1999 Grant Recipient Information
Pennsylvania

Implementing Transit Oriented Development in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area: Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) Corridor Station Area Planning and Implementation
Berks, Cheser, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, Pennsylvania

Abstract

The proposed project involves a coordinated, cooperative, region wide and focused transit oriented development (TOD) program, encompassing three concurrent components:

• A regional Location Efficient Mortgage (LEM) Product.
• A regional TOD advocacy and education support campaign.
• A prototype corridor case study to prepare five (5) transit station area plans, TOD regulations, consistent with current and forecasted real estate market conditions, and a concurrent, multi-media and technology-driven public participation process.

The proposed project strives to implement TOD principles and induce private sector investment in TODs by: (1) creating an innovative LEM Product that provides mortgage financing for housing in transit dense areas, (2) undertaking a region wide advocacy project to sow the seeds of public support for TODs, (3) producing a transit corridor-specific real estate market demand feasibility study that provide a greater level of understanding of TODs within the real estate community (thereby reducing the perceived risk to developers) and (4) preparing zoning ordinance language, to implement focused station area plans, that provides a supportive regulatory environment for TOD. The creative and innovative aspects of the overall program include: (1) the proposed LEM Product; (2) the timing of the planning and development regulations work and garnering public support for TOD, well in advance of implementing a major transportation investment; and (3) basing the development controls on a corridor and station-focused real estate market study.

The regional aspects of the program are complemented by the case study activities along the Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) corridor, that extends for approximately 62 miles, from Center City Philadelphia to Wyomissing Borough and the City of Reading in Berks County, traversing portions of Montgomery and Chester counties. Implementation of the three program components will accomplish the following outcomes:

• The Philadelphia Metropolitan Area will have in place an on-going LEM Product for application in the SVM corridor and other existing and proposed transit service areas.
• At the same time, individuals, organizations and local officials from communities throughout the region will be better informed about the goals and principles of transit oriented development.
• Communities, local officials and residents will be better equipped to shape expected growth around proposed rail station areas, by replicating the development tools and knowledge base obtained from the corridor case study.

Previous Page