, 9 am - 3 pm: The Virginia
Environmental Assembly 2004: Reconnecting Virginia focuses on the
connection between land use, smart growth, rail and road transportation
and the environment. $25 or $35 at the door, including lunch. Barboursville
Vineyards, Barboursville, VA. See <http://www.vcnva.org/vea/2004/>.
Tuesday, September 21: The first national Low Impact Development
Conference will highlight techniques to mitigate the effects of
urbanization and development on water quality. UMUC Marriott Inn and
Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd E, Adelphi, MD. See <http://www.mwcog.org/environment/LIDconference/>.
September 21 & 22, 9 am - 4 pm: Safe Routes
to Schools training course hosted by City of Rockville, in cooperation
with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Federal
Highway Administration. Register by Sept. 15 by calling the City of
Rockville Bikeway Coordinator at 240-314-8626 or e-mail jradan@rockvillemd.org.
Wednesday, September 28, 12:30-1:30 pm: Building
for the 21st Century: The Cost and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings.
Free. National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW. See <http://www.nbm.org>.
Friday, September 30: Public comments due on VTrans 2025, Virginia's
long range transportation plan that focuses on future trends and needs
of motorists, rail and transit passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.
See <http://www.sotrans.state.va.us/VTrans/home.htm>.
October 17 - 19: 53rd Virginia Transportation
Conference. Discussion of Virginia's Transportation Challenge: Enhancing
Mobility Through Safer, Simpler, Smarter Solutions. Hotel Roanoke and
Conference Center, 110 Shenandoah Ave., Roanoke, VA. For more information
and to register, call 804-225-4698 or see <http://www.vatransconf.org/default.html>
**********************************************************************************
Thank You's:
WRN wishes to thank the following friends of WRN for their generous
contributions: Prince Charitable Trusts, The Woodbury Fund, Christine
Matthews, Carol Casperson, Teera Games and Paula Van Lare.
******************************************************************************
Intersect staff: Cheryl Cort, editor; Peter Buryk,
Elizabeth Cox, and Jennifer Port contributing writers; editorial assistance
by Lyn Stoesen.
Washington Regional Network For Livable Communities
(WRN) is a non-profit organization that advocates transportation investments,
land use policies, and neighborhood designs that enhance existing communities
and the environment of the Washington, D.C. Region.
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