Item 40 - eTOD
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:44 am
Colleagues,
I appreciated the dialogue regarding the eTOD resolution during yesterday’s work session. After hearing out the various concerns, I would like to offer additional clarity.
One of my biggest takeaways was the need to establish definitions, which I believe will provide a better understanding of the intent of the resolution.
Transit Oriented Development: Capital Metro defines TOD as “an attractive, walkable, and sustainable development pattern around high-capacity transit that maximizes Capital Metro's system ridership and offers Austin residents ample vibrant housing choices and convenient access to the City's jobs, services and diverse amenities.”
Equitable Transit Oriented Development: This is defined within the resolution as “development that enables all people regardless of income, race, ethnicity, age, gender, immigration status or ability to experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near transit hubs.”
High-capacity transit: The term “high-capacity transit” is defined in the Council-adopted ASMP as “Transit that carries a larger volume of passengers using larger vehicles and/or more frequent service than a standard fixed route bus system. High-capacity transit can operate on exclusive rights-of-way such as a rail track or dedicated pathway. The main goal of high-capacity transit is to provide faster, more convenient, and more reliable service for a larger number of passengers.”
The ASMP also states: “Establishing transit-supportive densities along planned high-capacity transit is essential to its success, and to securing federal transit funding, and should be a top priority. This also aligns with established City goals to add housing near transit, especially housing affordable to Austinites with lower incomes. Certain types of affordable housing also meet Federal Transit Authority funding criteria, so affordable housing investments near the Transit Priority Network should be steered to comply with these standards when possible in order to maximize our chances of receiving Federal funding.
The Project Connect high-capacity transit routes planned in Austin run through different types of built environments, including downtown, commercial centers, already-dense mixed-use neighborhoods, and areas dominated by detached, single-family homes. Transit-supportive densities are measured for routes as a whole. Planning should be flexible to take into account the existing character of neighborhoods and community input to appropriately allocate density within transit corridors, and we must plan to achieve the transit-supportive density appropriate for the planned mode of transit. The full range of planning tools should be used to establish these densities, including zoning reviews, small area plans, density bonuses, affordable housing investments, transit-oriented development zones, and revisions of the land development code, potentially including zoning entitlements and bonuses tied to the distance from transit. The portions of the Transit Priority Network not planned for high-capacity transit should have transit-supportive densities considered in land use planning, but are a lower priority." (Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, pg. 36)
I believe it is important for the language used in the resolution to remain consistent with the ASMP and to align with Capital Metro’s Project Connect goals.
It is critical to note that the intent of this resolution is to create recommendations for eTOD. It does not enact policies. When those recommendations come back to Council, we will then be able to deliberate which ones to implement and whether or not to adopt the plan.
Including high-capacity bus routes for consideration when providing recommendation and creating the eTOD policy plan is not only consistent with previously Council adopted plans and Project Connect’s implementation but is critical for equitably serving our low-income residents and communities of color who disproportionately rely on the bus.
As I mentioned previously, many residents in D1 and across our city lost their bus service in 2018 when Capital Metro overhauled its network. The difficult decisions made in that process were based on potential ridership, or lack thereof, mostly in areas further out from the core. Coincidentally, these are the same parts of town more and more of our transit-dependent residents are going to find housing they can afford. It’s my hope that this resolution will bring back recommendations that will help us support bus service in all parts of Austin by encouraging less car-oriented development and more affordable, mixed-income, neighborhood-scale, walkable complete communities envisioned in the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan.
Lastly, I believe amending the resolution to include the following additional language may help address some of the remaining concerns:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
The City Manager is directed, in coordination with Capital Metro, to include in the policy plan proposed tiers for eTOD designation and a proposed implementation timeline. The plan shall include context-sensitive criteria for designating such tiers on high-capacity transit areas, including type of transit service, street level, likelihood that the transit service may change, existing uses, risk of displacement, and any other appropriate criteria that will help meet the goals of this Resolution. Such tiers may include recommendations of not designating certain areas as eTOD, or providing recommendations related to transit-supportive land use that do not include zoning an area as TOD and/or eTOD. All such recommendations must prioritize affordability, increasing transit ridership, and displacement prevention.
Kind Regards,
Natasha
I appreciated the dialogue regarding the eTOD resolution during yesterday’s work session. After hearing out the various concerns, I would like to offer additional clarity.
One of my biggest takeaways was the need to establish definitions, which I believe will provide a better understanding of the intent of the resolution.
Transit Oriented Development: Capital Metro defines TOD as “an attractive, walkable, and sustainable development pattern around high-capacity transit that maximizes Capital Metro's system ridership and offers Austin residents ample vibrant housing choices and convenient access to the City's jobs, services and diverse amenities.”
Equitable Transit Oriented Development: This is defined within the resolution as “development that enables all people regardless of income, race, ethnicity, age, gender, immigration status or ability to experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near transit hubs.”
High-capacity transit: The term “high-capacity transit” is defined in the Council-adopted ASMP as “Transit that carries a larger volume of passengers using larger vehicles and/or more frequent service than a standard fixed route bus system. High-capacity transit can operate on exclusive rights-of-way such as a rail track or dedicated pathway. The main goal of high-capacity transit is to provide faster, more convenient, and more reliable service for a larger number of passengers.”
The ASMP also states: “Establishing transit-supportive densities along planned high-capacity transit is essential to its success, and to securing federal transit funding, and should be a top priority. This also aligns with established City goals to add housing near transit, especially housing affordable to Austinites with lower incomes. Certain types of affordable housing also meet Federal Transit Authority funding criteria, so affordable housing investments near the Transit Priority Network should be steered to comply with these standards when possible in order to maximize our chances of receiving Federal funding.
The Project Connect high-capacity transit routes planned in Austin run through different types of built environments, including downtown, commercial centers, already-dense mixed-use neighborhoods, and areas dominated by detached, single-family homes. Transit-supportive densities are measured for routes as a whole. Planning should be flexible to take into account the existing character of neighborhoods and community input to appropriately allocate density within transit corridors, and we must plan to achieve the transit-supportive density appropriate for the planned mode of transit. The full range of planning tools should be used to establish these densities, including zoning reviews, small area plans, density bonuses, affordable housing investments, transit-oriented development zones, and revisions of the land development code, potentially including zoning entitlements and bonuses tied to the distance from transit. The portions of the Transit Priority Network not planned for high-capacity transit should have transit-supportive densities considered in land use planning, but are a lower priority." (Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, pg. 36)
I believe it is important for the language used in the resolution to remain consistent with the ASMP and to align with Capital Metro’s Project Connect goals.
It is critical to note that the intent of this resolution is to create recommendations for eTOD. It does not enact policies. When those recommendations come back to Council, we will then be able to deliberate which ones to implement and whether or not to adopt the plan.
Including high-capacity bus routes for consideration when providing recommendation and creating the eTOD policy plan is not only consistent with previously Council adopted plans and Project Connect’s implementation but is critical for equitably serving our low-income residents and communities of color who disproportionately rely on the bus.
As I mentioned previously, many residents in D1 and across our city lost their bus service in 2018 when Capital Metro overhauled its network. The difficult decisions made in that process were based on potential ridership, or lack thereof, mostly in areas further out from the core. Coincidentally, these are the same parts of town more and more of our transit-dependent residents are going to find housing they can afford. It’s my hope that this resolution will bring back recommendations that will help us support bus service in all parts of Austin by encouraging less car-oriented development and more affordable, mixed-income, neighborhood-scale, walkable complete communities envisioned in the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan.
Lastly, I believe amending the resolution to include the following additional language may help address some of the remaining concerns:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
The City Manager is directed, in coordination with Capital Metro, to include in the policy plan proposed tiers for eTOD designation and a proposed implementation timeline. The plan shall include context-sensitive criteria for designating such tiers on high-capacity transit areas, including type of transit service, street level, likelihood that the transit service may change, existing uses, risk of displacement, and any other appropriate criteria that will help meet the goals of this Resolution. Such tiers may include recommendations of not designating certain areas as eTOD, or providing recommendations related to transit-supportive land use that do not include zoning an area as TOD and/or eTOD. All such recommendations must prioritize affordability, increasing transit ridership, and displacement prevention.
Kind Regards,
Natasha