The New York State Department of Transportation wants local governments to plan new development in their towns according to principles of smart growth and transit-oriented development. To this end, NYSDOT launched the Smart Planning Program website (shown at right) in June as a resource for local decision-makers interested in linking land use and transportation [...]
Category Archives: Land Use-Transportation Connection
Best of the West: Could CA Legislation Work Here?
August 15, 2008 – 1:05 pm
A bill that is working its way through the California legislature may serve as a model for connecting land use and transportation here in the Tri-State area. The bill, SB 375, requires regional planning agencies to include a sustainability analysis, or “sustainable communities strategies,” in all regional transportation plans and provides incentives for towns [...]
A Better Use for Route 11 Dollars
August 11, 2008 – 4:14 pm
A recent op-ed in the Norwich Bulletin by Connecticut State Rep. Steve Mikutel is the latest attempt to build momentum for an extension of Route 11 and a widening of I-95 from Branford to the Rhode Island border. In June, State Rep. Ed Jutila sent an open letter to Governor Rell which also called for [...]
NYSDOT Smart Growth Test: Long Island’s Route 347
July 30, 2008 – 4:26 pm
The first page of a fifteen-page table of property acquisitions and temporary easements required if Rt. 347 is widened. From Rt. 347 Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Increasingly, the New York State Dept. of Transportation (NYSDOT) and its regional offices are acknowledging the need for a more smart growth oriented and sustainable transportation policy. For Long Island’s [...]
Good Choice: RPA, PPS to Lead Tappan Zee Corridor Land Use Training
July 14, 2008 – 2:16 pm
The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor study team has been virtually silent this summer, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Tri-State has learned that the study team has selected the Project for Public Spaces, Regional Plan Association, and Reconnecting America as consultants to administer transit-oriented development training for communities along the corridor. These are well-qualified [...]
Are Development Patterns the Foundation of the Housing Crisis?
June 24, 2008 – 4:56 pm
A fundamental belief at Tri-State is that land use planning and transportation planning are intrinsically linked, and that the failure to consider them in tandem has resulted in many of our current mobility problems. The current housing foreclosure crisis, and its reverberating impacts, may be another unexpected consequence of this failure.
While sub-prime loans have taken [...]
Trouble Ahead? TSTC Analysis of 2009 NJ Capital Plan
May 7, 2008 – 12:20 pm
A thorough review of New Jersey’s draft 2009 capital program offers some troubling insight into the Garden State’s future transportation priorities. In the short term, NJDOT continues to abide by its nationally recognized “fix-it-first” investment strategy, prioritizing road and bridge maintenance and repair over new capacity expansion. But beyond 2010, spending on new [...]
Governor Rell Nominates Transit Expert for Top ConnDOT Post
April 29, 2008 – 2:55 pm
Last week, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell nominated Joseph F. Marie to be the new head of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. In doing so, Governor Rell chose the first ever transit expert to lead the agency. According to the Governor’s press release, Mr. Marie, currently the Director of Operations and Maintenance [...]
MTA Gearing Up For Real Action on Transit-Oriented Development
April 25, 2008 – 1:24 pm
It seems like the MTA is finally taking transit-oriented development (TOD) seriously. The agency announced that it “is developing a region-wide TOD program to support local communities throughout the MTA service territory,” and has added a description of this program to its website, which includes a single point of contact for communities interested in TOD [...]
Land Use Focus Finally Comes to Tappan Zee Bridge Project
March 28, 2008 – 5:33 pm
On Tuesday, Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor project team consultant DMJM Harris quietly released a Request for Proposals, seeking the services of a contractor to perform transit-oriented development training for communities along the I-287 corridor. The development is a huge victory for TSTC and other groups, such as Scenic Hudson and Regional Plan Association, which have [...]
