ACCESS AND LIVABILITY: Transit Oriented Development, Nashville’s Northwest Link

ACCESS AND LIVABILITY

Transit Oriented Development Nashville’s Northwest Link

Transit Oriented Development

Nashville’s Northwest Link

This book was prepared for the Nashville Area MPO and designed and written by Eric Hoke, Design Fellow, Nashville Civic Design Center. Significant contributions were provided by Gary Gaston, Design Director, Nashville Civic Design Center, author TK Davis, Associate Professor at The University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Architecture and Design (UTK CoAD), and Susan Steffenhagen Nashville Civic Design Center intern.

This book was edited by Gary Gaston, Design Director, Nashville Civic Design Center. The Nashville Civic Design Center would like to give special thanks to TK Davis and the UTK CoAD students.

The mission of the Nashville Civic Design Center is to elevate the quality of Nashville’s built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all. Towards this end, the Nashville Civic Design Center: Promotes the Ten Principles of The Plan of Nashville, a vision for growth and development, created and endorsed by the citizens of Nashville; Educates the public about civic design through lectures by prominent speakers and workshops; Provides professional staff and highly-qualified design interns to consult on civic and other community development projects; Facilitates public dialogue about civic design and its impact through the Urban Design Forum. The Forum meets monthly at the Civic Design Center, provides events, lectures and an open forum for the debate of ideas and issues of interest to its members; Researches and publishes reports on various civic design issues.

www.civicdesigncenter.org June 2015

Foreword

4

Introduction

6

Precedents

8

Projects

20

Martin Luther King Jr. Station Plaza Saltillo Crestview Union Station

UTK Urban Design Studio North Gulch TOD Team A Team B Tennessee State University TOD Team C Team D

Implementation

38

Conclusion

42

Real World Projects Tool Box

CONTENTS

3

Foreword Middle Tennessee has seen exponential growth in population, employment and housing over the recent decade. As this growth continues, transportation costs are quickly rising to be the second-highest household expense. Increasing transportation and housing options, creating multi-use, transit-oriented development and limiting time spent commuting will vastly improve our quality of life and economic competitiveness.

This book explores case studies of successful transit-oriented developments from around the United States and offers recommendations for a route along Middle Tennessee’s northwest corridor, a critical route from Nashville to Clarksville.

This corridor was originally identified in the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) 2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) as a key connection in Middle Tennessee’s mass transit vision. This recommendation was supported by the MPO’s 2008 feasibility study which produced potential alignments for commuter rail, route improvements, capital costs and preliminary operations budget for the corridor between Clarksville and Nashville. Expanding upon that work, in early 2015 the MPO and the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) launched a Northwest Corridor Study to examine cost effective transit improvements in the northwest corridor to connect travelers to destinations (work, school, shopping, entertainment, etc.) and address anticipated traffic growth and congestion along Interstate 24. The case studies presented in this book illustrate how Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) would enhance future investments along this northwest corridor.

FOREWORD

The research and evaluations done by students from the University of Tennessee, in partnership with the Nashville Civic Design Center, provide valuable perspectives on the purpose and value of transit-oriented development along the northwest corridor. The students’ work marries land use and transportation solutions to address economic growth and our region’s expected increase in population. Additionally, the concepts and renderings presented in the book will help illustrate what is possible along this route and offer inspiration for design concepts.

Partnerships like this elevate awareness of the link between the built environment and our quality of life. As the demand for transit in the region grows, examples in this book illuminate specific benefits TOD brings to our communities. Moreover, this book assists the Nashville Area MPO in communicating the necessary alignment of transportation policies, plans, and funding programs with quality growth around transit. Furthering this concept will ensure transportation dollars and development support community preference and prosperity in the region.

FOREWORD

5

Introduction Creating a link to the northwest corridor of Nashville via fixed guideway transit will promote more environmental and healthier living for people in those areas as well as downtown. A connection of this range is just one step to a more sustainable region. The economy and population of Nashville is blooming rapidly. Smarter housing is necessary to maintain and encourage growth. By designing areas of living that endorse public transportation and walkability; a greater populace will take interest in Middle Tennessee allowing expansion of Nashville with ease.

In the long-term vision for the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan a rail proposed by Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will connect The Gulch to Clarksville.

Seven potential stops are identified along this connection.

The communities that this new commuter rail will serve will experience dramatic evolution from these stations. New foot and bike traffic will spur from each station allowing local residents to painlessly commute to downtown Nashville. Likewise, these area’s will see and influx in downtown Nashville residents exploring areas north of the city.

The Northwest Corridor Transit Study is a transit based corridor study that will be undertaken in accordance with processes established by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

While the FTA no longer requires that applicants complete an Alternatives Analysis (AA) study, following the previously outlined AA process is generally advisable as it will yield products, analysis and information which may be used in further project development.

Both RTA and the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) are currently undertaking a strategic planning process.

The Northwest Corridor Transit Study will be coordinated with the RTA and MTA strategic planning process to ensure that public involvement and outreach activities don’t overlap or create confusion for the public and other interested stakeholders.

The communities that the rail will serve are prime areas to set up transit oriented development. Constructing mixed use buildings near each stop will spawn healthier living for each local environment. This type of building will encourage a nonautomotive lifestyle, making it possible to live, work and play by using public transportation.

Designing communities that are not limited to the auto-centric life style are important for Middle Tennessee to embrace.

According to MPO, the population will grow to more than 3 million people by the year 2040. As Nashville grows, there are more cars are on the road making daily commutes longer.

Nashvillians must adopt another form of transportation to make a more sustainable environment. The towns that the northwest rail will accommodate are perfect places to begin the evolution of rail focused living.

INTRODUCTION

Student rendering of North Gulch rail transit stop

Student rendering of Tennessee State University transit stop

INTRODUCTION

7

What Is TOD? Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) incorporates high densities, mixed-uses, mixed types and prices of housing, and reduced parking requirements. The intent is to produce a walkable, pedestrian-friendly environment, where the design of high quality public space is prioritized. The virtues of transitoriented development are that it enhances quality of life for its residents, improves public health by virtue of encouraging walking rather than driving, leads to economic development, contributes to community character through the design of public space, is inherently environmentally sustainable, and increases transit ridership.

Precedents

Red Line

Austin, TX

A rail line that connects towns north of Austin to its downtown

Martin Luther King Jr. Station Austin, TX

Vacant lots near MLK station were turned to TOD

Plaza Saltillo Austin, TX

Rail station serves at a town center for new TOD

Crestview Austin, TX

Industrial area turned TOD

Union Station Denver, CO

New rail lines spur new more TOD in downtown Denver

Red Line

Austin, TX

Capital Metro’s first rail line, the Red Line, began serving the Austin, Texas area on March 22, 2010. This passenger train operates on existing freight tracks along a 32-mile distance between Austin and Leander. Within this commute are nine stations, three of which are park and ride. During the initial nine months, ridership was relatively low, typically around 800 total trips per rider on an avarage weekday. Within one year, daily ridership increased to 1,600. Today, the average daily ridership is 2,500 passengers. In the following case studies, three of the first Transit-Oriented Developments – Plaza Saltillo, Martin Luther King Jr., and Crestview – will be explored.

Austin’s Red Line train

PRECEDENTS

9

M Station Apartments

MLK Jr. Station

View from M Station Apartments

Martin Luther King Jr. Station Austin, TX

Chestnut Plaza single family home

Martin Luther King, Jr. Station, located in central East Austin, is approximately one mile from the University of Texas campus. The areas surrounding the railroad were significantly undeveloped due to the site’s previous industrial use. This site is served by two major east-to-west thoroughfares, which run through the neighborhood. Local residents sought assurance that the rail line’s adjacent vacant properties would be developed sustainably, ultimately focusing on the impact of development next to the station, ensuring that it would not overflow into the surrounding neighborhood.

One of the first major projects in the Martin Luther King, Jr. TOD area is the M Station Apartments. Opened in 2011, M Station offers 150 residential units, with many reserved as affordable housing for lower income families. More specifically, there are 15 affordable housing units reserved for residents with an income that is 30% or less of the median family income, and 75 units for families with an income that is 50% or less than the median income. These apartments have also been named Platinum LEED Certified – 2012 Property of the Year. Some sustainable characteristics include Energy Star appliances and usage of solar energy, in addition to M Station being a smokefree environment.

Another major development located near the Station is Chestnut Plaza – a public central plaza intended to act as a community center, developed on a previously 36.5 acre brownfield site, the Featherlite Tract of East Austin’s Chestnut Neighborhood.

Chestnut Plaza has drawn in several nonprofit organizations, such as Sustainable Food Center and Theater Action Project.

Other potential future contributions to the area include a community garden and a nursing facility for seniors.

Single family home on Miriam Ave

P R E C E D E N T S 11

Mixed use retail and residential along transit line

Farmers market in Plaza Saltillo

PRECEDENT

Plaza Saltillo Austin, TX

as over sixteen thousand square feet of pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and ground-level retail. Approximately 16 percent of these apartments will be affordable housing as well. The Corazon Development, and Plaza Saltillo area as a whole, strives to achieve what the residents are desiring – retail space not filled with national chain stores, but rather local, neighborhood businesses.

Located in East Austin at 5th and Comal Streets, Plaza Saltillo is conveniently located near downtown Austin. In 2007, this area was predominately industrialized, but had apparent opportunity and potential for mixed-use development along the MetroRail Station. One thing developers quickly realized, however, was that residents in different areas had varying visions for their neighborhoods, and a variety of goals they wished to be achieved.

The residents around Plaza Saltillo expressed that they wanted an established framework which promoted growth, but continued to preserve the neighborhood’s unique character as well.

The Rail Station, the driving force behind current and upcoming TOD development, provides many accommodations and conveniences to encourage local homeowners and employees to utilize the train. Ticket vending machines and validators, as well as digital signs providing real-time train arrival information make it easy for passengers to both buy tickets and be made aware that their train is either arriving on time or delayed. Additionally, lighting and accessible ramps contribute to the overall safety and accessibility of anyone and everyone. Lastly, biking passengers can securely store their bike in the MetroBike Shelter, which holds up to 24 bikes at a time. As alternative transportation to the rail system, Plaza Saltillo is also accessible to three buses – the 4 Montopolis, 17 Cesar Chavez, and 320 St. Johns.

Bike shelter

Plaza Saltillo is by no means fully developed, however. In June 2014, Endeavor Real Estate and Columbus Realty’s proposal to develop a 10-acre former rail yard site was selected. Designed

by Michael Hsu, this plan proposes 800 new residential units.

Two hundred of these are intended to be set aside as affordable housing, and another portion as senior housing. Additionally, a grocery store will be placed along the I-35 frontage street.

Also currently being developed and constructed is the Corazon Development, which is in between East Sixth and Fifth Streets.

This $35 million project encompasses 256 apartments, as well

Main entrance to Plaza Saltillo

P R E C E D E N T S 13

Crestview apartment building

View from Crestview station

PRECEDENT

Crestview single family home

Crestview Austin, TX

Crestview, located north of both the Plaza Saltillo and Martin Luther King, Jr. Stations, is approximately 3.5 miles north of the University of Texas-Austin campus. This area was previously a mixture of low-density commercial development and older, established neighborhoods. The primary goal of the Crestview residents was to reduce traffic congestion through pedestrianoriented development, as opposed to development catered to automobiles.

The Crestview site was a chemical research facility from 1949 until 2005.

The major residential project in Crestview is Midtown Commons. This is a 73-acre transit village located on West St. John’s Avenue. Within this complex are 316 residential units (urban lofts, luxury apartments, and artist studio spaces). The transit village is within walking distance of various office and retail spaces. This reclaimed industrial site has transformed into a desirable, sustainable residential site receiving a rating of 3 Stars from the Austin Energy Green Building Program.

The Crestview vision includes single family homes, apartment, ball fields, and 150,000 square feet of office and retail space

P R E C E D E N T S 15

Main entrance to Union Station

Interior view of the new train shed

Aerial rendering of new park, train shed and buildings

Union Station, Denver TOD Denver, CO

In December 2012, Denver, Colorado’s historical Union Station underwent construction, anticipated to cost around $500 million, to transform a landmark into a mixed-use, transitoriented hub for the city and region, with plans for it to open in July 2014. After the grand opening, this hub will then be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Within the upper levels will be the 112-room Crawford Hotel.

The hotel is named after Dana Crawford, a Union Station Alliance partner, and will be managed by Denver’s Sage Hospitality.

The retail spaces will be managed by Larimer Associates. The intended plan is for ten separate restaurants and retail stores to occupy in excess of 22,000 square feet of ground floor. Three restaurants which have already been announced as Union Station occupants are Fruition Restaurant, Snooze, an A.M Eatery, and The Kitchen Next Door. In addition to the hotel and retail, Union Station will also feature a 12,000 square foot public common area, the Train Hall, and a 40,000 square foot outdoor plaza.

As far as transit access is concerned, Union Station will be served by numerous transit options. For example the Train Hall will provide eight tracks for passenger rail service and Amtrak. The Hall will be capable of handling 10,000 people per hour. The 16th Street Mall Shuttle, which is free, will add an additional stop next to the Consolidated Main Line’s (CML) new light rail platforms. This will ultimately connect Civic Center to the Platte River, as well as provide connectivity between LRT, commuter rail, and the historic Station. Finally, the Regional Bus Facility, which replaced Market Street Station, will be located underground between light rail platforms and the historic Station. This bus facility will feature twenty-two bays – sixteen of which are for regional and express buses, four reserved for the Downtown Circulator, and the remaining two for other commercial carriers or additional services.

Pedestrian bridge connects residential buildings to public transportation

DaVita World Headquarters moved from California to the Union Station area to allow it’s employees a more affordable and sustainable place to live.

P R E C E D E N T S 17

Establishing TOD Nashville Area MPO is spearheading a major push towards mass transit in the Middle Tennessee Region. Nashville region now has a population of 1.6 million individuals. In the next 25 years, experts project the population to grow by one million more people. The implications of this growth in public transit and housing are profound.

Students from University of Tennessee worked together to develop master plans for the urban design of two “transitready” sites. Two projected locations on the future Nashville / Clarksville rail transit (LRT) corridor were studied as the focus areas. MPO requested that the students study 35 contiguous acres of the North Gulch in Downtown Nashville, including a future LRT station, and an future initial transit stop to at Tennessee State University (TSU) / Jefferson Street.

The students focused on the architectural design and development of individual building and public space components of their master plans. Each student in the team was responsible for a urban design component of the master plan as urban architecture and public space design.

Transit-Ready Development (TRD) is a sub-category of TransitOriented Development (TOD). TRD is designed for a context that is anticipated in the future, but does not yet have, major public transit.

TOD is generally defined as development located within a 2,000-foot radius walk from a major public transit stop, where the urban design and development is closely integrated with transit to maximize their synergy.

Because the existing zoning on the site pre-dates the anticipation of public transit stops, the students modified the existing zoning, parking requirements and building codes to maximize the unique potential of transit-oriented development. Therefore, a knowing advocacy for variances or modification of the existing legal parameters was necessary to recognize the unique potential of the transit stop for new scales and enhanced density of conventional development, consistent with “national best practices.”

All projects were drawn to depict full build-out, and were conceived and diagrammatically represented as three logical phases of development. Each master plan is assumed to commence immediately in anticipation of LRT’s eventual arrival at an undetermined time, though no sooner than five years, and no later than 25 years. The master plans were designed to allow for the dynamics of change over time, based on unforeseen economic and social circumstances. Displacement of existing homeowners on or adjacent to the site were minimized.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Clarksville

CHEATHAM COUNTY

Ashland City Rail

DAVIDSON COUNTY

Bordeaux Tennessee State University

Cumberland River

Meharry

Gulch

County Lines

Map of rail from Nashville to Clarksville

P R O J E C T S 19

UTK CoAD Partnership Rail The Nashville Civic Design Center maintains a strong partnership with the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Architecture and Design (UTK CoAD). Through this partnership, NCDC coordinates various studies throughout the year that allow architecture students to study potential “real world� projects in Nashville. As a part of this collaborative effort, NCDC partnered with UTK CoAD faculty member TK Davis in the Fall 2013 semester. Students were asked to analyze potential TOD for the North Gulch and Tennessee State University, and envision what the future could hold in a new urban plan.

Satellite view of Tennessee State University Site

PROJECTS

Site Border

Station

Satellite view of North Gulch Site

Existing rails between TSU and North Gulch stations

Rail necessary to connect TSU and North Gulch

Only 500 feet of new rail construction would be necessary to connect existing rails to future stations

It is a 2.4 mile train ride between the proposed TSU station and the North Gulch station.

P R O J E C T S 21

Team A - Capital View / North Gulch Bud Archer Ryan Stechmann Jack Wimsatt

The most important move in this North Gulch proposal is the formation of a “Gateway Plaza” on the east–west axis of the State Capitol. Its eastern vista focuses on the Capitol, as advocated by the Tenth Principle in The Plan of Nashville. This public space would be activated by retail, including a Target and a Whole Foods Market, or their equivalent. A glass covered but open-air arcade, inspired by Nashville’s Downtown Arcade, is proposed for Gay Street to tie together the east and west flanks of the North Gulch as a pedestrian experience. The Rail Transit Station is located to the north of Charlotte Avenue.

Aerial view

PROJECTS

This urban design project terminates the axis of 12th Avenue with a hotel tower. A greenway is brought into the North Gulch parallel to the CSX railroad tracks, linking the Bicentennial Mall and Farmers Market with both the North and South Gulch neighborhoods.

Several surface parking lots for the NES and AT+T utilities are redeveloped as urban blocks, in a public-private partnership.

Housing and commercial space in these blocks wrap around new parking structures. The wye of the railroad tracks is developed with townhouses and a small, triangulated dog park, featuring the historic stone archway of the railroad embankment bridge.

Finally, six structures of progressively increasing height towards Rosa Park Boulevard sit atop a two to three-story parking structure, lined by lobbies and light commercial uses along James Robertson Parkway.

This completes the contextual radial setting for the magnificent State Capitol Building. This site to the east of the railroad embankment is currently a vast state-owned surface parking lot.

Bruton Snuff Marathon Motor Works State Capitol

The Hermitage Nashville Electric Service Lifeway Public Library

Frist Center Union Station The Tennessean

Master plan

Landmarks

Existing site & amenities

Gateway Plaza section elevation

Strickland Park section elevation

11 North Arcade section elevation

P R O J E C T S 23

City Target, Seattle, WA

Existing figure ground drawing Gateway Plaza rendering

Presedents

Major street Minor street Traffic loop Proposed figure ground drawing

Street layouts key

Programming

City Garden, St. Louis, MO

Jamison Square, Portland, OR

Programming

4th St Live, Louisville KY

Strickland Park rendering

Programming

11 Norht Arcade rendering

Presedents and sketches

Charlotte

Jo Johnston

12 Ave Loop

11 Ave

Station Loop

10 Ave Row Houses

One way A&B

One way C

One way D One way E

One way F

P R O J E C T S 25

Team B - Capital View / North Gulch Geneva Hill Laura Flores Whitney Manahan

This North Gulch project proposes a major new civic space be located on the western axis of the State Capitol, with a water feature, planting beds, a cineplex, and to its west, a grocery store.

Retail and office space line the flanks of this new “Capitol View Square.� The Rail Transit Station would prominently bridge over Charlotte Avenue parallel to the CSX railroad track headed west.

Twelfth Avenue is brought into the North Gulch and redirected westbound under the elevated interstate highway to connect with the adjacent Marathon neighborhood. The wye of the railroad tracks are reinterpreted as a neighborhood park in the city, complete with an urban orchard. On what is now a state-owned surface parking lot, five towers fan out along James Robertson Parkway to complement the context of the historic State Capitol Building.

A greenway is proposed to connect the Farmers Market and Bicentennial Mall area with the Bruton Smith factory, and would extend to the South Gulch. This anticipates the eventual adaptive reuse of the factory complex with other mixed uses.

A linear art park is proposed as an episode along the greenway between the Broadway and Demonbreun Street bridges.

This sculpture park would link the North and South Gulch neighborhoods to the Frist Museum and the Arts Redevelopment District via a stair up to the Demonbreun Street bridge, reinforcing this street as the major east-west cultural street in the city, linking a wide variety of venues from the riverfront to the Musica Roundabout.

Longitudinal site section

Proposed axonometric

Transverse site section

Existing site and amenities

Capitol view Greenway connection Pedestrian connection

Green space Urban space

Greenway pedestrian & B Cycle 11th Ave - pedestrian

Main vehicular paths rail line Bus rapid transit line

5 min walking radius Area center

Phasing & parcels

P R O J E C T S 27

Green roof

Office

View from bridge to South Gulch

Retail + amenities Comerical

Typical mixed use building

Urban route Greenway route

Transit Amenities

Capital View Square (view to the east)

Frist Art Walk presedents

PROJECTS

Frist Art Greenway

Frist City Art Park (view to the north)

View from train lookout

Green roof

10th & Harrison

Rail stop section

Residential

Comerical

Typical residential building

L & N Orchard (view to the south)

Bruton Square at night

Rail stop plan

Rail stop elevation

North Gulch (rail transit stop) 14% public space

20% affordable housing 18% residential

(2M sqft, 1800 units)

8% retail

(900K sqft)

924 street parking spaces

2% hotel

24% parking

(250K sqft, 440 units)

(2.5M sqft, 7400 spaces)

General North Gulch TOD statistics

22% office (2.4M sqft)

13% light office (1.4M sqft)

P R O J E C T S 29

Team C - TSU / Jefferson Street: Catherine Felton Jared Wilkins Steven Whitmore

This team imagines the Tennessee State University (TSU) / Jefferson Street site development to be an aggregation of small, relatively dense and pedestrian-friendly villages, each with their own character. The Rail Transit Station is centrally located at a logical place to serve both the existing neighborhood to the east and new development to the west. The entire wetland coming onto the site, on both sides of Ed Temple Boulevard, is both retained and reinterpreted as a nature park.

A variety of housing types are incorporated, with a different housing type characterizing each “sub-village.” Most distinct, perhaps, is the “Container Village” housing proposed to the west of Ed Temple Boulevard, overlooking the TSU agricultural fields, the Cumberland River, and the distant hills beyond. The Container Village is conceived as an aesthetically interesting, residential district supporting the needs of TSU students. The agricultural fields are reimagined to be a visually intensive matrix of various plant species, colors, and texture.

View from southeast along rail way

PROJECTS

TSU rail stop plan

View over wetland torwards TSU

Existing figure ground

Proposed figure ground

View torwards TSU

View over wetland torwards TSU

P R O J E C T S 31

Container Village A high density residential village supporting the students of TSU The development of this residential neighborhood will: -provide the needed student housing for TSU students -lead to economic growth through higher density population -increase walkability and bikeability through the site -allow for narrow pedestrian friendly streets lined with trees -create a needed sense of community for the TSU students -utilize on street parallel parking to eliminate surface parking -encourage bus routs to bring students and commuters to this area -relay the transit center to populate the village with young people -incorporate the low cost and low impact shipping container -promote a sustainable green lifestyle

Container village street view

Plaza and mixed use buildings night view

TSU container village section & elevation

TSU rail perspective

TSU rail stop elevation

View from apartments

View towards apartments

P R O J E C T S 33

Team D - TSU / Jefferson Street Rijad Heldic Thomas Peterson Chris Owens

This proposal views the existing railroad track and its linear, wooded buffer zone as a clear visual divider between new Tennessee State University (TSU) development to the west and the existing neighborhood to the east. The team sought to propose maximum realistic density on the redevelopment site, in the context of a 25-year master plan. A north-south boulevard serves a circulation armature parallel but outboard to the railroad tracks. At the south end of the boulevard is a circular space adjusting pedestrian and vehicular movement south towards Jefferson Street, while at the north end of the boulevard, a triangulated space performs a comparable role towards Ed Temple Boulevard. The primary and central space formed is a rectangular frame containing, and contrasting, with the existing naturalistic wetland. A one story parking deck to the east of this space forms an on-grade but elevated view over the wetland.

Proposed axonometric

On axis and to the east of the terrace is a related space focusing on the Light Transit Rail Station. The station serves both the proposed new urban campus and the existing neighborhood.

The proposed transit station would tie the Main TSU campus to the Downtown TSU campus, in addition to its future role with commuters to and from Downtown Nashville, Clarksville, and points in between.

Like a little city, the proposed urban blocks contain midrise housing with mixed uses, for both the students and the wider community. Structured parking decks inside the blocks are concealed by perimeter “liner� buildings, with ground level commercial space provided as warranted. The scale of housing tapers down to four stories along the existing railroad track to the east.

Existing figure ground

Building elevation

Triangle courtyard detail

Building section

Building elevation

P R O J E C T S 35

Street perspective

Plaza perspective

Rail stop perspective

Student courtyard perspective

P R O J E C T S 37

TOD in Middle Tennessee The Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) was recently awarded a $1.6 million federal grant by the Nashville Area MPO to fund the completion of Hamilton Springs Station, a rail stop envisioned at the heart of the emerging Hamilton Springs development.

The Hamilton Springs development is a unique project for Middle Tennessee. For the first time in the state, there is a community specifically built to provide residents the convenience of transit alongside the benefits of suburban life. Located just east of Nashville in Lebanon, Hamilton Springs is accessible from U.S. Highway 70 (Lebanon Road) and will soon be accessible via the Music City Star commuter rail.

The Hamilton Springs Station will be the Music City Star’s seventh regional rail station and an additional travel option for people in Lebanon and Wilson County’s growing community.

The station is currently in the design phase with construction expected to begin in the spring of 2015. The entire Hamilton Springs area is a long-range project with a proposed 20-yearbuild-out. At two years in, phase one of the project was completed fall of 2013 with the opening of Hamilton Station luxury apartments.

According to the Wilson Post, Lebanon is among the highest in population growth in Tennessee, with a 33 percent population increase since 1990. The addition of the train station will create a new point of access to the existing Music City Star rail line and increase ridership significantly.

Hamilton Springs Music City Star station rendering (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

Map of proposed development (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

Aerial view of Hamilton Springs development

Aerial layout (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

I M P L E M E N TAT I O N 39

TRD in Middle Tennessee

Map of proposed development (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

Aerial layout (image courtesy of Lose and Associates))

Layer plans (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

The plan for Greensboro North in Gallatin, is envisioned as a walkable village that will capitalize on its proximity to Volunteer State Community College and its location along the future Northeast Corridor transit line connecting Gallatin to Downtown Nashville. This Transit Ready Development (TRD) is envisioned as a distinctive community with a strong sense of place. It will accommodate a vertical mix of uses including commercial, office, a variety of housing options and open space.

Residents will enjoy this compact community connected by a network of walkable and bikeable streets.

The Greensboro North TRD will be one of the first new communities in Middle Tennessee planned, designed and constructed to create a traditional neighborhood village with a

transit station as part of its core. It will integrate a new transit line station as a central feature of the community that will be within walking-distance of offices, retailers, and residences. The Greensboro North project is projected to have 2,000 dwelling units and over 1 million square feet of office and commercial space.

With continued growth projected in Sumner County and growing necessity for public transit it has become apparent that there is a need for more diversity when it comes to shopping, living, and transportation options for the Middle Tennessee region.

Greensboro Village bus rapid transit station rendering (image courtesy of Lose and Associates)

41

Tool Box The components that create a successful transit oriented environment can be likened to a “kit of parts� that, when used correctly, produce a tightly knit community. Careful attention when applying these various tools ensures quality of design and functionality. These components can be molded together to form a cohesive plan, creating a beneficial environment that will better all of Nashville.

Pedestrian Connections - Davenport Skybridge (Davenport, IA)

Public Green Space - Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis, MN)

Urban Forest- Juneau Park (Milwaukee, WI)

Public Activity - Fountain on the Square (Rockville MD)

Seating - Smale Riverfront Park (Cincinnati, OH)

IMPLEMENTATION

Shelter - Rockaway Park (Queens, NY)

Sidewalk & Bike Lane - Market Street (San Francisco, CA)

Varied Housing - Pearl District (Portland, OR)

Container Village - Re:START Village (Christchurch, New Zealand)

Walkable Neighborhoods - 16th Street (Denver, CO)

Public Art - Living Light (Seoul, South Korea)

I M P L E M E N TAT I O N 43

The Connection Infrastructure like the proposed rail connection from Nashville to Clarksville, while may be expensive, will keep this region of the country competitive with other growing cities. This link will help continue the growth that Middle Tennessee is experiencing and cultivate North Nashville as well as other communities north of the city into vibrant districts. If proper steps are taken to accommodate the rail as well as the growing populace, the potential for exciting new areas for Middle Tennessee will begin to take shape.

CONCLUSION

Transit-Oriented Development is not only a smart way for Nashville to grow but will promote healthy living. Building housing in close proximity to transportation will allow greater comfort in walking and biking. By constructing well-planned mixed use TOD will make these new centers exciting places to live. Benefits of this type of building include less congestion, air pollution and green house gas emissions from automobile transportation. The existing neighborhoods will experience increased property value and greater accessibility to the surrounding areas. Less household income will be devoted to transportation because of accessibility of these new hubs.

TOD in north Nashville will be good for existing residents, local business, property owners, developers, investors, and people who are tired of traffic.

More people walking on the streets will promote safer places to live because of a sense of community, “eyes on the street.� The efficient building types that TOD encourages helps preserve open space and making cleaner air because of the more proficient use of land and energy. Nashvillians are demanding more types of housing options. More people want a view from their bedroom window and to be able to walk to a coffee shop and then work. This type of TOD allows walking to recreational activities like a park or a restaurant that will give a better live-work relationship to these improved areas.

C O N C L U S I O N 45

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Access and Livability, Transit Oriented Development: Nashville’s Northwest Link is a project of the Nashville Civic Design Center, in partnership with the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design.

Nashville Civic Design Center The mission of the Nashville Civic Design Center is to elevate the quality of Nashville’s built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all.

Nashville Civic Design Center Staff: Gary Gaston, Design Director Ron Yearwood, Assistant Director Abby Wheeler, Development Manager Eric Hoke, Design Fellow CivicDesignCenter.org

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design For nearly twenty years, the College of Architecture and Design has been helping to envision the future of Nashville. Architecture students annually participate in pertinent real-world concerns through an academic rigor that results in visionary design solutions for Nashville’s neighborhoods. Some of the student’s most recent works include a boat house along the Cumberland River and micro-apartment housing for Downtown.

Thomas K. Davis, Associate Professor ArchDesign.UTK.edu

Nashville MPO The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) facilitates strategic planning for the region’s multi-modal transportation system by serving as a forum for collaboration among local communities and state leaders. The vision of the MPO is to develop policies and programs that direct public funds to transportation projects that increase access to opportunity and prosperity, while promoting the health and wellness of Middle Tennesseans and the environment.

Nashville Area MPO Staff: Michael Skipper, AICP, Executive Director Michelle Lacewell, APR, Deputy Director Lou Edwards, Administrative Assistant Jeffrey Leach, Finance Officer Leslie A. Meehan, AICP, Director of Healthy Communities Peter Bang, PhD, Director of Technical Programs Anna Emerson, Senior Planner Nicholas Lindeman, Economic & Systems Data Analyst Rochelle Carpenter, Senior Policy Analyst Mary Connelly, Senior Planner Wesley Rhodes, Policy Analyst Hary(ono) Prawiranata, Senior Modeler Mary Beth Ikard, APR, Social Media Coordinator Sam Williams, GIS Analyst NashvilleMPO.org

Funding for this publication was provided in part by funds from the Federal Highway Administration, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and local government members of the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

The Nashville Area MPO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed or disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities.

Discrimination against any person in recruitment, examination, appointment, training, promotion, retention, discipline or any other employment practices because of non-merit factors shall be prohibited. For ADA inquires, contact Michelle Lacewell, ADA Compliance Coordinator at 615.880.2452 or email her at Lacewell@nashvillempo.org. For Title VI inquires or all employment related inquires contact Human Relations at 615.862.6640.

LIVABILITY • PROSPERITY • SUSTAINABILITY • DIVERSITY