Metro-Mobility
Talks:
Volume 16 Issue 2
Transit's Role in Substainability & Livability
The City of Corpus Christi has the opportunity to leverage $27.5
million in federal funds to create a better community, enhance the
city's financial stability, and improve the quality of life in the
downtown areas.
OOThat's one of the conclusions in a
report prepared for the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning
Organization (CCMPO) entitled "Transit's Role in Sustainability & Livability."
The report, prepared by The Goodman Corporation, a
nationally recognized transportation and urban planning consulting
firm, describes opportunities and techniques for increasing the
livability of Corpus Christi's urban core.
OOThe report encompasses these efforts
in what it calls a Corpus Christi Downtown Livability Program. Such
a program could use $5.5 million in local value to attract $22
million in federal funding to significantly improve existing
infrastructure, create a better pedestrian environment, and
stimulate mixed-use development and economic value for the
community.
OOThe report explains how transit can
provide a framework that ties together the community's varying
visions for downtown in order to bring more federal dollars. The
CCMPO, along with the City of Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi
Regional Transportation Authority, has identified cornerstone
projects that, along with transit, can jumpstart the program.
OOCreating "sustainability" for
communities, also known as "Livability," is receiving renewed
emphasis since the new administration took over in Washington, D.C.
In June 2009, the Obama Administration created the Sustainable
Communities Partnership (also known as the Livability Partnership)
that brought together the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) to plan for communities that are
efficient consumers of housing, transportation, and energy use.
OOTransit plays a key role in guiding
livability initiatives. By linking planned developments to transit,
Corpus Christi can access federal funding from Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) and other agencies to increase the livability
of planned developments. The FTA may fund as much as 80 percent of
qualifying costs for transit facilities and streetscape
improvements.
OOTwo important tools in this effort
are Transit Enhancements (landscaping and street amenities such as
benches and transit shelters) and Transit Joint Development that
build public spaces based on transit (such as the Corpus Christi
Staples Street Station near city hall). Transit Joint Developments
increase property values, stimulate additional sales and use tax,
generate parking revenues, and increase leasing opportunities.
Transit Enhancements improve integration of transit facilities into
surrounding development, create a sense of place, improve safety,
and enhance access to businesses.
OOThe report recommends that the
community take certain steps to develop a successful Corpus Christi
Downtown Livability Program. The first is to create a steering
committee that includes stakeholders from private, public, and
nonprofit organizations committed to downtown revitalization. The
next steps are to identify projects that will enhance the program
and determine how transit connections will complement them. Finally,
eligible capital projects should be "protected" for federal
reimbursement for up to five years through a process known as
"Letter of No Prejudice" presented to the FTA. A Letter of No
Prejudice allows local governments and transit authorities to
advance project activities with local funds, building "local share"
credit toward the overall project, and allowing for subsequent
federal reimbursement.
OOThe report states that an opportunity
presented by the Obama Administration's change in federal policies
comes along once in a generation and should be embraced by Corpus
Christi leadership.
Metro-Mobility
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