Transit-Oriented Development by Meghin Neal

Transit-Oriented Development :

By Meghin Neal :)

Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART’s) Green Line arriving in Carrollton in December 2010, Carrollton Has numerous opportunities – for developers, citizens, potential residents and businesses. The Three new DART light rail stations will link Carrollton directly to Dallas, other Metroplex cities, and eventually DFW Airport. Each station will bring Transient Oriented Development for residents to connect easily. Carrollton’s downtown area is the only transit intersection in the Dallas-Fort Worth region capable of three or more transit lines outside of downtown Dallas. In April 2009, the Carrollton City Council approved a TOD Catalyst Infrastructure Project with High Street Residential. The City will be funding the public improvements and the parking garage. Retail patrons for all of downtown will be able to utilize the 125 free public parking spaces located in the parking garage.

                         Phoenix, Arizona, created a Transit-Oriented District to encourage an appropriate mixture of several activities around its transit stations to d promotes numerous modes of transportation. A secondary intent was to decrease auto dependency, and mitigate the effects of congestion and pollution. The purpose of the TOD was to encourage pedestrians to get active and to support transient development. TODs are constructed on small blocks and within a comfortable distance from rail stations. The TOD district regulates uses, development standards, street and sidewalk regulations, sign regulations and parking and loading regulations. The Phoenix TOD ordinance provides enough specifics to be effective and enough innovative measures to ensure a well-designed and effective development pattern as a result.