SNEAPA 2013 Friday g1 1_45_re envisiioning wollaston
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Neighborhood Planning around the Wollaston MBTA Station
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SNEAPA 2013 Friday g1 1_45_re envisiioning wollaston
- 1. Photo by Michael Day
- 2. Presentation will cover: • Geographical/Historical Overview • Prior Wollaston Planning Efforts • MAPC/City of Quincy Partnership • Public Engagement Process • Identification of Opportunities and Impediments • Market Analysis • Zoning • Transportation Connectivity • Next Steps
- 5. Wollaston Neighborhood Overview • • • • • Original Howard Johnsons Wollaston Beach Wollaston Theatre MBTA Red Line Station Eastern Nazarene College
- 6. Prior Wollaston Planning Efforts 2009 Sasaki Intern Studio
- 7. Prior Wollaston Planning Efforts 2010 Walkable Wollaston
- 8. Prior Wollaston Planning Efforts What’s old is new 1979 Revitalization Study
- 9. TOD AND METROFUTURE Most new homes and jobs will be near train stops and bus routes, and new growth will be designed to promote transit use. In suburban municipalities, most new growth will occur near town and village centers. An increasing share of housing in each municipality will be affordable to working families and fixed-income seniors. Urban neighborhoods will boast more appealing housing options for young professionals and their families. More people will use transit for work and personal The region will be a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas
- 10. TOD Benefits Connections to Housing and Jobs 5% of the region’s land area 37% of all employment 25% of all housing units Ten Minute Walk from Transit Stations
- 11. TOD Benefits Increases Housing and Transportation Affordability + Increases Housing Choice Decreases Driving and Improves Air Quality
- 12. TOD Benefits Increases Transit Ridership and Revenue + + = $$$$ Fosters Local and Regional Economic Development
- 13. TOD Benefits Public Health Benefits Get your daily recommended 20 minutes of exercise by walking to and from the transit station! Improvements in air quality from fewer vehicles on our roads can reduce risk for asthma.
- 14. The T – Transit What improvements could be made to create better access to transit? Station Access at Wollaston Commute Modes: 1.1% Drive Alone - 62% Transit 29% Walk/Bike - 4% 0.2% 6.9% Walk Drive/Park 32.2% Drop-Off 59.5% Average Hourly Boardings MBTA Bus 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 Braintree 800 Quincy Adams 600 Quincy Center 400 Wollaston 200 12PM 11PM 10PM 9PM 8PM 7PM 6PM 5PM 4PM 3PM 2PM 1PM 12PM 11AM 10AM 8AM 9AM 7AM 6AM 0 5AM Bike
- 15. The O – Oriented to the People Who makes up core transit users? Transit Dependent Renters 19% of households 54% of all housing units don’t have access to a vehicle are renter occupied Lower-Income Households Diverse Populations 20% of households make less than $25,000 per year. 39% 20% reduction in White population, 18% increase in Asian population from 2000 – 2010. make less than $50,000 per year. The Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy has found statistically significant correlations between these five demographic characteristics and lower vehicle use.
- 16. The D – Development Characteristics How can new development add to the vibrancy of Wollaston? Walkability WalkScore® rates Wollaston area as very walkable (82 out of 100) 4,500 Wollaston Area Population by Age 200 0 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 Parking 39% of the land in the study area is currently used for parking. Under 18 18_24 25_34 35_44 45_54 55_64 Source: Census 2000 and 2010, Data for intersecting Census Tracts 65+
- 17. Identifying the Opportunities and the Impediments
- 18. Public Engagement Process Stakeholder Meetings • Continuous engagement with the Mayor’s Office and City staff • Meetings with Ward 5 Councillor Kirsten Hughes • Wollaston Business District Partnership • MBTA staff • Local Developers
- 19. Public Engagement Process Neighborhood Charettes • Held two neighborhood meetings • Diverse mix of attendees • Conducted a meeting census • “Cocktail party” meeting format • Generated considerable “buzz” prior to the meetings
- 20. Public Engagement Process What do you value most about Wollaston? • Convenience and proximity • Walkability, transportation options • Safe, diverse, and historical neighborhood Where are the best opportunities for new housing? • MBTA parking lot • Above current retail on Beale/Hancock • CVS parking lot What types of businesses could be supported? • Restaurants, pubs, family-friendly establishments • Neighborhood grocer • Community space What improvements could better connect the neighborhood? • Streetscape improvements • Bike facilities on Beale and Hancock • Sidewalk improvements
- 21. How does this translate into opportunities?
- 22. So What Now? Identify the Impediments Act on the Opportunities
- 23. What’s the Market for New Development? Residential Development: • Renter-Occupied Unit Demand • Estimates show potential demand of 530 units per year at rents starting at $1,875/month • Also potential demand of 946 units per year at rents $1,500/month and below Impediments/Challenges • Market Competition • Construction Costs vs. Rents • Zoning Constraints
- 24. What’s the Market for New Development? Retail Development: • Potential Retail Demand • Estimates show potential demand of 10,000 – 15,000 square feet of new retail development • Much of the spending power will go to supporting existing businesses, good for existing retailers Impediments/Challenges • Market Competition • Absorption from Existing Retailers
- 25. What’s the Market for New Development? Office Development: • Potential Retail Demand • Low demand for new office in Wollaston • Could work if developer already had an end user lined up Impediments/Challenges • Market Competition – North Quincy/Quincy Center • Quincy’s office vacancy rate is at 20%
- 26. Key Take Aways – Market Analysis Opportunities: • Demand for residential is positive for Wollaston • Demand for retail is modest for Wollaston • Demand for office is weak for Wollaston Impediments/Challenges • Construction Costs vs. Achievable Rents • Market Competition and Absorption • Zoning Constraints So what can be done to warm the market?
- 27. Zoning How do we assess the impact of zoning on a parcel?
- 28. Existing Zoning
- 29. Existing Zoning Business B and C Dimensional Requirements, City of Quincy Max FAR Business B Business C Business B residential or SP uses Business C MF or mixed-use Min lot area (sf) Min lot area/DU Min lot frontage Min open space/DU (sf) Rear 20 None None 60 60 60 None None None 4 6 6 See * 100 100 6 Setbacks 1.5 3.5 3.5 5,000 5,000 5,000 None None None Front 15 None None 3.5 42,000 500 See * Side See * Height max. stories *Equal to ¼ the height of the building Business B and C Parking Requirements, City of Quincy Business B Business C Residential 1.5 spaces/unit 1.5 spaces/unit Office 1 sp/300 sf 1 sp/600 sf Retail 1 sp/200 sf 1 sp/400 sf
- 30. How does this impact a parcel in Wollaston Center? Unable to create continuous building frontage, parking takes up too much space.
- 31. Potential Zoning Changes Create an overlay district for Wollaston Center to address zoning impediments • Change minimum lot size to 5,000 SF for mixed-use and multi-family development • Remove front and side yard setbacks • Change residential parking requirements to minimum of 0.5 spaces per unit and a maximum of 1.0 spaces per unit
- 32. What are the impediments to developing the MBTA lot? MBTA Garage Surface Lot
- 33. Option 1 – Large Development to Cover Costs First Floor Retail 10-12 Stories Parking for Development Open Space
- 34. Option 2 – Smaller Development with Subsidies First Floor Retail 5 - 6 Stories Parking for Development
- 35. So What’s the Solution? Create a special TOD overlay district for the MBTA site that allows higher density and lower parking requirements The City, MBTA and any private developer need to work together to create a development plan that balances MBTA parking replacement with the costs of development. • Consider reducing the amount of T parking • Consider sharing parking between development and the T • Consider unique funding sources for the replacement parking
- 36. Ever Wonder Who Parks at the MBTA Station?
- 37. Why Aren’t More People Walking/Biking?
- 38. Expanding Access to the Station
- 40. Public Realm Improvements Continue Streetscape Creative Uses for Unused Space? Reactivate Neighborhood Assets
- 42. Visualize the Future and Act! Bike Lanes Pedestrian Improvements Wall Art Upper Story Development Food Carts Signage Landscaping
- 43. So, What’s Next? • Presentation of the recommendations to the Mayor • Continuing the regional partnership/MAPC to conduct a comprehensive parking inventory analysis •New 22-unit residential building proposed across from MBTA Station
- 44. THANK YOU Kristina Johnson, Director of Transportation Planning City of Quincy Email: kjohnson@quincyma.gov Tel: (617)376-1373 Eric Halvorsen, AICP, Assistant Director of Transportation, MAPC Email: ehalvorsen@mapc.org Tel: (617)933-0741
Editor's Notes
- - Welcome to the meeting - Who MAPC is and we are partnering with the City of Quincy to work with the community to create a vision for the neighborhood around the Wollaston Station - Reminder that the purpose of this process was to identify the key opportunities and impediments to TOD and recommend possible interventions for land use and zoning, economic development, and improving access by walking, biking, transit from the neighborhood to the station. - Review goals/objectives for tonight’s meeting from the agenda - Show the agenda and discuss briefly the items on the agenda (presentation, open house/Q&A, and wrap up)
- For this project we looked at a specific study area around the Wollaston Red Line station, but we will also be looking at the larger half-mile study area to get a sense of the demographic, economic and transportation profiles to understand what elements of TOD will be successful here in Wollaston.Briefly describe the boundaries for the study area, this will really the be focus of our work. The half-mile is just for informational purposes and pulling demographics/economics/transportation data.Make note that MAPC’s main focus is on the study area. This is where we looked at land use/zoning changes, transportation connections, and economic development opportunities.
- Over the next year, MAPC will be working with three municipalities to create station area plans and recommendations for transit oriented development.In Wollaston, MAPC will be working with the City and the public to create a vision for the station area and developing recommendations for land use, zoning, economic development, and transportation/access improvements.
- MAPC completed a body of work looking at different station areas and developing a typology based on land use, demographic, and economic characteristics. What we found was that half-mile station areas in our region around commuter rail, rapid rail, and silver line only make up 5% of our entire region’s land area, but hold 37% of all employment and 25% of all housing units. That’s a huge percentage when compared to the land area. These station areas are a very precious commodity, and it’s important that we plan for them and get it right.
- TOD has several beneficial components: Living near and utilizing transit is far less expensive than owning a car and driving, TOD can help lower transportation costs for a household allowing that household to spend more on other expenditures like housing, food, clothing, education, or savings. TOD offers additional housing choices and options. If planned correctly, there will be a variety of housing choices from market rate to affordable units, from studios to multi-bedroom, from condos to rentals. Having more residents and employees take transit will decrease driving thereby improving air quality both locally and regionally.
- Locating more housing and jobs closer to transit will have direct financial benefits in terms of added ridership and revenue to the MBTA.Transit oriented development also creates space for local and regional economic development projects. Many companies are looking to locate their offices close to transit because that’s what their employees are looking for and it makes economical sense since they don’t have to build as much parking if they are located closer to transit. Subsidizing a transit pass is far less expensive than building and maintaining large parking lots or garages.
- Transit oriented development can also have a public health benefits by creating neighborhoods that are well connected by a walking, biking and transit network that encourages a more active lifestyle. Obesity is one of the largest public health risks for Americans today, especially children. Getting just 20 minutes of exercise a day can help reduce risks for obesity. Air quality improvements can benefit those at risk of asthma or other related breathing issues.
- In the half-mile area around the red line station, nearly 30% of commuters take transit but X% are still driving to their place of work.In the half-mile area, households are spending 40% of their income on housing and transportation costs. This is below the 45% mark which is considered the “affordability” threshold. Within the immediate study area, households are spending even less, around 36% on housing and transportation. As new development comes to the area, it will be important to keep housing costs low and maintain the affordability of this area.Nearly 60% of riders using the Wollaston Red Line station walk to the station, followed by 32% who drive and park in the lot. Vehicle access to the station is nearly 40%. How can we improve the number of people walking and biking to the station?From 7AM-9AM, these four stations account for 50% of Red Line capacity. If the trains are running even a little off schedule, this can cause these numbers to go up and create problems for people boarding crowded trains at Wollaston.
- The Orientation piece of TOD has often been described as how a particular building or development project orients itself to the nearby transit station, and how the project does or does not encourage transit use.The new way of thinking about Orientation is how the project is oriented to the people that will support transit and any future development that might occur in the station area. Development projects should begin to orient to the type of people who are going to have fewer cars, be more reliant on public transportation, and be more likely to shop locally to support the businesses in the area.Recent research has shown that there are five key characteristics that make up the core transit riders of the MBTA. These are zero vehicle households, renters, lower income households, people of color, and immigrants.
- Explain why each of these data points matters: - Housing – Discuss the age trends from 2000-2010 and how housing over the next ten years will shift in need. There is an upcoming younger population looking for studios and 1-2 bedroom units and also an aging population looking to downsize and move into smaller units as empty nesters. These two population cohorts are also looking to reduce their reliance on automobiles and replace those trips with walking, biking, and transit trips making TOD a perfect fit for these age groups. - Walkability – The ability of people walk to destinations and to transit will help create more vibrant streets, reduce auto traffic, and help street-level retail businesses. People who walk by street-level retail are more likely to stop and shop vs. those who are driving by. - Parking Lot Coverage – 39% of the land within the study area is paved by a parking lot. This is a lot of land that could be used for development, which would help create a more walkable environment along the commercial corridors and will create revenue generating properties instead of parking lots.
- Over the next year, MAPC will be working with three municipalities to create station area plans and recommendations for transit oriented development.In Wollaston, MAPC will be working with the City and the public to create a vision for the station area and developing recommendations for land use, zoning, economic development, and transportation/access improvements.
- Make sure to mention that we had two meetings with the partnership, and at one meeting we talk specifically about parking issues that businesses face in Wollaston.
- Make sure to mention that we had two meetings with the partnership, and at one meeting we talk specifically about parking issues that businesses face in Wollaston.
- Make sure to mention that we had two meetings with the partnership, and at one meeting we talk specifically about parking issues that businesses face in Wollaston.
- Wollaston has a great existing framework for supporting TOD, it just needs some additional interventions to fully take advantage of the opportunities that exist.MAPC looked at five key development sites in Wollaston Center that we, and the City, think have the highest potential for supporting additional development in the future. These parcels are all under single ownership, mostly surface parking lots, and have fewer impediments to overcome to be developed. We think these five parcels hold the key to beginning to catalyze change in Wollaston Center by energizing the housing market and introducing a small amount of retail space.Along with development, there are several opportunities to improve the public realm and transportation connections in and around Wollaston Center.
- In order to take advantage of the key opportunities that exist on all fronts in Wollaston Center, MAPC had to identify the impediments that could be overcome by interventions made by the public and/or private sector. The following slides will walk you through the process MAPC went through with the City to identify the key impediments to re-envisioning Wollaston Center and catalyzing new development and infrastructure investment.
- Market Analysis:MAPC hired RKG Associates to complete a market analysis of the Wollaston area to determine what the market supply and demand is today and will be in the future for residential, retail, and office development. Understanding the market demand helps to provide a more realistic outlook on how much development could be expected to take place in a particular location. This can also help inform how the City structures its zoning to allow for small, medium or large scale development in an area, and what an appropriate mix of uses may be.RKG provided an analysis of both owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing units for Quincy as a whole since residential development needs to be viewed at a larger scale due to demand, housing development that may be on-going or planned, and demographics to fill existing and new housing units. MAPC is focusing on the rental market for this presentation because the market/price points for for-sale housing are too high for Wollaston to achieve at this point and a developer wouldn’t be able to cover construction costs.Rentals – demand is for 530 units per year over five years CITY-WIDE at $75,000/year HH income which is about $1,875/month rent for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. There is a strong demand for rentals under $1,500/month which covers a HH income of $60,000/year and under. This price point would likely require some kind of city/state housing subsidy or the creation of affordable housing units as part of the development to cover the difference between construction costs and the rents. It could be challenging to get the high rents in Wollaston needed to cover the costs of construction without relief of parking and heights, particularly as it relates to the MBTA site.
- Market Analysis:Retail – Demand for 10-15k of new retail, MAYBE. The new housing units, combined with existing households, provides enough local spending power to support about 37,000sq ft of retail space. Much of this demand is absorbed by existing businesses, and some of this spending power leaks out of the neighborhood to regional retail centers (grocery stores, malls, big box retailers, etc.). The leftover spending power could support small neighborhood goods and services (deli, newsstand, coffee shop, dry cleaners, etc.). Unless Wollaston becomes a larger regional draw, which it likely won’t, retail in this area will be mostly supported by existing shops. This is a good thing!!! More residential development means more support for local businesses.There is the possibility that over time as businesses change hands, more higher end businesses could come in with the added spending power of the added residential units. So eventually, newer restaurants or retailers could come in and be supported by the neighborhood population.
- Market Analysis:Office – There isn’t much of a market in Wollaston for additional office. Quincy’s vacancy rate is at 20%, and much of the office absorption is taking place in North Quincy and soon to be in the new Quincy Center. However, if a developer came with a proposal that already had an end user lined up for office space, that could be viable.
- Market Analysis:Review the key opportunities and impediments, then segway into what the City can do to help the market potential in Wollaston – ZONING.
- Build out analysis:One way in which we can assess the impact of existing and future zoning changes on a particular parcel is by completing a build out analysis. These five parcels were the parcels identified as test cases and likely parcels to redevelop over time, so we tested the zoning analysis/build out on these parcels. For now, I’m going to discuss zoning as it pertains to all the parcels except for the MBTA parking lot because that requires a more unique approach to zoning and development than the other parcels.
- Most of the study area is within the BUS C zoning district with some parcels on the north side of Hancock in BUS B and some residential parcels in RES B.The BUS C zoning district has some fairly flexible zoning requirements, especially when it comes to heights and floor to area ratios. BUS B is more restrictive on heights and FAR and was probably designed to accommodate commercial uses abutting a predominately residential district.
- FAR in the BUS C district allows for a large building considering the minimum lot size is only 5,000 sqft. Of course this is limited by setback requirements and parking requirements which end up dictating how much built space you could construct in the district.The limiting factors of the zoning are the heights, the setbacks in BUS B and doing Mixed-Use under BUS C, and the parking requirements for residential development.The mixed-use requirements under BUS C are limiting as well because you could only construct mixed-use on a parcel that is over 42,000 sq ft, nearly one acre of land. In a built up environment like Wollaston, it’s challenging to find parcels of this size, and parcel consolidation is time consuming and very expensive for a developer.
- This is the surface parking lot at the corner of Hancock and Woodbine, currently used by two different businesses. As an example, if this parcel were redeveloped into a mixed-use building with retail on the first floor and office above, parking would still be the limiting factor to creating a building that fills the parcel, creates a continuous street frontage, and has the appropriate height for this commercial district.The parking requirements force developers to build one and two story buildings that will fill the street frontage while being able to meet their parking requirements.
- Four major changes:Create an overlay district for the commercial properties in Wollaston CenterWithin the overlay, change the minimum lot size requirement for mixed use and MF dev’tRemove front/side yard setback to create better building envelopesReduce residential parking requirements - .5 min 1.0 max, provides developers with flexibility to respond to the market demand for parking and make their developments competitive.
- Talk about this lot of 550 spaces being full every weekday, and the T doesn’t want to lose out on that revenue source, especially with their current financial situation.This will require a developer to build a structured parking deck that will house the 550 spaces lost if the T leases the land for development. This creates a situation where a developer is already starting out 15-20M in the hole. Just to break even, the developer would need to build a much larger mixed-use building that what he/she could currently build under the existing zoning. Both the parking requirements for residential and the setback/height restrictions wouldn’t allow the developer a large enough building envelope to break even on costs, nevermind make them a profit.Some of the issue is the per foot costs of development vs. the per foot lease/rent prices for commercial/residential in Wollaston do not command the same prices as Boston and Cambridge. In this location, a developer would need to build a bigger building to make up the costs of development. Given the parking constraints, that developer might even have to construct structured or underground parking for their own building which would add again to the overall cost of development.Some of this could be mitigated by the City lowering requirements for parking, and increasing the maximum height allowed and reducing the setbacks on this site. Some of this could be mitigated by the MBTA not forcing the 1 to 1 replacement of parking and allowing some of that parking to be absorbed in locations that have some room like Quincy Adams. If and when the Quincy Center garage is replaced, it’s possible that will ease the burden on parking lots at Braintree, Quincy Adams and North Quincy that are having to absorb cars from the closure of Quincy Center.Clearly there are some large impediments on the public and private side to developing TOD on the MBTA site, but these could be mitigated to some degree to make it more feasible.
- In order for a developer to cover the costs of the large parking garage on their own, they would need to construct a building of this size with about 330 residential units and 10-15k of retail space on the first floor. This also accounts for only 0.5 parking spaces per residential unit as well to keep the costs of structure parking for the development down.With the height of this building, you could get City and water views for upper floors and the developer could charge a little more in rent for those units, potentially offsetting the rent costs of affordable units which should be included as part of this development.There are still considerable issues with this development:This building is probably too large and out of scale for this areaA developer may have a hard time leasing this building given the housing market demand and competition with Quincy Center and other developments.This would require a significant change to existing zoning, that could be challenging if local politics aren’t alignedTHIS IS JUST A MOCK UP FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES, NOT A PROPOSAL!
- This is the size development that is currently allowed by zoning, with the exception of setbacks and parking variances. In order for a developer to cover the costs of the large parking garage on their own under this scenario they would need significant help from the MBTA, City or another type of funding source which are all likely to not be readily available given the current economic climate.It would be challenging to get the rent premiums on this development, and it would likely require additional assistance from a tax credit, CDBG, or HOME program from the City to subsidize affordable units as part of this development.There are still considerable issues with this development:This building is probably not financially feasibleIt would be challenging to get the funding subsidy for the MBTA parking structureThis would still require a significant change to existing zoning, that could be challenging if local politics aren’t alignedTHIS IS JUST A MOCK UP FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES, NOT A PROPOSAL!
- Some ideas for how to balance development interests and the MBTA’s need to have replacement parking at the station………
- Explain map of people parking within a mile of the Wollaston Station, also those coming from communities with Commuter Rail service. MAPC did a license plate survey at the MBTA parking lot to find out where people are coming from. About 20% of the cars are garaged within 1 mile of the station, and 55% are coming from within Quincy. Another 26% are coming from surrounding towns with transit service.There’s already considerable bus service that connects all of these Quincy neighborhoods to the Wollaston station.
- Discuss how the sidewalk and bike lanes could change over time, and could be done pretty simply in the short term with paint (striping the street) and some signage.
- Discuss how the sidewalk and bike lanes could change over time, and could be done pretty simply in the short term with paint (striping the street) and some signage.
- Talk about continuing streetscape so people know they are in Wollaston Center.Use tactical urbanism/placemaking in front of CVS to reuse that spaceThink about ways to reactivate the Theater, maybe it’s just community event space in the meantime until something actually happens with it. Don’t let the assets fade away.
- Talk about continuing streetscape so people know they are in Wollaston Center.Use tactical urbanism/placemaking in front of CVS to reuse that spaceThink about ways to reactivate the Theater, maybe it’s just community event space in the meantime until something actually happens with it. Don’t let the assets fade away.
- Talk about continuing streetscape so people know they are in Wollaston Center.Use tactical urbanism/placemaking in front of CVS to reuse that spaceThink about ways to reactivate the Theater, maybe it’s just community event space in the meantime until something actually happens with it. Don’t let the assets fade away.
- With these opportunities and impediments identified and these draft recommendations, it’s time to visualize the future and act. Work toward re-envisioning Wollaston and making it even better than it is today.
- Talk about remainder of the meeting and the process for leaving comments and asking questions.
- Talk about remainder of the meeting and the process for leaving comments and asking questions.