Turner_MastersProjects_LowRes

Metropolitan
Saint Louis
and Urban Sprawl:
The Case for Transit Oriented
Development
at the Local Level
Erik C. Turner
University of Illinois
at Chicago
Masters of Urban
Planning & Policy
May 2015

Flag of the City of St. Louis, known as the Three Rivers
Flag, the blue bands represent the junction of the
Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers
Abstract
NAME: Erik Charles Turner
PROJECT TITLE: Metropolitan Saint Louis and Urban Sprawl:
The Case for Transit Oriented Development at the Local Level
FACULTY ADVISOR: Curtis R. Winkle
SPECIALIZATION: Spatial Planning & Design
Like many regions across the United States, Metro Saint Louis suffers the effects of uncontrolled urban sprawl. This project looks at how the region
could potentially better leverage its existing light rail system as a catalyst for countering its sprawl by implementing transit oriented development
(TOD) in its existing station areas. By using a case study station, Richmond Heights-Galleria, in the near western suburbs, this project examines the
role local municipalities can play in achieving regional sprawl prevention by exploring options and processes for TOD at a local level.
Cover Image: Satellite view of Metro Saint Louis
Courtesy: www.ordtolax.wordpress.com
Retrieved: 4/7/2015
Metropolitan Saint Louis & Urban Sprawl

Table of Contents:
A Region at a Crossroads
• Introduction.....................................................1
The Problem of Urban Sprawl
• WhatisSprawl?...............................................3
• LocationEfficiency..........................................4
Controlling Urban Sprawl
• WhatisGrowthControl?.................................5
• What is TOD?..................................................7
• Benefits of TOD...............................................7
• TOD & Place Making.......................................8
• TODDesignPrinciples....................................8
• Barriers to Effective TOD..............................11
Transportation & Metropolitan Saint Louis
• Overview........................................................13
• Metrolink.......................................................13
• Design Characteristics..................................13
• PotentialExpansions.....................................15
Metropolitan Saint Louis & Urban Sprawl
Richmond Heights-Galleria Station
• Location&Overview......................................17
• StationFacilities...........................................20
• DesignConcerns............................................21
A Plan for Richmond Heights-Galleria Station
• Why TOD for Richmond Heights?................23
• PotentialStationImprovements...................23
• PotentialDistrictImprovements..................25
• PossibleFuturesforRichmondHeights........28
Conclusion..........................................................29
Appendix
• Sources..........................................................31

1 Metropolitan Saint Louis & Urban Sprawl
Introduction
Metropolitan Saint Louis is a slow growth region, yet it is expanding ever outward as if it were a rapidly booming city in the Sunbelt South. Despite
minimal population growth since the 1950s, the region is one of the most sprawled in the nation relative to its total population. As a result of its continued
outward growth there have come substantial ramifications, including but not limited to, unneeded habitat/ farmland destruction, disinvestment in older
areas, ethnic/ racial and socioeconomic segregation, spatial mismatch between centers of employment and residence, and increased pollution. In short,
as the region continues to dilute across the landscape it has become harder to establish and maintain adequate urban spaces; places which play host to
resources and connections which residents need. Considering current conditions in Saint Louis, it is important to better leverage the existing light rail
network as a locus for residential and commercial development through the implementation of anti-sprawl measures like growth control and transit
oriented development (TOD). As the region moves forward, it simply must work to control its sprawl, but to do so the current pattern of peripheral
development must end. However, in a highly fragmented region that lacks a strong central voice, stopping sprawl will be difficult for Metropolitan Saint
Louis.
Given the practical difficulties involved with the region’s inability to enact comprehensive anti-sprawl policies, the most realistic hope for slowing
sprawl in Metro Saint Louis is for the region’s many municipalities to develop and carry out anti-sprawl policies within their own borders. This is not to say
that the Saint Louis area should give up the idea of collective regional action, it is simply a realization that until such time as an agreement can be reached
at the regional level, localities must be the ones to push for and enact progressive sprawl prevention methods.
Unfortunately, regional political fragmentation mostly precludes the use of comprehensive growth control policies like Urban Growth Boundaries,
which leaves TOD as the most viable sprawl curbing option for Metropolitan Saint Louis. TOD fosters denser transit focused development, and as such
helps concentrate some growth, but it is not the only answer. Therefore, while the region should actively build TOD now, in the long run it must utilize
other sprawl control measures in addition to TOD.
Nevertheless, opportunities for TOD are tremendous across the Metro Saint Louis suburbs, and even within the City itself. By investigating how TOD
could feasibly be implemented at the Richmond Heights-Galleria Metro station in the near west suburbs, this project will show that small municipalities
can make an impact in the battle to control sprawl. As this project will demonstrate, municipalities across Metro Saint Louis could carry out this process
for the betterment of themselves and the region as a whole. In effect, the aim of this project is to lay the ground work for further TOD development and
feasibility studies across the Metro Saint Louis region.
Figure 1: At right. A nighttime view of Metro Saint Louis’ sprawl.
Courtesy: NASA Earth Observatory

Metropolitan Saint Louis & Urban Sprawl 2

Figure 2: Above. I-64 in Richmond Heights, MO
Courtesy: www.fredweberinc.com,
Retrieved: 4/5/2015
Sprawl is a direct threat to many of the
nation’s urban areas. As such, this section will
define the concept of sprawl and give one measure,
Location Efficiency, which can be used to better
understand the problems it creates.

What is Sprawl?
After 1990, more than 75% of Americans
livedwithinurbanizedareas. Whilethemajorityof
the population lives in these places, it is important
toclarifythatmorethan52%ofAmericansactually
live in the suburbs and not within traditional
central cities.1 Though the suburbs existed prior
to the post war development boom with which
they are so commonly associated, their share of
the total population was once well below that of
today. However, now after decades of immense
suburban growth, the nation’s urbanized areas are
increasingly threatened by these same sprawling
landscapes to which they have given birth.
The term Urban Sprawl is a highly
contentiousandsometimeshardtodefineconcept.
Generally though, it refers to uncontrolled
outward growth at the edges of cities, marked by
the consistent development of former farmland
and natural areas. Suburban developments are
often defined by low density, Euclidean zoning
schemes, single-family homes on large lots, miles
long commercial corridors, insufficient pedestrian
infrastructure, and a lack of easily identifiable
community centers.
Disparate environments such as these are
routinely characterized by an extreme level of
auto-dependence which forces residents to make
surplus car based trips to do such simple things as
crossing the street to visit the next store or office.
Though many prefer a life in the suburbs,
these places do come with a multitude of serious
concerns many of which stem from the auto-
reliance that is their defining quality:
• Destruction of farmland and natural
habitat
• Higher energy, water, and chemical
products usage
• Increased pollution of air and water
resources
• Inefficient single use zoning which
forces a dispersion of uses
• Diminished pedestrian infrastructure
• Mandatory parking requirements which
lead to large surface parking lots
• Increased ethnic and socioeconomic
segregation
• Spatial mismatch between jobs and
places of residence, and
• Higher likelihood of obesity and other
health problems caused by decreased
physical activity
Like many regions, Metro Saint Louis
suffers from these issues due to its now decades
long suburban expansion. Across the past few
decades, development has been largely at the
region’s fringe.
Consequently, the core areas have
seen marked decline and increasing racial and
socioeconomic segregation. In light of these
problems, it is evident that the sprawling form
of the typical suburb is simply not working; they
have ceased to score well across measures of social
and environmental sustainability.
Figure 3: Above. Urban Sprawl in Wentzville, MO
Courtesy: Google Earth, Retrieved: 4/5/2015

Saint Louis Regional Population Shift Between the Years 2000-2010
Location Efficiency
The overwhelming reliance on the
automobile for most if not all trips means that
suburban areas suffer from depressed “Location
Efficiency,” a measure which looks at the savings
in time and money that come from the effective
placement of goods and services in relation to
spatial accessibility.2
For TODs to be location efficient they must have
these three qualities:
• Density to ensure adequate pedestrian
presence and ridership,
• Transit accessibility, meaning that sta-
tions are centrally located and easily
reached from multiple points, and
• Pedestrian friendliness provided
through a well-connected system of
pathways that connect the development
internally and externally with the sur-
rounding neighborhood.3
Location efficient places do more than save
resident’s time and money, they encourage lower
resource consumption and decreased pollution;
they are by nature counter to sprawl. The Saint
Louis area largely lacks adequate urban spaces as
a result of its sprawl, which underscores the need
for greater regional location efficiency.
Figure 4: This image depicts block level population change across Metro Saint Louis between the years 2000 and
2010, with gains in blue and losses in red. As shown, the steepest gains, in dark blue, were seen at the region’s
edges, especially in St. Charles County, while the region’s core generally experienced losses evidenced by the
widespread presence of red. In an auto-dependent region like Saint Louis, new transportation projects such as
the upgrading of I-64 and the extension of MO-364 into St. Charles County have helped spur sprawl by opening
large sections of peripheral land to direct highway access.
Courtesy: Stephen Von Worley & www.datapointed.net, Retrieved: 4/5/2015

Because sprawl must be controlled, this
section offers and explains two valuable anti-
sprawl methods, growth control policy and Transit
Oriented Development.
What is Growth Control?
One method that could be used to control
our nation’s metropolitan spread, is growth
control. Commonly referred to as the “Green
Belt” concept; growth control involves imposing
actions like permitting controls to slow and or
redirect metropolitan growth. Pioneered in the
mid twentieth century in the United Kingdom to
combat London’s unprecedented outward growth,
this methodology is common in many nations, but
is still considered a relatively new concept in the
United States.4

First proposed in 1935 by London County
Planners, what has come to be known as the
Metropolitan Green Belt was formally adopted
under the auspices of the Town and Country
Planning Act of 1947, and after decades of land
acquisitionandthesubsequentplacingofcovenant
restrictions, thirteen percent of England’s land
area is now formally protected from development
by a series of fourteen greenbelts which gird the
nation’s largest cities. Examples beyond London
include Birmingham, Liverpool-Manchester-
Leeds, and Newcastle.5
In the United States, Oregon is well known
for its enactment of Senate Bill 100 in 1973,
which placed land use planning in the realm of
state control.6 The bill compels all localities to,
“design, phase, and locate transportation
facilities…insuchamannerastoencouragegrowth
in urbanized areas while discouraging growth
in rural areas.” Within this system, Portland is
the embodiment of a city that uses regional level
controls to prevent the spread of development
beyond the boundary, (though it has been relaxed
numerous times since its creation). Metro, the
regional Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO) for Portland has been successful in
developing a multimodal transit system (light rail,
streetcar, and bus) around which it is constructing
transit oriented developments with the aim
of reducing auto usage while fostering dense
walkable neighborhoods. Using the boundary,
Portland has been able to redirect growth inward
and toward areas that were in the 1960s beginning
to see neglect and abandonment such as the Pearl
District, the South Waterfront, and the old East
Side Warehouse area.
Despite growth control’s merits, it is
politically infeasible in many parts of the United
States including Metro Saint Louis. The region’s
hyper fragmented nature; spanning two states and
more than six core counties, renders the requisite
political consensus nearly impossible. Since
this valuable tool is effectively off limits in Saint
Louis, it only stresses the importance of utilizing
alternative anti-sprawl methods like TOD.
Figure 5: Above. In this image, England’s urban areas,
orange, are girded by the nation’s greenbelt areas,
green.
Courtesy: www.cobhamgreenbelt.org.uk,
Figure 6: Next Page
This map from Metro Portland’s 2040 Growth Concept
Plan, displays the region’s urban growth boundary
in addition to transportation systems, and priority
development areas (PDAs). Without land use controls
like PDAs, boundaries will not be effective. These areas
are places generally with access to transit in which a
region has identified a need for higher density growth.
Therefore they are a valuable method for concentrating
growth which is needed to curb sprawl even within a
boundary.
Courtesy: www.oregonmetro.gov

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Willamette
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September 2014
0 2 4
miles
The Metro 2040 Growth Concept defines the
form of regional growth and development for
the Portland metropolitan region. The Growth
Concept was adopted in December 1995
through the Region 2040 planning and public
involvement process. This concept is intended
to provide long-term growth management of
the region.
The map highlights elements of parallel
planning efforts including: the 2035 Regional
Transportation Plan that outlines investments in
multiple modes of transportation, and a
commitment to local policies and investments
that will help the region better accommodate
growth within its centers, corridors and
employment areas.
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The information on this map was derived from digital databases on Metro's GIS. Care was taken in the creation of this map. Metro cannot accept any
responsibility for errors, omissions, or positional accuracy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including the warranty of merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose, accompanying this product. However, notification of any errors are appreciated.
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Proposed high capacity transit tier 1
County boundaries
Mainline freight
High speed rail
For more information on these initiatives, visit
http://www.oregonmetro.gov/2040
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While growth control policy and growth
boundaries are useful in peripheral areas, they
are not good solutions in already built up areas.
Becausetheseplacesoftenneedinfilldevelopment,
TOD is the best option for an existing places.
What is TOD?
Transit Oriented Development (TOD),
is a development methodology that strives to
create an environment within ¼ to ½ a mile
from a transit stop in which there is a diversity
of uses, residences, commercial offerings, cultural
amenities, and potentially even industrial
space, all within a dense walkable, and ideally
multimodal environment. Though the express
purpose of TOD is to increase transit ridership, it
is also about creating diverse resilient places that
can benefit all ages and socioeconomic groups.7
Transportation systems are significant
investments, so it is in a municipality’s best
long term interest to foster dense mixed use
development around its transit stations. Despite
this, it is common that transit agencies do not
actively push development around stations due to
a lack of available land, money, political will, or
legal capability. For example, legacy systems like
the CTA in Chicago were built mostly within public
rights of way and therefore lack sufficient land
reserves near to stations which when combined
with prohibitive land acquisition costs, in effect
hinders progressive agency action.
Nevertheless, TOD must be a transit
agency’s priority because it fosters dense station
area environments which in turn maximizes
a transit agency’s return on investment.
Furthermore, because TOD leads to increased
densities and a diverse mix of amenities/ services,
thereisatendencyforreducedautotripgeneration
in place of higher transit usage.

The inherent return on investment for a
well-designed TOD proves that this development
strategy is in the end more sustainable and
equitablethantraditionalgreenfielddevelopment.
Benefits of TOD
Beyond ridership and place making, TOD
is a powerful way to invest in the health and
future of the places where we live, work, and play.
Examples of the numerous benefits associated
with TOD include,
• Sustainable and efficient use of land,
and resources
• Conservation of open space
• Decreased energy consumption
• Reductions in air pollution
• Enhanced walkability
• Increases in property and rent values
• Higher sales and property tax revenues
to municipalities
• Mixed income housing opportunities,
and
• Healthier resident lifestyles due to
increased pedestrian activity.8
In short, TOD developments are high in
“Location Efficiency,” due to their condensed and
mixed use format which reduces the number and
length of trips that residents and visitors alike
would need to make to reach such things are
work, shopping, and recreational offerings. These
developments are designed to provide for most if
not all the needs of the average person within a
short walking distance.
Figure 7: Above. This image shows a hypothetical TOD.
Notice the mix of uses, higher density residential, and
transit station access.
Courtesy: wwww.tceq.texas.gov, Retrieved: 4/5/2015

TOD & Placemaking
As previously stated, TOD strives to
increase or maintain transit ridership, but in
many ways TOD is about placemaking. To create
quality urban spaces, communities must consider
how to make interactive, attractive, and lively
locations around transit stops. That being said,
as the Project for Public Spaces has stated, “…
placemaking is not just the act of building or
fixing up a space; it is a process that fosters the
creation of vital public destinations – the kind
of places where people feel a strong stake in
their communities and commitment to making
things better. Placemaking capitalizes on a local
community's assets, inspiration and potential,
creating good public spaces that promote people's
health, happiness, and economic well-being.”9
TOD should be conceived with a holistic vision
that attempts to meet all aspects of a resident’s
needs.
A well conceived TOD should be designed
such that a person could feasibly accomplish ten
different things while in a given place.10 By
fostering a variety of activities, TOD designers
can better support the basic principles of TOD by
giving many people multiple reasons to interact
with a unique well designed space.
TOD Design Principles
TOD is heavily dependent on good design,
which means, a well-conceived TOD should strive
to address four basic design considerations:
• Active, Walkable Streets
• Building Density and Intensity
• Transit Integration
• Zoning Standards
Active, Walkable Streets
A healthy and vibrant pedestrian presence
is a hallmark of a truly successful place. Places
like Barcelona’s Ramblas, Paris’ Champs Elysees,
and Venice’s St. Mark’s Square exist due to a
combination of factors which intricately merge
to reinforce walking and socializing. Pedestrian
friendly environments are hard to design because
they are the much sought after outcomes of the
convergence of many factors, primarily land use,
sidewalks, building placement and orientation,
entry points, window coverage, block sizes,
parking allotment and placing, and street design.
Despite the challenge of properly intertwining
these factors, it is essential they align to ensure
the success of a TOD.11
Pedestrians respond to good urban design,
and catering to their needs encourages walking.
Use of smaller block sizes, ideally between 200-
600 feet in length, narrow slower trafficked
streets with features like buffered sidewalks, and
plentiful trees increases the pedestrian friendly
perception of neighborhoods. The use of small
Figure 8: Above. Delmar Blvd in University City, MO
is not a traditional TOD, but it still displays many
qualities of TOD, like mixed uses, walkable streets,
access to transit , and diverse cultural offerings.
Courtesy: www.nextstl.com, Retrieved: 4/5/2015
Figure 9: Above. The Lofts of Washington University
is a new mixed use residential development on Delmar
Blvd. It houses more than 400 students and over
20,000 feet of commercial space including a grocery
store. Mixed use developments like this are a benefit to
Delmar because they support the local desire to create
a 24/7 full service downtown for University City, MO.
Courtesy: St. Louis Business Journal, Retrieved:
4/5/2015

block size in effect reinforces walking by
providing a porous neighborhood fabric. Further
details like plentiful street oriented retail and
wide transparent windows, street furniture, and
human scaled building entrances provide yet
more bolstering effects to pedestrian activity.12
Parking is a Challenge
Attention should be paid to parking
facilities within TOD. At no point should
parking provisions and or placement subordinate
pedestrian activity or its necessary infrastructure.
If at all possible, parking requirements should
be forgiven or at least relaxed to reduce the
number of required spaces. If parking cannot be
excluded, then consideration for behind building,
underground, or interior parking should be
explored.13 Good parking integration is being
able to strike a balance between sustainability and
practicality. While TODs encourage reduced auto
usage, these developments will be initially sited
within a broader auto-centric context. Therefore,
in the short term, many residents and visitors
may choose to drive until pedestrian friendly
developments become more present within the
surrounding built landscape.
Building Density and Intensity
In light of the differences in density
and urban form across many transit systems,
there is no absolute density standard for TOD.
Though density and the variety/ concentration
of uses around a station should be high enough
to support transit service, there is simply no
way to define a specific universal figure for the
number of residential units that should be built
around a hypothetical station. However, for all
TODs, densities need to meet or exceed those
found elsewhere in the subject community.14 In
developing TOD, communities should focus on
establishing minimum allowable densities for
station areas. By denoting a minimum instead
of a maximum, this ensures that enough units
are built to maintain a high enough resident
population to sustain transit. For example, San
Jose, CA mandates that urban locations have a
density of forty-five units per acre, while suburban
locations must have twenty-five units per acre.15
Even if higher building density is achieved,
there must be an accompanying intensity of
uses. Preferably buildings will be mixed use with
retail, offices, and residential above. Green space
should be incorporated within developments.
Preferably there should be a mandatory minimum
for open space that is based on the density of the
surrounding population.
Transit Integration
Despite transit being the core reason for
TOD, how stations integrate with surrounding
developments is often overlooked. Developments
cannot just be adjacent to a transit stop, they need
to fully integrate the station as a fundamental
part of the location’s built fabric. Stations should
ideally have multiple entrance and exit points
that lead to different parts of the development
and surrounding area. Thought should be given
to paths of flow; how will pedestrians, buses, cars,
and even trains, move through the development?
When riders exit or enter the station, they
should get a clear sense of where they are going,
via signage and other types of way finding. As
pedestrians and bus riders move through the
TOD district, they should have easy connections
to all areas. In sum, the development must be
designed to seamlessly integrate within itself and
the surrounding area.16
Zoning Standards
As previously stated, the success of a TOD
development is largely dependent on high quality
design, however without adequate zoning TOD is
not possible. In most municipalities, current right
of way zoning standards simply do not allow the
typesofdensityormixofusesthatarethehallmarks
of TOD. This is especially true in suburban towns
whose zoning schemes traditionally favor single
use zoning which is complicated by high parking
mandatesmandates, and a preference for single
family detached housing. Given this reality, new
forms of zoning should be created to allow for and
bolster TOD development.Figure 10: At left. A parking garage entrance at The
Boulevard Development in Richmond Heights, MO

Research/Office
Office
Mixed Use/ Hotel
Residential
Parking
Retail
Proposed Land Use Plan: CORTEX Life Sciences District, Saint Louis, MO
Figure 12: This map shows a proposed land use concept for the CORTEX District in Saint Louis, MO. This
burgeoning science and technology focused district will be anchored by a new Metrolink station (center image),
and will benefit from its proximity to major employment and cultural centers like Barnes-Jewish Hospital/
Washington University Medical Center, the Central West End, and direct access to Downtown Saint Louis. While
this TOD is structured to be mostly a research/ light industrial center, the provision of residential units at its
northern edge will work to better connect the new station and its district to the more established residential areas
north of Forest Park Parkway, which runs across the top portion of the map.
Courtesy: www.nextstl.com, Retrieved: 4/5/2015
Site Plan of Denver Union Station
Figure 11: Above. Denver’s T-MU-30 District was
applied to the Union Station redevelopment process
shown here. As part of the station’s reconstruction,
a multimodal hub was developed including an
underground bus concourse which allowed the
construction of homes, offices, and stores at surface
level.
Courtesy: www.dot.gov, Retrieved: 4/6/2015
An example of the recent changes in zoning to
support transit can be seen in Denver, CO which
developed its transit friendly T-MU-30 district.
This zoning classification is designated for transit
oriented development projects within the city.17
This district which overall aims to encourage
pedestrian oriented development, must be
located no more than 1,500 feet from the center
line of the tracks, is deliberately designed to be
extremely flexible with what densities and uses it
will allow.18

Barriers to Effective TOD
Despite the inherent values of TOD, there
are many barriers to its more widespread adop-
tion. Existing transportation funding methods
place an emphasis on automobile infrastructure
which often leaves little in way of transit appro-
priations. In places like Saint Louis, road expan-
sion is seen as providing an economic benefit,
while transit operations are considered a poor use
of resources. Though both systems are subsidized
by Federal, State, and Local governments, high-
way subsidies are relatively hidden while transit
funding is routinely seen as deficit spending. In
places like Missouri, which contributes virtually
no funding to public transportation, localities are
left to finance transit at a local or regional level,
in addition to seeking increasingly scarce federal
dollars.
After funding, the next barrier is the in-
creasingly outdated nature of local zoning codes.
As many codes were written to deliberately ex-
clude a mix of uses, TOD is functionally impos-
sible in many communities. Consequently, com-
munities must refashion their zoning codes to
allow for higher residential density and a mix of
uses. Fortunately, compared to funding reform,
this step is relatively simple due to its local nature.
Paired with zoning changes should be a
mandatory reduction in the required number of
parking spaces. Current parking standards force
the production of surplus spaces and often dis-
courage dense development. Cities should look
to relax and if possible do away with mandatory
minimum parking space requirements. TOD is
known to encourage lower auto usage and height-
ened pedestrian activity which could offset the
demand for parking, therefore increasing the effi-
ciency of a development.
Figure 14: Right. Zoning is usually an impediment
to TOD because many towns do not allow more than
single family zoning. The City of Ladue, MO a suburb
of Saint Louis is shown in this image. Ladue is one
of the wealthiest suburbs in the Saint Louis area, and
as such has zoned most of its land as single-family
residential which entirely precludes construction of a
genuine TOD district
Courtesy: City of Ladue, Mo
Retrieved: 4/6/2015
Figure 13: Above. Traditional transportation funding schemes prioritize road construction frequently at the
direct detriment of public transportation. The completion of the Page Extension through St. Charles Co. diverted
millions of dollars that could have been used to extend the Metrolink Red Line across the Missouri River and
into St. Charles County, thus providing relief to traffic which was cited as necessitating the need for an extended
Page Avenue.

Courtesy: City of Ladue, MO
Retrieved: 4/6/2015
Zoning often Precludes Density, Let Alone TOD

By its name, TOD is predicated on the
existence of transit. Therefore, this section
briefly lays out the present state of public
transportation in Metro Saint Louis.
Overview
Prior to its abandonment in the mid 1960s,
Metro Saint Louis was served by a sprawling
streetcar system and an accompanying series of
commuter railway lines. After the dismantling
of these systems, the region has been largely
dependent on buses for its public transport
options. However, since the reintroduction of
trains in the 1990s, the region has been slowly
moving toward the creation of a new multimodal
system that may one day feature not just light
rail and buses, but bike-share, streetcars, and bus
rapid transit.
Metrolink
The current light rail network consists of
two lines, Red and Blue, that via two branches,
connect Scott Air Force Base in Illinois with
Lambert Airport and the near southwest suburbs
in Missouri. Starting in 1990, construction of
the initial line was completed in 1993 when the
system opened for operation. Connecting North
Hanley Station to East St. Louis with fourteen
miles and sixteen stations, the initial line proved
a success which led to several extensions first
to Lambert Airport in North St. Louis County,
then to Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County,
IL. A later extension in 2006, the Cross County
Connection (current Blue line Shrewsbury
Branch) linked the main line to Clayton (the
second regional downtown) and the near
southwest suburbs.19
Presently, the light rail system and
Metro’s bus operations enjoy steadily growing
ridership; fifty million riders per year as of
2014.20 Overall, light rail has been a positive
development for Saint Louis. Since its
implementation, there has been over two billion
in investment along the system.21 Realizing
the importance that transit plays in the regional
economy, Metro Saint Louis is now developing
its long range transit plan, Moving Transit
Forward, which includes options for potential
system expansions such as the North South
Metro line that could connect North County with
South County via downtown.22
Design Characteristics
Operating entirely within its own right of
way, the Metrolink system mostly runs at grade,
with some aerial and below grade portions. To
save money, Metro’s lines recycle stretches
of former railway including a tunnel beneath
downtown.23 While this measure reduced
construction costs, it has disadvantaged the
system. The existing lines largely pass through
industrial lands far removed from residential or
commercial areas which isolates many stations
from their potential users. Furthermore, because
many stations are not located in walkable areas
it is an even greater disincentive to transit usage.
These stations are thus inefficiently located
and several of them suffer from low ridership
as compared to the better connected stations,
such as the Central West End Station. While
not sited immediately within a residential area,
this station is on the grounds of the Barnes-
Jewish Hospital/ Washington University Medical
Center, which is a major regional employer.
Additionally, there is a multi-bay bus depot on
site, and neighboring Euclid Avenue is home to
many extremely popular restaurants and stores.
This station leverages its connections to create
a critical mass for transit usage and pedestrian
activity that makes this portion of the city one
of the most-lively and desirable. Even so, the
system as a whole suffers lower ridership than
could be possible due to its relative isolation
from users.
Figure 15: A Metrolink LRT vehicle shown leaving
Union Station on its way east to its terminus in Illinois
Courtesy: Matthew Black & Wikipedia,
Retrieved: 4/5/2015

Figure 16: The current Metrolink System
Courtesy: www.metrostlouis.org, Retrieved: 4/5/2015

Former Saint Louis
Streetcar System in 1942
Figure 19: At left. Like many cities, Saint Louis once had an extensive streetcar system.
Though no longer in existence, many sections of the core city are left with a built legacy
which directly supports mixed use and walkability because they were built during the
system’s time of operation. In effect, Saint Louis City is already built as a TOD though it
presently lacks transit access in most areas.
Opportunities for TOD in Regional Transportation Expansion
Current mode share in Saint Louis overwhelmingly favors the automobile
over public transportation, however recent developments in local and regional
transportation planning have signaled that in the future more Saint Louisans may
be taking transit. With the completion of Moving Transit Forward, the region’s
comprehensive long term transportation plan, in addition to several proposed
light rail extensions, bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, and the possibility for two new
systems, bike share and streetcar, it appears that Metro Saint Louis is starting the
process of rebuilding its multi-modal transport system. As such, the importance of
TOD is only heightened. As these systems are built or extended, opportunities for
TOD should be fully sought out. Should these proposals be successfully combined
with TOD, the region would be taking a tremendous step toward ending its sprawl.

Figures 16, 17, & 18: At far right. These images show several potential transit expansions
that have been proposed or discussed for Metro Saint Louis. Top left (16),shows the
potential routes of the region’s first BRT line. Bottom left (17), shows the routing of the
proposed Saint Louis City streetcar. Far right (18), shows the path of the North South line
which would connect Florissant Valley College in North St. Louis County to South St. Louis
County via Downtown.

Transportation & Metro Saint Louis

To demonstrate that TOD is possible in
Metro Saint Louis, the Richmond Heights-Galleria
station has been chosen as a case study. The
following sections examine existing conditions in
the study area as well as proposals for how it can
be redeveloped as a more dense TOD district that
could be effective in slowing regional sprawl.
Location & Overview
Located within the western part of its
namesakecity,RichmondHeightsstationislocated
in an suburban commercial district in the western
inner ring suburbs of Saint Louis, MO. Sitting
amongst the intersection of four major corridors:
I-64, I-170, South Brentwood Boulevard, and
Clayton Road, the station area is well connected
to the broader region, and nearby jobs centers
such as Clayton, Brentwood, and the slightly
more distant Central West End. The district’s
main thoroughfare is Brentwood Boulevard which
runs north-south and is lined primarily with
commercial and office uses, including the Saint
Louis Galleria, and The Boulevard a mixed-use
development.24 Considered a major shopping
destination,the stationareaishometothe Galleria
Mall, a super regional shopping center with three
levels, 165 stores, and 5,000 parking spaces.
Less than one mile north is downtown Clayton,
the region’s second downtown, which is home
to 35,000 employees and a daytime population
of 80,000 people.25 Within a ½ mile radius of
the station there are 2,120 residents, with 73.2%
population between 25 and 64, 68.9%, household
income more than $50,000, only 7% of rentals
are priced below $500 a month, and there are 625
firms and agencies employing 7,068 people.26
Figure 20: The Richmond Heights-Galleria station study area is outlined above. Located at the intersection of
two major highways, the area is well connected to the broader Saint Louis Region. In the left of the study area
sits the Galleria Mall and its 5,000 parking spaces, at center along Brentwood Blvd is The Boulevard, a mixed use
development with residential, office, retail space, and several restaurants, and in the extreme right of the study
area is the Metrolink station. To the immediate north is the City of Clayton, and to the immediate south is the
City of Brentwood. Single-family residential areas are to the east and west.
Richmond Heights-Galleria Station Study Area
Richmond Heights, MO
BrentwoodBlvd
Station
The Galleria
Clayton Rd
I-64
I-64
I-170
I-170
Study Boundary
Metro Line
1000 ft

Land Utilization
Underutilized
Surface Parking
Vacant
NBrentwoodBlvd
Clayton Rd
The Galleria
Station
Development Opportunities within the Study Area
Figure 23: This map displays lands within the study area that may be sites for potential redevelopment
Figure 21: Above, is a view from the end of Galleria
Parkway looking westward toward the main entrance
to the Galleria Mall.
Figure 22: Above, is an interior view of The Boulevard
mixed use development. The complex which contains
a parking garage is designed with a main street style
format, with a center street flanked by businesses and
upper story apartments and offices.
The Boulevard
The Galleria Mall

Richmond Heights Station
Quarter-mile Area
Metrolink
City Boundaries
Single-Family Residential
Zoning Districts
Multi-Family Residential
Commercial
Industrial
Community Facility
Open Space
Vacant
Figure 24: Excerpt from Richmond Heights-Galleria Station Profile
Courtesy: Metro Transit, www.metrostlouis.org, Retrieved: 4/5/2015

Station Facilities
Situated at the western end of Galleria
Parkway, the Richmond Heights station is
composed of three major parts: the station
platforms and access ramp, a bus terminal/
passenger drop off loop, and a fifty-seven space
commuter park and ride lot.
The station itself consists of a single island
platform that services both inbound and outbound
Metrolink Blue Line trains. Access to the platform
is via a ramp at the northern end which crosses
the southbound track and connects with the
ticketing area adjacent to the drop off loop. Bus
service to the station is via Metro’s number 02
Red Line bus which offers connections to nearby
University City, Brentwood, and Maplewood.
Despite its location within a major shopping and
employment center, the station is underutilized as
it sees only 660 boardings per day.28
Figure 25: A view southeast into Richmond Heights-
Galleria Station and the bus terminal/ passenger drop
off loop from Galleria Parkway.
Figure 26: A view south to light rail tracks and station
platform from the sole access pathway located just to
the east of the bus terminal loop.
Figure 27: The view northwest toward the 57
space commuter parking lot and the Interstate 170
northbound on-ramp from Galleria Parkway
Figure 28: The view looking west down Galleria
Parkway from the station entrance. Seen in the
distance beneath the Interstate 170 overpass is the
main entrance to the Galleria Mall, the dominating
feature of the station study area.

Design Concerns
The Richmond Heights station and its
surrounding study area suffer from numerous
design flaws that cumulatively work to undermine
ridership and the overall success of the study area.
Station Specific
Chief among the station’s design flaws is
its frankly incomplete pedestrian infrastructure.
The current station configuration provides only
one entrance via the bus terminal loop at the end
of Galleria Parkway. While this does position the
station entrance toward the district’s main asset,
the Galleria Mall, it nearly precludes access from
the residential area to the immediate south of the
station.
Additionally, because the station is not at
the center of the shopping area along Brentwood
Blvd, the current peripheral location stretches the
average distance one would have to walk to access
theentiretyofthecommercialdistrictsuchasalong
Clayton road or the south stretch of Brentwood
Boulevard. When compounded with district wide
design concerns, these situations render the study
area as inherently anti-pedestrian.
Figure 29: The station’s less than ideal location and lack of multiple access points forces users to walk much farther
than would be necessary if there were more connections between the station and its immediate surroundings. As
shown above, riders can only exit the station in the direction of Brentwood Boulevard which creates a dramatic
reduction in the station’s accessibility.
BrentwoodBlvd
Station
The Galleria
Clayton Rd
I-64
I-64
I-170
I-170
Study Boundary
Metro Line
Ped Barrier
Sole Walkway
1000 ft

Richmond Heights Galleria Station
Study Area Specific
The Richmond Heights-Galleria station
area is defined by the transportation corridors
which slice through it: Interstates 64 & 170,
Clayton Road, and South Brentwood Boulevard.
Unfortunately, in giving access to the broader
region, these routes effectively cut up the
study area and isolate its various parts. What
developments that are present do not engage with
the streets, or each other. The net effect is a siloing
of each block. Even The Boulevard, a mixed use
development, fails to embrace the streets around
it due to its lack of storefronts on Brentwood Blvd.
A direct result of this siloing is that the study area
lacks cohesiveness and a distinct identifiable
character. Beyond the presence of the mall, there
is not a unique aspect to this place. Combined
with the extreme building setbacks and the wide
street width, the study area appears to melt away
into the distance when seen from a pedestrian
viewpoint.
Furthermore, while the study area is
transit accessible, it is almost exclusively reached
by private automobile. What few pedestrians
there are have no comfort in amenities such
as benches, shade trees, or safe and adequate
crosswalks. Walking in this area is not only feels
unsafe, but it is so due to the high speed of traffic
and the nearly overwhelming lack of pedestrian
safety features.
Figure 30: Shown above is the condition of a pedestrian
crossing on Galleria Parkway near to the entrance of
the Metrolink station, notice the cracked and buckled
pavement, and the severely faded nature of the
pedestrian crossing markings.
Figure31:ShownaboveisTheBoulevarddevelopment’s
west wall which faces Brentwood Blvd, notice the
lack of true street front retail and access points. This
uninviting street wall is worsened by narrow sidewalks,
lack of shade, and high-speed traffic on Brentwood
Blvd.
Figure 32: Above is a stretch of Brentwood Blvd,
looking north. The lack of street adjacent development
or distinctive features leads to the area seeming to melt
away into the landscape.
Figure 33: At right is University Tower, the tallest
building in the study area. Despite being a major
feature, it is completely isolated due to its position at
the top of a hill that is ringed with retaining walls and
parking lots. Pedestrian access is limited as there are
no clearly marked paths to the site. Most visitors to the
building drive and park in the attached garage seen at
bottom right of the image.

Why TOD for Richmond Heights?
Despite its design flaws, the Richmond
Heights-Galleria Station study area is an ideal
place for comprehensive TOD style development.
As it stands, the district is in an advantageous
position due to its location, transit access, existing
commercial offerings, and the vast tracts of
surface parking and underutilized land. The study
area could feasibly accommodate an increase in
residential and commercial density which would
be supported by the subregional development
pressuresexistentinthesurroundingcommunities
of Clayton and Brentwood. Downtown Clayton
to the north is a major and growing employment
center that is seeing increased investment and
construction of several new office buildings.
However, due to zoning, Clayton’s downtown
is constrained, which could force development
elsewhere. Logically, this development should
continue down Brentwood Boulevard toward
the Galleria and its abundant land. If this were
to occur, Brentwood Blvd would become the
spine of an expanded business district stretching
from Clayton, through Richmond Heights, and
terminating in Brentwood to the south. The
area has the ability to become a much denser,
mixed use, and walkable place via improvements
to the existing transit station, and across the
district itself. More than anything, the lessons
learned at this study area can inform how other
municipalities could implement anti-sprawl
policies within their own borders.
Potential Station Improvements
Whilethepresentstationservesitspurpose,
itdoesnotdoitwell,anditisinneedofrenovations
to boost its capacity, and changes in layout and
wayfinding to better connect it to the surrounding
neighborhoods. Currently, the only access point
is directly off Galleria Parkway, a reality that cuts
off the residents of the neighborhood to the south
and east. New entrances or connections should
be built connecting to Linden Avenue to the south
and Clayton road to the north. Such connections
would dramatically increase the station’s service
area and potentially spur redevelopment east of
I-170. While strengthened pedestrian connections
might boost ridership, increased bus service may
do so as well, so it must be included with any
station renovation work.
Complementing the new and improved
pedestrian connections should be a redesign of
the station’s architecture and public art offerings.
At the moment, the existing station possesses
no significant or easily identifiable features. The
station should be a signature entrance to the
study are, which means it must possess a higher
design quality than what is present. Preferably
this new design will be in a compatible style to the
prevailing architecture of the redeveloped study
area. Doing so would bring about continuity to
the whole study area and lessen the fragmentation
imposed by I-170.
Compelling Station Design is a Must
Figure 34: Above is a station on the Charlotte, NC,
Lynx system. While the station’s overall design is
not that elaborate, the creative form of the canopy
provides a note of visual interest and makes the station
identifiable.
Courtesy: www.sasaki.com, Retrieved: 4/1/2015
Public Art Captures Attention
Figure 36: Above. Good public art has the power to
draw in people and enliven places, as evidenced by
the crowds and the woman photographing this piece,
located in the City Garden in downtown Saint Louis.
Courtesy: www.cityparksblog.org, Retrieved: 4/1/2015

BrentwoodBlvd
Station
The Galleria
Clayton Rd
I-64
I-64
I-170
I-170
LindenAve
Study Boundary
Metro Line
New & Stronger
Pedestrian
Connections
1000 ft
Needed Pedestrian Connections for the Richmond Heights Metrolink Station
Figure 38: The map above depicts proposed connections between the Richmond Heights Metrolink station and
the surrounding area. Currently, the station has only one main access route via Galleria Parkway, however, by
creating connections to the residential area along Linden Avenue to the south and to the east portion of the study
area along Clayton Road, ridership could increase as would the potential for district wide redevelopment. As
the TOD process moves forward, the existing station will prove inadequate without better pathways that link the
existing residential areas to the redevelopment zones.
Wayfinding Streamlines Connectivity
Figure 35: Above. Good and simple wayfinding features
make areas more navigable which in turn increases
their walkability and distinctiveness as places.
Courtesy: www.stltoday.com, Retrieved: 4/1/2015
MultimodalProvisionsBoostRidership
Figure 37: Above. Multimodal provisions can increase
a station’s ridership pool, and as the above image
shows, things like bike racks can be more than just
utilitarian features, but works of functional art.
Courtesy: www.flourishonline.org,Retrieved: 4/5/2015

4) Foster Placemaking Through Design
What gets built in this now pedestrian
friendly, mixed use, and multi-modal district
should be of high quality design to counteract
the presently indistinct character of the study
area. By using design elements like street facing
retail, uniform building heights, human scaled
architecture, and complementary styles, the
district can better exhibit a cohesive and distinct
identity. Supplementing these strategies should
be the careful location of parks and public spaces
that are designed for different uses depending
on their locations. For example, plazas in
commercially focused areas.
Having Guidelines Matters
Because they directly address the study
area’s most pressing challenges, these guidelines
should be used to inform all aspects of the
redevelopment process. They will encourage
the creation of a dense, walkable, mixed use
neighborhood that is wonderful for residents,
and that is also an excellent asset for the City
of Richmond Heights. Dense, walkable, mixed
use places tend to generate more in property
and sales taxes for municipalities versus lower
density suburban style developments, which
makes them worth the investment. Adhering to
these guidelines will directly benefit the City of
Richmond Heights, and the region as a whole in
the fight to slow sprawl.
Potential District Improvements
It has been previously shown that the study
area possess a large amount of redevelop-able land
that at this point is being used overwhelmingly
for parking or low density suburban commercial/
office type developments. Considering the
study area’s location and transit access, this is
an inefficient use of such a valuable resource.
Moving forward, development in the study area
must attempt to better capture the value stored in
this well connected place.
The first step toward a new Richmond
Heights TOD district, or any TOD, needs to be the
creation of a set of guiding principles to structure
the redevelopment process. These principles
should be constructed to directly address local
conditions, whether positive or negative. For
Richmond Heights, the following guidelines have
been drafted to address the core concerns faced in
the study area.
1) Increase Residential Density
Single-Family housing is the greatest
contributor to sprawl in Metro Saint Louis, so
increasing residential density within the study
area is paramount. Housing should be varied in
size and type, with a mix of single family town-
homes, apartments, studios, and condos. The
number of units per acre should not fall below 20-
25. The use of a mandatory minimum will work to
ensure adequate density to support transit usage.
Another benefit density and mixed housing types
is a greater diversity of age, income, and family
type among potential residents.
2) Build Multimodal Complete Streets
With increased density must come streets
that are more urban in format. In reformatting the
local street grid, complete streets measures should
be adopted. If road-space on the main corridors
allows, bus and bike only lanes should be created,
on street parking should be allowed as a safety
buffer for pedestrians, and traffic calming features
like curb bulb outs should be added. Pedestrian
and cyclist amenities like well signed crosswalks
and bike racks should be amply provided. In all,
pedestrian focused infrastructure should be used
to create functional and easy to use paths of flow
throughout the district by subverting the presence
of the study area’s heavily trafficked major streets.
3) Implement a Mixed Use Format

New development within the study area
must be of a mixed use format to ensure better
returns in the long run. Having stores, offices,
residential space, and institutions all on the
same block or even within the same building,
directly contributes to the diversity and vitality of
a place. Mixed uses can encourage a pedestrian
atmosphere by giving many different people many
different reasons to be somewhere across all hours
of a given day. It makes sense economically and
socially to locate people near to the services, jobs,
and amenities they may want or need.

A Plan for Richmond Heights Galleria Station
N
BrentwoodBlvd
Clayton Rd
The Galleria
Station
Proposed Land Uses
Mixed Use
(Commercial-Residential)
Commercial
Office
Multi-family
Parking Facility
New Street Grid
Park Space
Proposed Land Use Concept Plan for the Richmond Heights Study Area
Figure 40: At right. This map shows the proposed land
use concept for the Richmond Heights-Galleria study
area. The imposition of a new street grid has given
the area a feeling of permeability, and the placement
of new or expanded parks now gives several unique
neighborhood centers. Along the major corridors,
spaces for office and mixed use development have
been outlined. Commercial space has been scattered
throughout, multi-family residential has been located
adjacent to the station, and parking facilities have been
sited in several locations across the study area.
Courtesy: Google Earth, Retrieved 4/5/2015
Figure 39: Above. Mixing uses can create more vibrant
and viable developments
Courtesy: www.kirkfromm.com,
Retrieved: 4/6/2015
Mixed Use Means More Vitality

Complete Streets Create Equity and Safety for All Transport Modes
Figure 41: Top left. Complete streets measures seek to provide
modal equity in the design of local streets. As shown in this image
from the Overlake Village District in Redmond, WA, pedestrians,
cars, and cyclists have spaces dedicated to them in the design of
the street right of way. These types of shared space configurations
can greatly improve the safety of streets which can lead to a greater
pedestrian and cyclist presence.
Courtesy: Crandall Arambula, www.ca-city.com,
Retrieved: 4/6/2015
A Wide Housing Type Mix Can Foster Residential Diversity
Figure 42: Bottom left. Housing unit type diversity is a must in a TOD
district because it not only allows for a greater population density,
but it can foster diversity in income, family size, and family type
among potential residents. Furthermore, housing diversity has been
shown to lead to greater nieghborhood affordability. While much
is done and said to make TOD environmentally sustainable, more
could be done to highlight the importance of social sustainability in
these developments.

Possible Futures for Richmond Heights
Given the study area’s location at the
center of Metro Saint Louis and within a growing
regional sub-market of the western inner ring
suburbs (University City, Clayton, Richmond
Heights, Brentwood, and Maplewood), many
different development outcomes are possible.
So long as future developments show awareness
of the four main redevelopment guidelines, this
nascent TOD district has immense potential to
become a dense, walkable, mixed use place. As has
been previously stated, these guidelines are not
meant to be inflexible, they are intended to help
potential developments best meet the primary
goal of the study area, which is to become a dense
and vital urban center which is necessary if the
City of Richmond Heights is to make an impact
on regional sprawl control.

Example TOD District Proposal, Northgate Redevelopment, Seattle, WA
Figure 43: Above. This image depicts one of many proposals that were put together for the Northgate
Redevelopment Project in Seattle, WA. This district is a valuable example of what could be possible at Richmond
Heights and elsewhere across Saint Louis because of the importance of design and quality of life guidelines that
were created early in the redevelopment process. These guidelines are thorough and address valid concerns held
by the City of Seattle and local residents, such as green provisions and walkability. While all proposals differed,
they all used the district specific guidelines to structure their approaches.
Courtesy: www.via-architecture.com, Retrieved: 4/6/2015

Conclusion
Having explored the transit oriented development opportunities for the study area surrounding the Richmond Heights-Galleria Station,
a question still remains. Can TOD that is carried out by smaller municipalities, really work to slow sprawl in the Saint Louis region considering
the political difficulties the metro area faces? Despite the challenges, the answer is yes, small towns across Metro Saint Louis can indeed help
slow sprawl by developing transit oriented districts. While TOD is not a panacea that can stop sprawl completely, it is a positive step in the
right direction which alone justifies its implementation. As has been previously stated, until such time as the region works to solidify a unified
voice against sprawl, the local level use of TOD will be Metro Saint Louis’ best sprawl control measure.

Therefore, by using Richmond Heights-Galleria Station as an example of what is possible with TOD, the Saint Louis region’s towns
must move forward and pursue further studies into the value of and possibilities for TOD within their communities. After greater analysis,
localities will be better prepared to stage a comprehensive TOD processes. Once TOD planning and development become commonplace at the
local level, the region stands to benefit greatly

Conclusion
Figure 44: Above. A map of the existing Metrolink network
Courtesy: www.urbanrail.net, Retrieved: 4/6/2015
Transit is Valuable So Embrace it as a Resource

Appendix
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Louis. 2014. Accessed March 23, 2015 http://www.
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24) Richmond Heights Station Profile, http://cmt-
stl.org/transit-oriented-development-clearinghouse/
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25) Saint Louis Galleria, “St. Louis’ Premier Shopping
Center,” http://www.ggp.com/properties/mall-prop-
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26) Citizens for Modern Transit, “Richmond Heights
Station,” http://cmt-stl.org/transit-oriented-develop-
ment-clearinghouse/metrolink-station-profiles/
27) Saint Louis Galleria, “St. Louis’ Premier Shopping
Center,” http://www.ggp.com/properties/mall-prop-
erties/saint-louis-galleria
28) Citizens for Modern Transit, “Richmond Heights
Station,” http://cmt-stl.org/transit-oriented-develop-
ment-clearinghouse/metrolink-station-profiles/

Appendix

Turner_MastersProjects_LowRes

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