BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES THROUGH TRANSPORTATION NEW JERSEY TRANSIT BACKGROUND TO THE TRANSIT-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

In the last 15 years, more than $7.5 billion has been spent to repair, rehabilitate, expand, and join all of New Jersey's passenger lines – all operated by NJ TRANSIT -- into one seamless transit system. With planned new light rail lines, an interconnected rail network of more than 200 stations will serve the majority of state residents. Millions of residents living near 80 of these stations will have enhanced access throughout New Jersey and to midtown Manhattan within the next five years. These significant investments will have a dramatic impact on transit ridership and on the downtowns surrounding these stations. On lines served by NJ TRANSIT's new MidTOWN Direct service, which provides direct access to Manhattan, ridership is already up 40 percent . With the new transfer stations light rail lines, more communities will feel greater development pressures at existing stations to provide increased access – and will gain opportunities to create new centers of community life.

This program…

is designed to help rail passenger communities better understand and leverage the community development opportunities that accompany these transit improvements. Through workshops and technical assistance, PPS is working with NJ TRANSIT and a broad partnership of non-profit groups to help communities address key issues, such as:

• How to use a train station as a catalyst for community development

• Developing design and planning strategies to take full advantage of a train station

• Creating partnerships to plan and implement a community's vision for its station and surrounding district

NJ TRANSIT's new "Transit-Friendly Communities" program provides an opportunity for 4-6 selected communities to receive technical and financial assistance to better link stations to their surrounding districts – and become models for other towns and cities in New Jersey. Technical assistance will be provided beginning in 2000.

Funding for this initiative has been provided, in part, by a TCSP (Transportation and Communities and System Preservation) grant to New Jersey Transit from the US Department of Transportation.

WORKSHOPS RAISE AWARENESS OF TRAIN STATION POTENTIAL

"Leveraging Train Stations to Build Better Communities" Workshop Results

PROJECT PARTNERS

• Two established, yet innovative not-for-profit organizations (Project for Public Spaces. Inc. and Regional Plan Association) who have the technical ability and previous experience necessary to examine local and regional planning involving transit, highway and street related issues in the community;
• A state-wide not-for-profit organization (New Jersey Future, Inc.) that has been in the forefront of advancing the precepts of New Jersey land use and sustainable development throughout the state;
• A state-wide membership organization (Downtown New Jersey) that is dedicated to strengthening downtowns in New Jersey;
• The Rutgers (University) Transportation Policy Institute which will evaluate results of the project and provide student assistance with demonstration projects; and

• The New Jersey Office of State Planning, the state organization responsible for oversight and implementation of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Steve Davies or Cynthia Nikiktin at Project for Public Spaces:

sdavies@pps.org

cnikitin@pps.org

Rick Mariani, Senior Director,

Model Stations and Shelters Program, NJ TRANSIT

CEDCLRM@njtransit.state.nj.us