Jones Lang LaSalle
`Smart growth' on track
Transit villages draw support and protests
Monday, April 17, 2006
By DARRYL R. ISHERWOOD
Staff Writer
As state planners turn to new initiatives in their effort to halt rampant development in New Jersey, one detail continues to thwart their goal of providing "smart growth."
Americans' reliance on their cars.
But a push for walkable communities is beginning to take root, and the idea of "transit villages" in particular -- communities clustered around train stations -- is under consideration in two Mercer County municipalities: Hamilton and West Windsor.
Proposed in the area of the Hamilton and Princeton Junction train stations, the villages would be places where, in planners' eyes, residents could leave their cars behind and walk to the movies, walk to the grocery store, walk to the train -- heck, even walk to work.
"The transit village initiative helps to redevelop and revitalize communities around transit facilities to make them an appealing choice for people to live, work and play, thereby reducing the reliance on the automobile," reads an overview on the state Transportation Department's Web site.
The problem, critics of the initiative say, is that the car has become such an ingrained part of Americans' lives.
Studies show the average American takes close to two trips per day to run errands, and even when amenities are within walking distance, the time crunch, convenience and force of habit are all factors working against people leaving the car at home.
"There is a tremendous pressure of time that people are continuously reacting to," said Alan E. Pisarski, a transportation expert and author of the book "Commuting in America."
"I think there is a lot of optimism here that all we have to do is make it possible (for people to live within walking distance of mass transit) and it will work. But I think it's more a question of people's preferences and lifestyle than opportunity."
In New Jersey, only one in 10 commuters uses mass transit to get to work while more than eight in 10 drive themselves or carpool.
Despite the availability of mass transit, residents have shown their preference for their own car.
According to Pisarski, that may not be because of any love affair with the auto but simply for reasons of convenience. The vast majority of households, Pisarski said, are two-income families. And rarely do both work in the same place, so convenience to mass transit may not always be a factor.
Commuting trends are also veering away from the cities -- the areas traditionally served by mass transit -- and toward suburbs, making trains and buses less convenient.
Picture a wheel, with mass transit serving as the spokes. If you work at the hub it's great, Pisarski said, but if you work along the outside of the wheel, the car may be your only answer.
But NJ Transit officials, who have proposed transit villages around several stations throughout the state, contend commuters are anxious to leave their cars at home. If given the opportunity, the convenience of the train will win out, they say.
"I think one of the major benefits to this will be we will put more people on trains and make them less auto-dependent," said Jim Zullo, senior director of real estate for NJ Transit in a March interview about the Hamilton station project.
In pushing the village initiative, NJ Transit is hoping to attract both new riders as well as existing customers who drive to the station and park, said spokesman Dan Stessel.
"One of the expected outcomes of a transit village is additional ridership by residents of the village," Stessel said.
And whether the village attracts converts or existing passengers, there is a plus, he said.
"In either case there is a benefit to the public and the state," Stessel said. "Anytime you take someone who is driving and bring them right to the station, you take a car off the road and that's a benefit."
There is data to back up that theory. A survey taken by the Rutgers University Blaustein School of Public Policy showed that people living within a half-mile of a train station tend to own fewer cars than those living farther away.
The study of seven transit villages showed that higher percentages of residents within the village walked to work or used mass transportation. In addition, a much lower percentage of residents within the villages owned three or more cars.
What does it all mean?
Planners in Hamilton and West Windsor are betting it will mean fewer cars, vast sources of revenue and the addition of a town center to both townships, which are currently inundated with strip malls.
The two communities have grand visions.
In Hamilton, the village is proposed to include 300 homes, 200,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel, 100 long-term-stay suites and a 1,280-space parking garage.
Officials are salivating over revenue projections that show the development bringing in $4.5 million each year. Add to that an additional $6 million per year from two developments on the adjacent American Standard site and officials see horsepower to drive the township's economic development engine for years to come.
In West Windsor, NJ Transit's initial vision plan called for 120,000 square feet of retail space, a hotel, 85,000 square feet of office space and nearly 800 residences. But Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said a specific plan is a long way off. The vision plan will be used as a reference, he said, along with public comment.
Officials in the fast-growing community see the development as the missing piece of the puzzle. For years, residents, planners and Realtors have decried the lack of a town center in the 27-square-mile township.
The 22,000 residents must go to nearby Princeton or elsewhere for restaurants, shopping and nightlife. With the addition of the village, West Windsor would finally have a draw to rival its well-heeled neighbor.
"It's not just about the economics but also the vitality of the community," Hsueh said. "It goes along with a clear sense of community. We would like a place that is in all ways West Windsor," Hsueh said.
He is clear that a "Princeton-like" development is not what he is looking for. "It's going to be West Windsor-like," he said. "I'd like to see something unique for West Windsor, an identity for West Windsor."
Both developments have attracted staunch opposition.
In Hamilton, a group of nearby residents has fought the development at every turn. In November three Republican councilman were elected on a platform opposing high-density residential development and have made it their mission to restrict the housing around the station.
On Wednesday, the council will vote on an ordinance to rescind the redevelopment plan that sets the parameters for the three developments. If the GOP council members are successful, the entire initiative would be in question.
In West Windsor, a coalition of residents has banded together in opposition to the housing component there, saying the homes promise to bring with them additional traffic, along with school children and higher taxes.
The development there is still in the planning stages as Hsueh tries to press together a coalition of support.
But despite the opposition, state planners are confident theirs is the proper course. Transit villages, they say, are the way of the future.
"We are in the early stages of seeing a national movement toward people living in train station areas," said NJ Transit Director of Project Development Jack Kanarek in March.
"The opportunity to live, work and play close to transit and use transit to go and come and travel is being recognized as a way to avoid congested roads. Quality of life is something that people are really focusing on. These are places people want to live, and communities want to develop them."
Contact Darryl Isherwood at disherwood@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5708.
© 2006 The Times of Trenton
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
`Smart growth' on track
Transit villages draw support and protests
Monday, April 17, 2006
By DARRYL R. ISHERWOOD
Staff Writer
As state planners turn to new initiatives in their effort to halt rampant development in New Jersey, one detail continues to thwart their goal of providing "smart growth."
Americans' reliance on their cars.
But a push for walkable communities is beginning to take root, and the idea of "transit villages" in particular -- communities clustered around train stations -- is under consideration in two Mercer County municipalities: Hamilton and West Windsor.
Proposed in the area of the Hamilton and Princeton Junction train stations, the villages would be places where, in planners' eyes, residents could leave their cars behind and walk to the movies, walk to the grocery store, walk to the train -- heck, even walk to work.
"The transit village initiative helps to redevelop and revitalize communities around transit facilities to make them an appealing choice for people to live, work and play, thereby reducing the reliance on the automobile," reads an overview on the state Transportation Department's Web site.
The problem, critics of the initiative say, is that the car has become such an ingrained part of Americans' lives.
Studies show the average American takes close to two trips per day to run errands, and even when amenities are within walking distance, the time crunch, convenience and force of habit are all factors working against people leaving the car at home.
"There is a tremendous pressure of time that people are continuously reacting to," said Alan E. Pisarski, a transportation expert and author of the book "Commuting in America."
"I think there is a lot of optimism here that all we have to do is make it possible (for people to live within walking distance of mass transit) and it will work. But I think it's more a question of people's preferences and lifestyle than opportunity."
In New Jersey, only one in 10 commuters uses mass transit to get to work while more than eight in 10 drive themselves or carpool.
Despite the availability of mass transit, residents have shown their preference for their own car.
According to Pisarski, that may not be because of any love affair with the auto but simply for reasons of convenience. The vast majority of households, Pisarski said, are two-income families. And rarely do both work in the same place, so convenience to mass transit may not always be a factor.
Commuting trends are also veering away from the cities -- the areas traditionally served by mass transit -- and toward suburbs, making trains and buses less convenient.
Picture a wheel, with mass transit serving as the spokes. If you work at the hub it's great, Pisarski said, but if you work along the outside of the wheel, the car may be your only answer.
But NJ Transit officials, who have proposed transit villages around several stations throughout the state, contend commuters are anxious to leave their cars at home. If given the opportunity, the convenience of the train will win out, they say.
"I think one of the major benefits to this will be we will put more people on trains and make them less auto-dependent," said Jim Zullo, senior director of real estate for NJ Transit in a March interview about the Hamilton station project.
In pushing the village initiative, NJ Transit is hoping to attract both new riders as well as existing customers who drive to the station and park, said spokesman Dan Stessel.
"One of the expected outcomes of a transit village is additional ridership by residents of the village," Stessel said.
And whether the village attracts converts or existing passengers, there is a plus, he said.
"In either case there is a benefit to the public and the state," Stessel said. "Anytime you take someone who is driving and bring them right to the station, you take a car off the road and that's a benefit."
There is data to back up that theory. A survey taken by the Rutgers University Blaustein School of Public Policy showed that people living within a half-mile of a train station tend to own fewer cars than those living farther away.
The study of seven transit villages showed that higher percentages of residents within the village walked to work or used mass transportation. In addition, a much lower percentage of residents within the villages owned three or more cars.
What does it all mean?
Planners in Hamilton and West Windsor are betting it will mean fewer cars, vast sources of revenue and the addition of a town center to both townships, which are currently inundated with strip malls.
The two communities have grand visions.
In Hamilton, the village is proposed to include 300 homes, 200,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel, 100 long-term-stay suites and a 1,280-space parking garage.
Officials are salivating over revenue projections that show the development bringing in $4.5 million each year. Add to that an additional $6 million per year from two developments on the adjacent American Standard site and officials see horsepower to drive the township's economic development engine for years to come.
In West Windsor, NJ Transit's initial vision plan called for 120,000 square feet of retail space, a hotel, 85,000 square feet of office space and nearly 800 residences. But Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said a specific plan is a long way off. The vision plan will be used as a reference, he said, along with public comment.
Officials in the fast-growing community see the development as the missing piece of the puzzle. For years, residents, planners and Realtors have decried the lack of a town center in the 27-square-mile township.
The 22,000 residents must go to nearby Princeton or elsewhere for restaurants, shopping and nightlife. With the addition of the village, West Windsor would finally have a draw to rival its well-heeled neighbor.
"It's not just about the economics but also the vitality of the community," Hsueh said. "It goes along with a clear sense of community. We would like a place that is in all ways West Windsor," Hsueh said.
He is clear that a "Princeton-like" development is not what he is looking for. "It's going to be West Windsor-like," he said. "I'd like to see something unique for West Windsor, an identity for West Windsor."
Both developments have attracted staunch opposition.
In Hamilton, a group of nearby residents has fought the development at every turn. In November three Republican councilman were elected on a platform opposing high-density residential development and have made it their mission to restrict the housing around the station.
On Wednesday, the council will vote on an ordinance to rescind the redevelopment plan that sets the parameters for the three developments. If the GOP council members are successful, the entire initiative would be in question.
In West Windsor, a coalition of residents has banded together in opposition to the housing component there, saying the homes promise to bring with them additional traffic, along with school children and higher taxes.
The development there is still in the planning stages as Hsueh tries to press together a coalition of support.
But despite the opposition, state planners are confident theirs is the proper course. Transit villages, they say, are the way of the future.
"We are in the early stages of seeing a national movement toward people living in train station areas," said NJ Transit Director of Project Development Jack Kanarek in March.
"The opportunity to live, work and play close to transit and use transit to go and come and travel is being recognized as a way to avoid congested roads. Quality of life is something that people are really focusing on. These are places people want to live, and communities want to develop them."
Contact Darryl Isherwood at disherwood@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5708.
© 2006 The Times of Trenton
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 1:53 PM
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