King Farm, a 440-acre development in the D.C. suburbs, was designed to be the perfect transit-oriented development, with a light rail to be built later. Now, residents have decided they don't want the transit to ever be built.
It seems that even though King Farm was designed with a light rail right-of-way in mind, residents don't see the need for it, preferring to drive their cars. One resident formed the anti-transit group after realizing that the light rail would pass in front of her house, a fact that she claims she was never made aware of.
Kaid Benfield writes:
"...the thing is, we need the transit to make these big suburban developments work for the larger region's traffic and for the environment. King Farm is not an inner suburb. It's about 10 miles beyond the Capital Beltway [...] and 21.6 miles from NRDC's downtown DC office, according to Google Maps. There's a shuttle to the Metro station, another thing the developer did right, but that only helps if you're going where the Red Line goes, basically only south from the station since it's the end of the line.
For those who live, work or shop along its route, the Transitway will not only make it easier to reach the Metro (or to reach King Farm from the Metro) at more times during the day but also run along more of an east-west route, linking its customers to additional centers of employment and activity."
FULL STORY: Residents of award-winning, transit-oriented development say no to transit
Seattle Area Developers Target Areas Around Light Rail Extension
The East Link line, which will connect Redmond and Bellevue to Seattle in 2025, is spurring transit-oriented development near future stations.
Coalition Fights Displacement Along Purple Line
Community advocates are warning that Maryland’s new light rail line could cause displacement without concerted efforts to preserve affordable housing and legacy businesses.
Seattle Light Rail Expansion Brings Redevelopment Boom
The city’s Northgate Link extension has spurred development around the new stations, and one neighborhood is poised to change dramatically.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
