Two new mixed-use infill transit-oriented developments (TODs) in Texas, one recently completed and the other in the planning and design phase, illustrates a growing interest among developers, municipalities and communities in the economic and quality-of-life benefits associated with creating a new “sense of place” around rail-transit stations.

Cityville Southwestern Medical District (SWMD), Dallas, is a mixed-use infill development, which is in the first phase, comprised of 265 units, 15 town homes, and 40,000 square feet of retail space on a 5.7-acre parcel of land bordering Parkland Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.  

The first of several phases of a complete urban renewal of a greyfield site, it was comprised of decapitated factories and outdated warehouses. It is adjacent to a new Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) line and station and across the street from the site of the hospital’s future expansion.

Crestview Station, located about eight miles north of downtown Austin at an upcoming multimodal transit station, is an 80-acre development comprised of approximately 200-300 homes, 700-800 residential units and 60,000 square feet of commercial retail and office space.    

Why the growing interest in a mixed-use infill approach to urban revitalization?  

When this type of development is the result of effective planning and urban design, it facilitates urban revitalization in several important ways. It creates a cohesive sense of place for residents, business patrons, and commuters. It addresses mobility issues through smart growth and proximity to public transportation. And it enhances economic development, providing a robust environment for retail and commercial businesses and generating increased tax revenues.

When it meets the fundamental tenets of retail/commercial development — that is, the right location, visibility, population demographics, and a critical mass to support such ventures — a rail transit stop can serve as the ideal catalyst for such urban revitalization.  

Cityville SWMD: Private Initiative, Public Support  
SWMD comprises a number of major academic and community healthcare facilities, including Parkland Hospital, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. There are more than 20,000 people employed in the district and some 4,000 students in the medical and allied health care professions. An extension of the DART line through the district and an associated transit station are scheduled to be in operation in 2010. Parkland Hospital is in the process of an expansion program in fulfillment of its master plan.

The growth of SWMD as a healthcare service destination and the extension of DART through the district made this a promising site for a mixed-use development.  The 15-acre site purchased for the Cityville project by this lead developer, Inland American Communities and its retail partner, Greenway Investment Co., was an area of deteriorating former manufacturing facilities.

As designed by James, Harwick + Parnters, Inc. (JH+P), Cityville SWMD features an urban retail plaza across from the upcoming DART station as the “entrance” to a new community, serving as a center of activity linking the public with residents. The highest density retail/residential development is comprised of above ground apartments and ground-floor retail space — designed primarily for restaurants, entertainment venues and service businesses — in four- and five-story building configurations at Motor Street. As one moves farther away from the DART station along Bengal Street, the density transitions to two-story town homes, which lie along the urban edge and southern periphery of the development.  

Along Motor Street, wide sidewalks with distinctive paving patterns, building setbacks, and extensive landscaping provide an ideal environment for pedestrian traffic, outdoor cafes and other gathering spaces. Short-term, on-street parking accommodates shoppers and diners. This wide section of Motor Street is being transformed into a tree-lined boulevard landscaped median. The site features a slip road of retail parking along with a long-term structured parking, short-term on-street parking, and graceful sidewalks.

The synergy created by private initiative and public participation is a key to the success of an urban mixed-use/infill development.

In the case of Cityville SWMD, JH+P worked with FirstWorthing (Inland American Communities) to rezone the site and develop a planned district, which enables development of a high-density, mixed-use development with shared-parking reductions. In turn, the development/design team worked with the City of Dallas Economic Development Office and Planning Department to develop a Tax Increment Financing district that will infuse approximately $10 million for infrastructure improvements.

Because this was a blighted area in a highly visible location, the proposed development enthusiastically received the city’s support. The development/design team approached the effort in a cooperative spirit, open to the concerns of the city and surrounding neighborhood. Indeed, the team made it clear that its goal was to weave the development into the fabric of the community — not to drive it in like a wedge. Moreover, city officials had developed a level of trust based on the track record of previous projects completed by FirstWorthing and JH+P in Dallas.

The development/design team applied for a Sustainable Development Grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), a voluntary association of Municipalities established to boost regional development. NCTCOG provides funding for projects related to transportation infrastructure, land banking, center of development excellence, and local sustainable development programs.

The organization’s funding goals are to expand rail service accessibility, support transit-oriented developments, and support local infill developments. Projects must meet minimum criteria for transportation infrastructure. They must be consistent with NCTCOG’s areas of interest, properly zoned, and involve a public/private partnership (www.nctcog.org). Other selection criteria include:

• Housing-income match

• Workforce housing near transit

• Areas with high-emitting vehicles

• Density/walkability

• Mix of residential and non-residential uses

NCTCOG awarded the Cityville SWMD project a grant for infrastructure, streetscaping and other improvements.

The developers broke ground on the first phase in September 2005 and it opened in the spring of 2007.

Crestview Station: A New Community and Place Woven into Established Neighborhoods
The commercial and mixed-use section of Crestview, a 25-acre mixed-use infill community, is being developed by Trammel Crow/High Street Residential on a total parcel of 80 acres in Austin’s northern technology enterprise corridor. The initial mixed-use phases of development will comprise 60,000 square feet of commercial retail/office space and approximately 700-800 residential units. Later, single-family dwelling phases will add another 200-400 homes.

The developer is partnering with the Austin transit authority, Capitol Metro, to integrate the design of infrastructure to support an upcoming (2009) multi-modal transit station — a combination train, bus and “kiss-and-ride” hub.  

As in Cityville SWMD, JH+P planned the first phases of the Crestview development with higher density residential/retail near the transit hub, transitioning to lower density town homes. A future phase to the north of the hub will develop single-family home lots.

A “Main Street” entry boulevard and a central plaza establish a gateway to Crestview. In the interior area of the development, the planners and architects placed building fronts adjacent to the edge of the street to create a streetscape with a distinct urban character. Street-level store fronts with multifamily housing above and “live-work flex” units are integral to this concept.

In contrast, multi-family housing fronting Lamar Boulevard, a busy eight-lane road running to downtown Austin, is set back from the road behind a row of mature ash trees serves as a buffer with additional new trees adding even more screening.

The development is being planned primarily to attract young urban professionals who require affordable leases yet desire a distinctive “place” and sense of community.

This diversity and uniqueness is a quality found throughout Austin and is part of the city’s character. Thus the planners and architects were charged with designing the housing to be efficient and economical but still exuding character and detail. For example, residential building height is largely limited to three stories to avoid costly elevators.

The designs rely on simple and efficient building forms. Open garages eliminate the need for ventilation and fire sprinkler systems. Parking ratios which are based on realistic/real-world urban dwelling ratios, TOD influences and shared parking reductions are also methods being used to reduce construction cost.

The Right Combination
As these two projects in Texas illustrate, success requires a combination of factors: first, the right location, visibility, population demographics, and critical mass to support such a venture; second, a productive interaction between private initiative and public involvement; and, finally, a design vision that creates a place where people want to live, work and play.

Creating a new “people-oriented place” on rail and transit lines for residents, customers and commuters has enormous potential as a catalyst for urban revitalization. Little wonder that this approach is receiving increased attention from communities across the United States. SLDT