Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns Along Three New Transit Lines

This report documents real estate development patterns along three recently constructed light rail transit lines in the United States: the Hiawatha Line in Minnesota, the Southeast Corridor in Colorado, and the Blue Line in North Carolina. Specifically, this report aims to give regions with planned or new light rail corridors a better sense of what to expect in terms of new development (based on actual experiences in regions with new transit lines), offer insight about the factors influencing development patterns near transit (as well as how the public sector can assist in realizing the market potential for transit-oriented development), and test analytical methods that are used by planners to identify areas that are more likely to redevelop or that are seen as better locations for transit-oriented development.