Transit-oriented development

Wow, have you discovered post-cocktail posting? I think I'm enjoying the newer, snarkier Binyamin.

One of the peculiarities of the Massachusetts housing market (along with Beverly Hills prices for Jed Clampett properties) is the fact that so many people want to live in a walkable area with public transit, but can't. There used to be a natural progression from village to town to satellite city. By now, you would've expected Rozzie Village to have fully-rented store fronts, Medford Center to be hip and happening, and Arlington Center to be enjoying sleek new train service, bigger businesses, and more readily available booze. But cheap gas stopped that process. It's no accident that the last major downtown to develop in the U.S. was Detroit. Once people started living in their cars, distance disappeared and proximity became unimportant. And since this is Massachusetts, rampant NIMBYism plays a big role, too." I've got mine, so please don't sit by me."

Now that expensive transportation is here to stay, all that will change. But it won't change quickly, because people have forgotten how to build a city.

(I apologize in advance if this sounds like rambling, but I hope it will make sense to some of you)

The key to making these transit orientated properties more attractive is in the price and in the structure of the product offered. There must be an incentive to be on the outskirts of the city looking in. Most of these proposed developments are high service (high condominium fee) buildings. Price is and always will be the only incentive (balanced with local services and amenities). The key is to reduced services (i.e. condo fee's), but have these services close by (increase small business owners). This will allow the owners the option to pick and choose the services they want to pay for and relieve the high condo fee.
Bottom line even with these incentives the Boston commuter needs to be educated on the advantages to actually getting on the commuter rail. As the city grows so to should the commuter culture. Unfortunately, as prices continue to rise downtown it is time for the commuter culture to increase and to get on the commuter rail.
Finally cars are not a problem when they are parked. That's why transit oriented properties are the answer to the problem of congestion.

absolutely right. Amazing how often people who live in a city want to make it more suburban - the downtown boston opposition to businesses like restaurants and bars being a great example

"Smart growth" is just a way for liberals to destroy natural open spaces and still feel good when they drink their $6 cappuccinos in the morning. Smart growth should mean increasing density in already developed areas, but it is just being used by developers to put huge developments into what should be protected as our last remaining natural areas. Why? Because open land is cheaper to develop than it is to buy and knock down existing buildings. And the big developers have an interest in destroying the nature of the suburbs and herding people towards the center in order to increase the value of their existing land holdings. Otherwise, there is just too much land out there to sustain the high land values in the city.

"Smart growth" is just a way for liberals to destroy natural open spaces and still feel good when they drink their $6 cappuccinos in the morning

Gee, I thought it was a way for conservatives to keep all the minorities shoved into the inner city and still feel good when they spend $76 filling up their SUVs in the morning.

I can't imagine why that comment was approved, except as fair warning as to the quality of the content to follow. Apparently, developers who can't afford land in the city are filling up open spaces, and these new developments will keep expanding, sort of like those sponge toys that grow in water, until they start to push people's houses toward Boston, which they have secretly purchased, although a minute ago they couldn't afford it, thus making their land more valuable.

Genius.

Trying to figure out how Pat's rant against those awful liberals that ruin everything relates to Binyamin's post...

Forest Hills and Framingham would hardly be considered open space areas. And neither would the area proposed for Westwood Station. This is an old office and industrial park proposed for conversion to a high-density mixed use office/retail/residential complex. Sounds like a great reuse for an underutilized developed area.

I can understand why the Westwood Station site is more attractive to developers than downtown Framingham. While better highway access certainly plays a large part, the Westwood Station site is also next to Route 128 station, which offers Amtrak's Acela service to New York as well as MBTA commuter rail service.

I give Westwood some credit as a step in the right direction, at least, with access to one mode of transport other than cars. But like some other recent "smart growth" initiatives, its promise is overhyped. I once visited Celebration in Florida, one of the models for Westwood Station. True, the houses are cute, all have front porches, and you can easily walk to the town center from everywhere. However, that Center looks better on paper than it does in reality. It's a Disneyfied collection of one grocer, one ice cream shop, one post office that looks quaint and helps sell houses, but certainly doesn't suffice for your day to day errands. You still need a car to buy beer, get your hair cut, or visit any retailer the development doesn't "approve" of.

Bottom line, metro Boston has an ancient transit system that doesn't serve the places where people today actually live and work.

You can put more jobs and homes near the transit system, which is the idea behind "smart growth." But development like that is expensive and politically difficult.

At some point, we've also got to get the transit systems near the jobs and homes. It's amazing how many densely populated areas are not within walking distance to the T or shopping districts, including parts of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, and how many suburban office parks are accessible only by car. I don't know the answer. Maybe it's time to look at PRT.

Pat, I live around there, and if it sounded like they were talking about carving out a chunk of the Arnold Arboretum, or removing trees at the edge of Franklin Park or one of the cemeteries to add new shops, etc, I'd agree with you. But filling in already open spaces above/across the ugly, fenced train tracks and encouraging more activity around Forest Hills station doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world, theoretically.
(Also, maybe they'll renovate the bridge that takes you on the Arborway "over" the station too, because the thing has neglected expansion joints and terrible pavement that makes you bounce the whole way across it. My suspension does not need any more of a workout, thanks.)

Anyway, I do wonder what they'll build in the way of "affordable housing"- probably more overpriced condos in an attempt to gentrify the neighborhood like they're doing down the street. And how do "they" determine which businesses should be brought in? Are we targeting CVS & Shaw's (not found unless you go to W. Roxbury) or Starbucks & Whole Foods (pricey for many existing locals)?

"At some point, we've also got to get the transit systems near the jobs and homes."

I don't normally agree with Marcus, but this time, this is right on the money. The reality is 128 has a significant number of jobs and communities, and in the past decade or so, it has expanded around the 495/Mass Pike area. No longer are people bound to commutes into Boston.

We hear people saying that those in the suburbs and ex-hurbs with 1/2 hour commutes at $4 p/gal gas are crazy. Many have to do this because they work on 128 or 495 - NOT Boston. What choice is there but the car?

Wow there is allot of "Hot Air" in this blog. People want to argue about liberasl or conservatives should go run for office. Transit orientated properties are a logistical solution to the HUGE commuter problem and environmental problem of gases spilled into the atmosphere when each car is stopping and going or idling for that matter. Bottom line if your car is parked and you can walk to a train to get to work faster it is better for the environment, traffic conditions, and hopefully cosmetically more pleasing to the eye.

If nothing else, at least it has a Wegmans.