This report is a follow-up to a previous study by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD), Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns Along Three Recently Constructed Rail Lines. It revisits the three regions explored in Rails to Real Estate to take a closer look at where development did and did not occur in terms of eight development contexts that are commonly found around transit stations. In addition, it provides a more detailed look at the opportunities and challenges involved in fostering transit-oriented development in different types of neighborhoods, and discusses strategies that may be appropriate for catalyzing transportation-oriented development (TOD) depending on the development context.

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.

Transit is a powerful force for facilitating employment density and therefore, reaping the benefits of firms and people clustering together in cities. In order to counter the rising trend towards job sprawl (which holds important equity implications), policy makers at the local and regional levels are posing transit as a central mechanism for concentrating future employment growth in higher density, more accessible districts. This report explores how industries vary in their proclivity to locate in higher density, transit-served locations and assesses which industries have experienced recent growth near transit in absolute numbers. The outcome of this analysis is a better understanding of the types of industries that may have a greater propensity to be transit-oriented.

Through the examination of case studies, this report provides an evaluation of planning and implementation efforts developing out of the Pennsylvania Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) Act. Since its passage in 2004, this law has been cited as a model for fostering transit-oriented development. This report aims to assess TRID’s strengths and weaknesses, and in particular, offers reasons and solutions for TRID’s lack of use in implementation financing.