Transit

Citizens for Modern Transit
By: Chris Harpstrite
       Since I began research on my thesis, Transit Oriented Development in the Metro St. Louis Area, I have often frequented a website hosted by an organization named Citizens for Modern Transit. This organization started more than two decades ago with a primary purpose of introducing MetroLink to the St. Louis metropolitan area. In 2011 CMT (Citizens for Modern Transit) changed its official mission to:
      “CMT leads advocacy efforts for an integrated, affordable, and convenient public transportation system with light rail expansion as the critical component that will drive economic growth to improve quality of life in the St. Louis region.”
       CMT is a big supporter of TOD in the St. Louis area, and are working to implement it. On their website, http://cmt-stl.org/, you can learn all about their mission, buy Metro Passes, learn about the Guaranteed Ride Home program, but the place I visit the most is their blog. They are consistently posting articles and comments about TOD, and not just TOD in St. Louis but throughout the United States.
       So far this has been a great learning tool for me. It has connected me with some of the people I am, or need to, speak with in the area, and has also helped narrow down some potential site locations. This week there was a blog posted about what tools are other cities using to bring TOD and joint development to their transportation systems? I am not going to spoil the whole article but here are some of the main points:

1. Marketing is going to be crucial to the success of any project.
2. TIF or Tax Increment Financing can help to bring investors in.
3. Coordination with roads.
4. Get the elected officials on board.
5. Zoning/Form Based Codes, these must be compatible to the goals of the projects.
6. Start with a Pilot Project, currently Denver has three pilot projects going to see what does and does not work.
7. Activate the streets.
8. Get transit agency employees on board, without their help it can kill a TOD project.
   
   There are many more interesting things to learn from CMT’s website. Check it out. Until next time…