Camden Transit Commons
I dream’d in a dream that I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth... Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass
Cover Image Courtesy of Cooper’s Ferry Development Corporation, Inc. Cover Art by Victoria Hershey
The University of Pennsylvania School of Design Wallace, Roberts & Todd The Greater Camden Paternership Planning Problems Workshop May 12, 2009
Allison Gillum Victoria Hershey Bryan Rodda Gretchen Sweeney Noah Swistak
Table of Contents Camden Transit Commons
Acknowledgements Our group would respectfully like to acknowledge the following persons who assisted in the development of this plan:
Peers
Christian Gass Reuben MacMartin Jack Robinson Nse Umoh Fiona Feng Zhu
Executive Summary
VI
Introduction
10
Steve Dragos David Foster
Existing Conditions
16
Camden Redevelopment Authority
Site Alternatives
32
Camden Transit Commons
50
Implementation
66
Conclusion
78
The Greater Camden Patnership
Jim Haverson Josh Warner
Wallace, Roberts & Todd
Richard Huffman, instructor Rob Kerns, assistant instructor
PennPlanning
John Landis, chair Kate Daniel, assistant to the chair
4
5
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
viii Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Vision
Serving Residents
Gateway to the City
The Camden Transit Commons is a new vision for a mixed-use, transitoriented development that can serve as a catalyst for further development in and around downtown Camden.
The Commons seeks to provide attractive, new street-level retail development that will expand the shopping options available to existing residents of the nearby Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square neighborhoods. These areas that have suffered under a lack of options and nearby shopping opportunities for decades.
With thousands of daily passengers arriving at the transit facilities located at Camden Transit Commons, the newly planned park and plaza space at the site will serve as a new civic gateway to Camden, turning a forgotten block into a new destination at the heart of Camden.
Access
Building Density
The Commons builds off of downtown Camden’s major existing asset: the unique connection of two different passenger rail lines and a major New Jersey Transit bus hub.
The Camden Transit Commons development will exhibit true urban densities at the level necessary to create and sustain an urban neighborhood and to utilize the existing transit hubs.
At the Center
Using the Anchors
Located in the heart of downtown Camden, Camden Trransit Commons activates an otherwise empty space that is currently occupied by surface parking, abandoned properties and suburban-style retail development.
The Commons is strategically located between two of Camden’s major institutional anchors, Cooper University Hospital and Rutgers-Camden. The new development seeks to capture the economic potential of these anchors and put it to use at a new, mixeduse center that can provide attractive housing, shopping and entertainment venues for these communities.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Executive Summary ix
Introduction
Introduction Camden History
The client group for our project identified a need in the area for new retail development that could serve both the existing residential communities in Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square. It would also take advantage of and new, emerging markets such as increased employment at Cooper Hospital, and the growing student bodies at its medical school and other schools in the area, such as the Rutgers-Camden branch campus and the Camden County College branch campus.
Camden, New Jersey rose to prominence as a gatweway to Philadelphia in the Colonial Era. As Philadelphia grew through the 18th century, several settlements grew as ferry terminals. Three separate settlements merged to form Camden in 1828. Land in Camden was significantly cheaper than in neighboring Philadelphia, which attracted new residents. Throughout the 19th century, the city flourished as a manufacturing center. For first half of the 20th century, Camden remained a bustling urban area. The population of the city peaked around 1950. After this, Camden experienced a combination of hardships such as the federal urban renewal projects, suburban flight, and industrial decline. In 1952, ferry service between Philadelphia and Camden ended. Then, in 1967, New York Shipbuilding Corporation, one of the major industrial powerhouses in Camden moved out. However, in 1969, Camden reemerged as a transportation center when the PATCO line began operation.
Project Definition and Scope In the post-WWII era, Camden has seen years of neglect and disinvestment just like many major American urban areas.
12 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 1.1. Camden City Hall. This has been caused by a loss of major industries and factories coupled with increasing (and more concentrated) levels of poverty, vacancy and urban decay.
project in over 30 years—has helped start a discussion about how to rejuvenate Camden’s downtown areas and the Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square neighborhoods that surround Cooper University Hospital. Other recent In recent years, however, there have been investments include the 2002 reestablishment tentative signs of a resurgence in Camden, of ferry service between Philadelphia spurred through local institutions, including and Camden, and a new headquarters the recent $200 million dollar expansion for Campbell’s Soup, built in 2008.1 of Cooper University Hospital. This major investment—Camden’s largest single
University of Pennsylvania
in downtown Camden and for increased retail services to the residents of the Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square neighborhoods.
Project Goals
At the beginning of the planning process, the following goals were developed to focus our efforts throughout the semester: •Meet the needs of immediate neighborhoods, including Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square; •Maintain existing city businesses; Our workshop group was tasked with developing •Stimulate further investment in Camden; plans for a new retail center that would serve •Be flexible in face of changing economic these diverse groups while improving the circumstances; overall urban experience found in downtown •Serve residents of diverse social and Camden. We focused our study on the economic means; Martin Luther King Blvd. corridor, a struggling •Create an appealing new destination for commercial area where the retail uses that residents and visitors; •Integrate sustainable and mixed-use dedo exist often exhibit as much suburbansign concepts. style development characteristics as they do urban. The street also functions as a border between Camden’s central business district Methodology and residential neighborhoods to the south. This semester-long project began with a Working with a coalition of partners meeting between our team and representatives coordinated through the Greater Camden from the client group and other relevant Partnership, our group developed plans for a stakeholder organizations. Stephen Dragos, new mixed-use center located in downtown senior advisor for development with the Camden, near Cooper University Hospital, Greater Camden Partnership, explained City Hall, and the Cooper Plaza and Lanning their desire to plan a commercially-focused Square neighborhoods. It is our hope that our development on or near Martin Luther King proposal, the Camden Transit Commons, can Boulevard in downtown Camden. Mr. Dragos serve as a building block for future investment would continue to be our main contact
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
throughout the planning process. After the meeting, the team performed extensive data gathering and analysis on existing conditions in downtown Camden. This included a retail market analysis of Camden, other basic demographic data and trends and a study of the physical conditions along Martin Luther King Boulevard in Camden. Much of this information is presented in later chapters of this report.
Interviews Coinciding with the data gathering and analysis were interviews conducted with a variety of stakeholder groups in Camden. The following individuals were interviewed by our group: Sean Brown, Cooper Plaza/Lanning Square (CPLS); Gary Rago, New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Rutgers-Camden Monica Lesmireses, Cooper University Hospital; Ray Lamboy, Latin American Economic Development Association (LAEDA); Mary-Beth Daisey, Associate Chancellor for Student Life, Rutgers-Camden; Carrie Turner, Deputy Executive Director, Camden Redevelopment Agency; James Harveson, Director of Economic Development, Camden Redevelopment Agency; Donna Helmes, Community Development Manager, Camden Redevelopment
Introduction 13
Agency; Joshua Warner, Planning & GIS Specialist, Camden Redevelopment Agency; Vincent Basara, Camden Urban Enterprise Zone; Joe Myers, Coopers Ferry Development Association; John Kromer, Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania (formerly of CRA); John Landis, Chair, City & Regional Planning Department, University of Pennsylvania.
each with its own program. The team gave a final presentation of this plan to a group of stakeholders on May 6, 2009 on the campus of The University of Pennsylvania.
The City Planning Board adopted FutureCAMDEN, the Master Plan for the City in March 2002. This is a substantial document outlining key goals under the following headline issues: land use; regional planning; housing and neighborhoods; economy; physical and historical assets; environment; Existing Plans transportation network; public facilities, In July 2002, the State of New Jersey education and safety; and implementation. passed the Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act (MRERA). With The state’s actions and FutureCAMDEN this legislation, New Jersey put Camden spurred the Camden Redevelopment Agency under the management of a Chief Operating (CRA) to develop a series of neighborhood These meetings provided the team with a Officer and provided $175 million for recovery development plans to complement the range of perspectives from the different groups projects, which the State Economic Recovery anticipated schools funding. Below are the and experts who have an interest in this type Board administered over a five-year period. reports among those that this team reviewed: of project. All of this led to the development of two alternatives, different sites with their Under MRERA, the City’s tax rate is frozen Camden Downtown Redevelopment Plan own unique programming plans. These at 2002 levels, and the State provides – October 2004 Camden Downtown Market Study – March alternatives were presented before a group rehabilitation aid on an annual basis to 2005 of several dozen stakeholder representatives ensure a balanced budget. MRERA focused Cooper Plaza Redevelopment Plan – at Camden City Hall on March 23, 2009. on bricks and mortar real estate development March 2005 and appeared to anticipate that this Gateway Redevelopment Plan – DecemBased on feedback during and after this development would bring new tax revenues ber 2005 meeting, the team decided to move ahead that would reduce Camden’s dependency Lanning Square Redevelopment Plan – with the City Hall South site alternative, on the state. Most of the funding went to May 2008 which developed into the Camden Transit downtown improvement ($45.8m), academic North Camden Neighborhood Plan – April Commons discussed in this report. At this and health care institution development 2008 state, additional information gathering was and expansion ($47.7m), and property done when necessary—including significant acquisition and site preparation ($43m). In 2006, the COO submitted a progress report information about financing programs and the The state committed another $437 million that called for additional funding and support practicality of different building dimensions, for investment in the City’s public schools. from the state. In 2007, New Jersey extended heights, densities and costs. The final its oversight for another five years but did not proposal is divided into three distinct phases, provide additional funds. That same year,
CRA partnered with Urban Strategies, Inc., on a Human Capital Plan to tie community needs to these physical development plans.
14 Camden Transit Commons
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
University of Pennsylvania
Sources 1 http://www.ci.camden.nj.us/history/historymain.html CAMConnect, http://www.camconnect.org/resources/ MRERALegislation.html “Progress Report - Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery in Camden,” Melvin R. Primas, Jr., COO, November 2006.
Introduction 15
Existing Conditions
16
17
Context
Demographic Highlights
Camden Region
Population
The City of Camden, New Jersey, is located immediately across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a secondary core city of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Located in Camden County, the city is the largest city in Southeastern New Jersey, with a population of nearly 80,000 residents in 2000. In Figure 2.1, the City of Camden is shown in the aerial photograph, with Philadelphia, Camden County and other regional landmarks greyed out. The red “study area” illustrates where the primary study area was located within this regional context.
For the last sixty years, Camden’s population has been decreasing, going from 124,555 in 1950 to the present number of 80,010. However, this loss has been slowing, and the city’s population is projected to level off through 2025. The population decrease in the study area has been less dramatic than the city as a whole, and the area is expected to begin growing again in the coming years.
City of Camden, Population Trends and Projections Sources: NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development, 1990 U.S. Census of Population and
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
Population 60,000
40,000
20,000
0 1930
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2015
2020
2025
Age and Gender
The primary study area for our demographic analysis was Camden’s Central Business District, Cooper Grant, Central Waterfront, Lanning Square, and Bergen Square neighborhoods, shown in red in Figure 2.2. These neighborhoods correspond to Camden County Census Tracts 6001, 6003, 6004, 6005, and 6006. Demographic trends in this area largely follow those of the entire city, with some minor differences.
Downtown Camden has a young population, with 53% of local residents under thirty years old. The senior population in the area is low, with only 9% of residents 65 years or older. Counting all residents in the study area, there is a gender discrepancy of 54% male and 46% female. Much of the difference is among the 15-39 age group, where there are 3,045 males and just 2,244 females.
Figure 2.2. Map illustrating the borders of the five Census tracts in the study area.
18 Camden Transit Commons 18 Camden Transit Commons
1950
Figure 2.3. Camden Population Projection to 2025.
Figure 2.1. The study area set in a regional context.
Demographic Study Area
1940
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania
Figure 2.4. Population pyramid of the population of the study area.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Existing Conditions 19
Demographic Highlights Housing Analysis
Average Household Size 3.5
The primary housing market of the study area encompasses Census Tracts 6001, 6003, 6004, 6005, and 6006, all located in downtown Camden. The housing market in the primary market is less stable and priced lower than the market in Camden County and the Philadelphia metro area. Housing types in downtown Camden range from single-family detached units, small and large apartment buildings, and row houses.
Percent Change in Housing Units (1990-2000)
3.13 2.88
3
2.68
2.58
2.68
2.5 2 1.5 # of People 1 0.5 0 Study Area
Camden City
Camden County
Philly Metro
New Jersey
Camden City -1.2
In 2000, 54% of the 4,234 housing units 35 29.9 30 26.7 26.2 25.5 in the study area were rented, with the 25 rest being owner-occupied. One of the 20 15 most distinguishing characteristics of % of Income 10 downtown Camden’s housing market is 5 0 the high vacancy rate of 26%. This rate Study Area Camden City Camden County Philly Metro New Jersey Area is more than three times that of Camden County and the Philadelphia metro area. Figure 2.7. Rent as a percentage of household income. Source: 2000 U.S. Census Housing prices in downtown Camden demand for housing in Camden, largely are considerably lower than other areas due to the growth of Cooper Hospital and nearby. The average sale price for a Rutgers University-Camden. A portion of vacant house in 2000 was just $31,704, the housing in the proposed Camden Transit less than half of Camden County and the Commons development is catered toward Philadelphia metro area. Despite the low the projected demand from these groups. prices, renters in Camden still spend an average of 35% of their income on rent costs. The graphs above illustrate several Between 1990 and 2000, the total number of aspects of the Camden housing housing units increased only 3.7%, compared market when compared with housing with 7.4% for the Philly metro area. However, conditions in surrounding geographies. in the coming years, we expect more of a
7.6
Camden County
Philly Metro
New Jersey
Area
Figure 2.6. Change in housing units, 19902000. Source: 2000 U.S. Census
Rent as Percentage of Household Income 35.2
7.4 5
Area
Figure 2.5. Average household size in Camden. Source: 2000 U.S. Census 40
20 Camden Transit Commons
9 8 7 6 5 3.7 4 3 % 2Change 1 0 -1 Study Area -2
Vacancy Rate 30.0
26.2
25.0 18.8
20.0 15.0 10.0 Vacancy Rate (%) 5.0
7.0
6.5
7.4
Camden County
Philly Metro
New Jersey
0.0 Study Area
Camden City
Area
Figure 2.8. Vacancy rate in the study area. Source: 2000 U.S. Census
what the new center can support. The From 2007 to 2017, the average household primary retail market is defined as: income is expected to increase from $25,000 to $41,000, largely due to an influx on new -All Households in Census Tracts 6001, residents in the area. The total number 6003, 6004, 6005, 6006 of households is projected to rise by 500, -Area Employees (including Cooper Hos- creating even more demand for retail. pital, City of Camden, L3 CommunicaAs Cooper Hospital continues to draw tions) more employees into the neighborhood, -Waterfront Visitors additional spending can be expected. These -Rutgers University-Camden students -Potential new residents in the proposed increases in local residents and employees, Camden Transit Commons and other de- combined with additional dollars coming from velopments waterfront visitors and students, will create an estimated demand of $144 million by 2017. The amount that each group has available to spend in the area was calculated by Presently, there are about 200,000 square how much time they spend in the area. A feet of retail space in the study area, totaling modest amount of growth was assumed in $41 million in sales. It is estimated that $33 both the total numbers of shoppers and the million (80%) of that is spent by the primary total amount available to be spent on retail. market, meaning that retail stores in downtown Camden are only capturing 34% of the $91
Demographics 2007 Estimate
Sources U.S. Census Bureau Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Nielsen Claritas
Retail Market Analysis With retail shopping a significant component of the Camden Transit Commons project, identifying the area’s unsatisfied demand is a crucial step in determining
University of Pennsylvania
2012 Projection
2017 Projection
Average Household Income
$ 25,324
$ 27,915
$ 40,804
Households
3,026
2,971
3,516
Aggregate Dollars in Area
$ 181,274,255
$ 232,472,604
$ 287,538,463
Total Demand for Retail (@ 50%)
$ 90,637,128
$ 116,236,302
$ 143,769,231
Figure 2.9. Income and wage data supporting Camden’s retail market.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
million currently demanded. Based on these figures and the expected rise in retail demand, it is expected, that by 2017, downtown Camden will be able to support an additional $19 million in retail sales, and 94,000 square feet of retail floor space. These numbers played a significant part in determining the scope of the retail program for Camden Transit Commons.
Sources U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 and 2000 Claritas Nielsen Dollars and Cents Shopping Centers: 2004, Urban Land Institute, 2004 Bay Area Economics, 2005 North American Industry Classification System, 2007 Professional Estimates
Shopping Activity Total Retail
200,242 SF
Average Retail Sales
$ 206 / SF
Estimated Total Annual Retail Sales
$ 41,200,000
Sales to the Primary Market (80%)
$ 32,960,000
Primary Market Capture Rate
36%
Unsatisfied Demand (2017)
$ 19,321,377
Increase in Retail Floor Area
93,907 SF
Figure 2.10. Current and projected shopping activity in the primary market area.
Existing Conditions 21
MLK Corridor Analysis Physical Setting
MLK Corridor Land Ownership
The map at right shows the Martin Luther King Blvd. corridor within our study area. The corridor is defined by Federal Street on the north, Benson Street and the Cooper Hospital complex to the south, Interstate 676 to the east and Camden’s Delaware waterfront are to the west.
North Side: On the northeastern part of the MLK Blvd. corridor, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority owns the large surface parking lots. Camden County owns most of the block between 3rd St. and 5th St., including the jail and hall of justice properties. Part of the block immediately to the east is privately owned and the rest by the Camden Redevelopment Authority. Most of the land east of Broadway is owned by the State of New Jersey, with one large parcel owned by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
MLK Corridor Land Use The Martin Luther King Blvd. corridor between Camden’s waterfront and Interstate 676 features a variety of land uses, including a high number of vacancies. The western part of the street, closer to the waterfront, has a high percentage of surface parking that is primarily used by L3 Communications and the waterfront attractions. The L3 campus is also located here, along with a tall, high-density residential tower on the south side of the street.
Figure 2.11. Location of the MLK corridor within the defined study area.
The south side of MLK Blvd. between 3rd St. and Broadway has mainly high-density residential structures, although many of them are vacant. One large block on the north side of MLK Blvd. contains two large government buildings and the Camden Free Public Library. To the east of this are a few small commercial operations, more surface parking, and structures associated with the Walter Rand Transportation Center.
Figure 2.13. Land ownership along the MLK corridor, showing the major public and private owners.
Zoning
On Broadway immediately south of MLK Blvd. are several commercial properties, must of which are locally owned. Further east are large tracts owned by Cooper Hospital, including the parking garage and the hospital itself. Cooper’s current strategy calls for plans to acquire several more properties in this southeast section of the MLK Blvd. corridor. Figure 2.12.Land use along the MLK corridor in downtown Camden.
22 Camden Transit Commons
South Side: The large parking lots on the southwest side of MLK Blvd. are owned by the City of Camden. Most of the small properties located between 3rd St. and 6th St. are privately owned although the City of Camden has acquired about 30 of them. The Camden Redevelopment Authority also owns several properties in this area, most of them on 5th St. The area east of this is entirely under private ownership, with Cooper Hospital maintaining the properties between 6th St. and Interstate 676.
University of Pennsylvania
Much of the MLK corridor is part of the Center City Flexible Development zoning district in Camden. This district has a variety of guidelines. The maximum building coverage cannot be greater than 80% of the total lot area, and the lot coverage, including all structures, cannot be greater than 90% of the total lot area. Other requirements include: a 10-foot setback minimum on sites without existing structures, a minimum building height of 30 feet and two stories, and a maximum building height of 30 stories or 450 feet from the average grade line of the building’s perimeter to the top of the main roofline. The maximum floor area ratio in the Center City Flexible district is 10.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Figure 2.14. Zoning designations throughout the MLK corridor.
Existing Conditions 23
MLK Corridor Analysis Walking Distances
Brownfields
One of the key advantages of the Martin Luther King Blvd. corridor is how many establishments and attractions are within walking distance of one another. The map at right shows these relationships. The yellow area indicates regions of downtown Camden that are only a five minute walking distance from two major anchors: the RutgersCamden campus to the north, and Cooper Hospital to the southeast. The fact that these walking distances overlapped near city hall was a factor in selecting a potential site location adjacent to city hall.
Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized industrial or commercial sites that may be characterized by environmental degradation or contamination. These sites have the potential to be remediated and reused, however, it can be an expensive and tedious endeavor for developers. Fortunately, there are funding opportunities at the state and federal levels to assist developers in the remediation of brownfield sites. As shown in Figure X, there are six brownfields identified along the MLK Boulevard study area.
Susceptibility to Change Figure 2.16. Walking times along the MLK corridor, showing the overlap between Rutgers-Camden (top) and Cooper Hospital.
Employment Anchors Another key draw for the Martin Luther King Blvd. corridor is the connections with area employment anchors. These anchors are illustrated in Figure 2.23. Leading the way is Cooper University Hospital at 3,700 on-site employees. Other major employers include L3 Communications, both the city and county governments, RutgersCamden campus, and, to a lesser degree, the waterfront attractions.
In order to determine which areas along the MLK Blvd. corridor are susceptible to changes over the next five years, we examined ownership, vacancy, and physical condition of each parcel. Properties that are owned by public organizations such as Camden Redevelopment Authority, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, City of Camden, or Camden County scored higher because they will be cheaper and easier to acquire. Vacant properties also scored higher for the same reasons. For this analysis, the large surface parking lots in downtown Camden were considered vacant.
Source: NJDEP Site Remediation Program 2009
One of the areas with the most concentrated highly susceptible parcels is the block north of MLK Blvd. and between Delaware Ave. and 3rd St. The other area with a great amount of short-term potential is the north side of the block bordered by 5th St. and Broadway. Like the space closer to the waterfront, most of this area consists of publicly owned surface parking lots. Most of the area south of MLK Blvd. has either medium-term or long-term susceptibility. Figure 2.17. Map demonstrating the major employment anchors in downtown Camden.
24 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 2.18. Identified brownfields along the MLK corridor.
University of Pennsylvania
Figure 2.19. Susceptibility to Change analysis.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Existing Conditions 25
MLK Corridor Visual Highlights Legend 1. Ferry Terminal 2. Adventure Aquarium 3. Camden Children’s Garden 4. Wiggins Park and Marina 5. Susquehanna Bank Center 6. One Port Center and Parking Garage 7. Waterfront Technology Center 8. Mickle and Riverview Towers 9. YMCA 10. L3 Communications 11. Walt Whitman House 12. Camden County Hall of Justice and County Jail 13. Camden Free Public Library 14. TD North Bank 15. CVS Pharmacy 16. Parkade Building 17. Camden City Hall 18. Commerce Building 19. Broadway Commercial Corridor 20. Walter Rand Transportation Center 21. Cooper University Hospital
Figure 2.19. Visual highlights and significant surrounding land uses and businesses along the MLK corridor in downtown Camden. See corresponding pictures on the next page.
26 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Figure 2.20. The Waterfront Technology Center.
Figure 2.21. CVS Pharmacy along MLK Boulevard.
Figure 2.22. Camden City Hall.
Figure 2.23. Cooper University Hospital.
Figure 2.24. Mickle Towers.
Figure 2.25. TD Bank along MLK Boulevard.
Existing Conditions 27
MLK Corridor Analysis: Urban Design One of the major challenges Camden faces is an inordinate amount of land developed at a suburban scale. That is, the city is rife with buildings with large footprint but minimal height –right at the center of a historically dense urban environment. These types of development result in a fractured environment with vast open spaces that provide visitors with little sense of place or direction. The following design guidelines will help to reverse the current trends:
the City. These might include those of historic greater visibility and prominence in their minds. structures (such as City Hall), or important institutions (such at Cooper Hospital). The view along North 5th Street to Rutgers is of particular importance – if students can see the new development from their part of the City, they should be more likely to venture south to it. Allowing residents and office dwellers to view the university campus will give that school
Views and Building Heights Because of its wide east-west boulevards and lack of dense development at the waterfront, Camden has many unobstructed views of the Delaware River, Philadelphia skyline and Ben Franklin Bridge. Developers of the Commons should consider orienting buildings to maximize the number of residential units with access to these views. One way to do this is to stagger the height of buildings so that they decrease as the buildings approach the river. Phase I and II of the Commons complement each other in this regard: the suggested height for Phase II is nine stories, for the east building of Phase I is six stories and for the west building of Phase I is five stories.
Figure 2.27. View north along Federal Street to the Rutgers-Camden campus.
View corridors Other important views include those along streets that terminate at important places in 28 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 2.26. View of Cooper Hospital and the Walter Rand Transportation Center (at left). River LINE platform is in the center.
University of Pennsylvania
Figure 2.28. View of the public library (front, left) and in the distance, the Philadelphia skyline from downtown Camden.
Setbacks
Facades
Historic structures
The city should not specify minimum setbacks and should indicate a maximum front setback, for the structures in the Commons. This will draw new building facades to the edge of the sidewalk and create a sense of enclosure for pedestrians. It will provide a coherent and consistent retail frontage along the edges of the block and create interest and a feeling of safety visitors.
Because the proposed structure for Phase II is of significant mass (200 LF on its east façade), its developer should employ articulated facades along this length. This means that the façade differs in depth and material to create visual interest and a sense that the building is more than one structure.
Camden has a fascinating history as a hub of manufacturing and shipping. Developers built many unique buildings in the City, particularly at the turn of the century. These buildings warrant preservation, either through conservation measures or through adaptive reuse. Architects of new structures in the Commons should be considerate of the effect of their work on
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Existing Conditions 29
MLK Corridor Analysis: Urban Design such buildings. New buildings can either reflect directly the historic ones or make subtle reference to them through careful use of patterns or materials. These examples show the range of historic building in the immediate vicinity of the transit commons: In 1987, the Main Library moved from Broadway and Line Streets to its current location at 418 Federal Street in the old Public Service Company (PSE&G) Building, formerly the South Jersey Gas, Electric and Traction Company Office Building. It was incorporated into National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Sources: http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=69 http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=15 http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=26
Figure 2.29. Central Trust Company, 1900. 401 Federal Street. Late 19th and early 20th Century Revival.
Figure 2.30. Cooper Street Historic District, 1800-1950. Second to Seventh Streets along Cooper Street. Federal, Greek Revival and Late Victorian. Source: http://www.camdencity.net/images/cooperstreetlarge.jpg
Figure 2.30. Camden Free Public Library, 1905. 418 Federal Street. Beaux Arts.
30 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Existing Conditions 31
Site Alternatives
32
33
Site Locations
MLK Waterfront Site
Based on our analysis of existing conditions, we chose two potential redevelopment sites. Each site has a different program and mix of land uses specific to its location and features. Figure 3.1 shows where the site alternatives are located along the MLK corridor. The blue outline illustrates the west site, which we called “MLK Waterfront,” while the green outline illustrates the east site, which we called “City Hall South.”
Land ownership
includes land owned by the county (jail) completed in 1996 at a cost of $30 million. and the Delaware River Port Authority (PA The building owner, the Delaware River The majority of the MLK Waterfront site and NJ regional transportation agency). Port Authority, occupies it along with other public and private sector tenants.1 A café (the north portion) is owned by the New on the first floor serves building tenants Jersey Economic Development Authority as well as employees of and visitors to the (NJEDA), shown in yellow in Figure 3.2. Adjacent buildings and owners Adventure Aquarium across Riverside Drive. The Camden Parking Authority owns the portion of the site south of MLK. This Adjacent to the site to the west lie One portion lies on a paved asphalt lot that Port Center and a 4-story parking deck Adjacent to the site to the east lies a YMCA provides parking for the Susquehanna Bank that spans Delaware Avenue. One Port recreational center, including tennis and Center. The area immediately adjacent Center is an 11-story, 175,000 SF building basketball courts and a track. Across 3rd Street to the east lies a surface parking lot and the Camden County Jail. This imposing 7-story building is surrounded by an 18-foot wall.
MLK Waterfront The first alternative is located along the north and south sides of MLK Boulevard. On the north side, the site includes the south portion of the block running approximately ¼ mile, from Delaware Avenue on the west to 3rd Street on the east. On the south side, the site includes the north portion of the block running from Delaware Avenue on the west to Front Street on the east (approximately 500 linear feet).
City Hall South Site
To the north, across Federal Street, lie two offices occupied by L-3 Communications. These two large-footprint, single-story buildings are more typical of a suburban corporate campus.
Figure 3.1. Site alternative locations along MLK Boulevard in Camden.
the PATCO Broadway stop and the River LINE The second alternative is located along Broadway stop, as well as over two dozen Broadway, MLK Boulevard, Fifth Street and different bus lines that service the Walter Rand Federal Street, about two blocks to the east Transportation Center, located along Broadway. of the first site location. Across the street to the north of this site is Camden City Hall, an iconic structure of the city that defines the Camden skyline. The site is also home to both 34 Camden Transit Commons 34 Camden Transit Commons
To the southeast, across MLK, there are two residential towers. Mickle Towers is a modern, 9-story structure built in 1975 and owned by the Camden City Housing Authority.2 Riverview Towers is a modern, 15-story structure built in 1977, with 225 living units.3 The Riverview Towers building houses a small grocery on the first floor.
Figure 3.2. Land ownership at the MLK Waterfront site.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Alternatives Alternatives 35 35 SiteSite
Land use
Land size
The map in Figure 3.3 displays the current land uses at and around the site. These land uses are characterized by new office development (One Port Center and the Waterfront Tech Center), abundant parking, government uses and multi-family residential. There is little commercial development, and there are no single family homes.
The total land area of the site is approximately 6.2 acres, divided among three parcels. The site area is slightly more than 40 percent of the total land area of these parcels, which is 14.7 acres.
Land value Total land value, with building improvements, is shown in Figure 3.5, along with land ownership of the parcels. The total land value of the three parcels on which this site falls is approximately $16.5 million.
Figure 3.3. Land uses on the MLK Waterfront site.
Figure 3.5. Lot sizes and property values at the MLK Waterfront site.
Brownfields Zoning
The proposed site sits adjacent to two brownfield sites. Brownfields are parcels which are compromised by the “presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.�4 Brownfields present special challenges for redevelopment, though the specific locations of these brownfields might not affect land within our site boundaries. Further study was proposed should this alternative be chosen for expanded planning.
The entire site is located within the Center City Flexible Development District, which, as mentioned (previous – note where exactly) allows for a range of uses and varied intensity of uses. These might include retail and office at various scales, residential and park/civic spaces at various scales, and dense, urban mixed use developments. Zoning flexibility is a strength of the site; an opportunity exists to be creative and develop innovative urban spaces for a variety of users.
Figure 3.4. Zoning map of MLK Waterfront area.
36 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Figure 3.6. Brownfield locations near the proposed MLK Waterfront site.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 37
Existing NJEDA plan NJEDA currently has plans to build six office buildings on the block containing most of the proposed MLK Waterfront site alternative. The agency intends these buildings to be part of the Waterfront Technology Campus, which will “provide first-class, state-of-the-art facilities for growing technology companies.”5 To date, NJEDA has built one of the six buildings—the 5-story, 100,000 SF Waterfront Technology Center (WTC)—on the NE corner of the block. Further, the WTC is part of Camden’s “Innovation Zone,” an area intended “to spur collaboration among the state’s public research institutions, medical research facilities and technology businesses to encourage
the more rapid transfer of discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace.”6
to
address
this
considerable
oversight.
Figure 3.7 depicts current plans for the block. Site proposal The site plan indicates an inward-looking corporate campus that will not address the street The following plan offers a better proposal for frontage along MLK Blvd and will not attempt the future of this portion of MLK Boulevard. to capture the retail or residential potential The following intentions guide this proposal: of this site location. The boulevard has the potential to be a major East-West corridor and 1. Activate the boulevard with pedestrian a connection between the Central Business life 2. Create a nexus between the Lanning District (CBD) and the Camden waterfront. Square and Cooper Plaza neighborhoods, Such building orientation and single land use the waterfront and the CBD to draw toon the site will result in a block that fails to gether these communities welcome pedestrians, posing a long-term 3. Provide a mix of uses as befits an urban threat to developing that connection. Thus area such as this we present our own proposal, which attempts 4. Serve a retail market (including resi-
Figure 3.7. Existing New
Jersey Economic Development Authority site plan for part of the MLK Waterfront site proposal.
dents and waterfront visitors) with ground floor shopping, dining and services 5. Provide housing for families and individuals with a mix of incomes 6. Create opportunities for a large-scale retail tenant, such as a grocery store.
Concept Diagram The major elements of the MLK Waterfront proposal (see Figure 3.8, next page) are: Commercial Retail: Office: Parking: Mixed Use: Live-work space: Residential: Retail:
144,000 SF 120,000 SF 250,000 SF 132,000 SF 88,000 SF 44,000 SF 44,000 SF
Grocery and Parking Example Parking in combination with a large-footprint retailer has been developed successfully in other communities and could provide Camden residents with much needed grocery. In West Philadelphia, at the western edge of the University of Pennsylvania campus, Fresh Grocer is a novel mixed-use building that combines active ground floor retail with a multi-story parking complex above.
For the eastern portion of our site, at the intersection of MLK and 3rd Street, we propose a large-scale retail tenant at the ground floor level and a parking structure above.
We anticipate and encourage NJEDA to build three of the five additional office buildings for the WTC and to reconnect the street grid between Federal Street and MLK Boulevard, as planned, along the parking structure to the west and along the west edge of the YMCA. This will allow for better north-south pedestrian connections and create a link to the existing L-3 Communications campus.
Source: NJEDA
For the west portion of the site we propose live/work units adjacent to MLK Blvd to the north and the south. These units provide
38 Camden Transit Commons
flexible space for current and new residents to run street-level businesses near an area that is packed with visitors during the summer months. During other months these areas will begin to provide a day-long pedestrian presence along the west end of MLK Blvd. The units to the south of MLK Blvd. should address both the boulevard and the parking lot for the Susquehanna Bank Center. The intention is to draw Center visitors to the retail and service options before and after they attend events, capturing more of the spending for use by the City.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Figure 3.8. Fresh Grocer grocery store in West Philadelphia.
Site Alternatives 39
MLK Waterfront: Concept Diagram Live/work Example—Landmark District Figures 3.9 and 3.10 show a live/work development in Seattle, WA. It is a relatively small development, at 8 fee-simple units (2,000 SF) and approximately 20,000 SF. The units open to shared courtyard and alley space. The three-story lofts were designed to fit within Columbia City’s Landmark District.7
Live/work Example—Working Artists Ventura This example demonstrates how to combine the best ideas in urban revitalization in one flexible development. The Working Artists Venture (WAV) project incorporates mixed uses, affordable housing and sustainable building standards into the Downtown Cultural District in Ventura, CA. Live/work is already an inherently “green” or sustainable idea because it reduces the footprint of new development, increasing density and reducing sprawl. WAV further incorporates sustainable building technology by meeting the certification standards of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). These include using recycled building materials, car sharing, water and energy conservation, and use of solar power.
Figures 3.9 and 3.10.
The live/work development in Seattle, WA. Above, an external picture showing how such a development fits along an urban street, and to the right is an internal picture of the typical layout of a unit.
Project highlights:
Figure 3.8. Illustrative and conceptual site plan for the proposed Martin Luther King/Waterfront development.
40 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Size: Uses: Affordable:
1.7 acres, 4 stories, 130,000 SF 6,000 SF commercial space 13 market rate for-sale condos 69 affordable units 54 affordable units especially for artists with families
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 41
City Hall South Cost: Sponsor: Sustainable: Transit: Completion:
15 permanent supportive housing units for the recently homeless Living space for recent foster care graduates $59 million $20 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits Projects Linking Art, Community & Environment nonprofit The John Stewart Company USGBC LEED™ certification anticipated Within 2 blocks of 4 local and regional transit lines Anticipated Fall 20098
Our second site alternative was called City Hall South. As mentioned above, it is located in the heart of Camden, one block south of Camden’s iconic City Hall, between Federal Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The site is home to both the PATCO Line and River LINE Broadway transit stops, as well as being adjacent to the Walter Rand Transportation Center, a major bus terminal. In the maps to follow, the site location is outlined in green.
Current Land Use References 1 Aegis Property Group, http://www.aegispg.com/portfolio_one_port.asp. Emporis, http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=129740. Accessed 4/25/09. 2 http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=250470. Accessed 4/25/09. 3 http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=19142. Accessed 4/25/09. 4 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 5 http://www.njeda.com/ 6 http://www.njeda.com/ 7 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2004360715_ pacificpnwl20.html 8 City of Ventura, http://www.cityofventura.net/community_services/ cultural_affairs/cultural_district/wav. PLACE: http://www.placeonline.us/projects/ overview.html.
42 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 3.11. Rendering of the under-construction Working Artists Ventura development in Los Angeles.
University of Pennsylvania
The current land uses at the site, shown in Figure 3.12, are dominated by surface parking lots, abandoned structures, and civic buildings, such as the transit hub and city hall. These abandoned and vacant structures give the site potential for redevelopment, as the site is still located in a central area with good Figure 3.12. Current land uses in the vicinity of the City Hall South site location. access and connections to transportation. Adjacent to the site are a few retail and office in the space. Also, the emphasis on mixedZoning uses, including several governmental office use, dense developments in the Center buildings. To the south, across Martin Luther Zoning of this site is the same Center City City Flexible District will help to leverage King Boulevard, land uses are geared toward Flexible District found at the first alternative the site’s connections to transit facilities. residential and neighborhood commercial uses. site. With this designation, a wide variety of uses and buildings can be proposed at a variety of scales. In general, this zoning designation is a strength of the location, as it allows for a wide array of development options while encouraging the development of buildings that will create an urban character
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 43
Land Ownership
soil. This contamination can present challenges to any proposed future developments, but Also, the site should enjoy future connections brownfield sites can also present funding to a new civic space when the Parkade opportunities for site clean up and remediation. building is demolished and converted into a park. We see this as a new amenity that could be energized by neighboring mixed use retail, commercial and residential development. City Hall South Concept Diagram
Nearly the entire City Hall South site is owned by the Camden Redevelopment Authority. One parcel, in the northeast corner, is privately owned and currently houses a building with some ground floor retail space facing Broadway but vacant office space on the floors above. Our proposal for the site would remove Finally, our concept diagram (Figure 3.16, this structure to allow for better redevelopment on page 26***) for this site integrates three of the entire northeast corner of the site. key ideas: transit orientated development, mixed-use development and connections to institutions and civic spaces in Camden.
Land Value and Parcel Size
Figure 3.14 presents information on the site’s land values and parcel sizes. The site is approximately 5 acres total. The entire land value at the site was recently appraised at $1.57 million. If the neighboring CVS pharmacy and TD Bank locations are added, these lots provide an additional $1.5 million in value to the area, and are the most valuable appraised properties near the site.
Brownfields The City Hall South site does include one brownfield location, on what is currently a surface parking lot. This location has a contaminated “free product� in the soil, which has been identified as residual petroleum in the
44 Camden Transit Commons
Transit-orientated means that people living and visiting City Hall South do not have to rely on a car to do so; Walter Rand, PATCO and the River Line are advantages to the site.
Program Our proposed program for the City Hall South site alternative is as follows: Residential- 214,000 SF Commercial- 426,000 SF Community- 20,000 SF Parking- 95,000 SF
Our program breakdown for this site includes The idea of an urban, mixed-use, dense 126,000 SF of retail development along the lifestyle reflects changing attitudes among the street, an additional 300,000 SF of office U.S. public, and the type of attitude that has development and 214,000 SF of residential made the nearby Victor Lofts development development. A civic plaza is planned for successful. City Hall South can offer the the space adjacent to the transportation epitome of urban living, with easy connections stations to turn them into welcoming via transit to Philadelphia, Trenton and gateway locations for residents and visitors. southeastern New Jersey. Further, it can serve the housing needs of a diverse mix of groups, including medical students, Rutgers students, and the employees of downtown anchors such as Cooper Hospital, L3 Communications and Rutgers-Camden. Our analysis estimates that the site is within a ten minute walk of over 5,000 jobs located in downtown Camden. University of Pennsylvania
Figures 3.13-15. Figure 3.13, above, depicts the zoning designations at the City Hall South site location. Figure 3.14, above right, illustrates the lot sizes and existing property values at the site location. Figure 3.15, right, shows the brownfield locations that are on or near the proposed City Hall South development.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 45
City Hall South: Concept Diagram Concept Example足 Figure 3.17 shows a part of the development around the Rosslyn-Ballston metro station on the Washington, D.C. metro. These locations have seen higher-density development and urban neighborhoods develop around transit stations. They offer access to regional employment opportunities in a similar way to how the City Hall South location could leverage the availability of the PATCO and River LINE stations. The emphasis in these locations is on human-scaled development and pedestrian access to street-level retail and a diverse mix of other uses.
Figure 3.17. Rosslyn-Ballston metro station transit-oriented development showing groundfloor retail and mix of uses.
Figure 3.16. Illustrative site plan and conceptual diagram of the proposed City Hall South development.
46 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 47
Client Feedback and Alternative Selection Client Feedback After our midterm presentation to a diverse client group at Camden’s City Hall, we received feedback on nearly all aspects of our two proposals. The stakeholders in attendance found much to like in both of our proposals while also offering suggestions for improvements. At the Martin Luther King/Waterfront site location, the client group found that the proposal offered great ideas about how to try to connect downtown and other established Camden neighborhoods to its more recent waterfront deveopments. Suggestions for improvements at that location included more detailed descriptions of the types of retail establishments the development would hope to attract and possible connections with the cultural heritage of the nearby Walt Whitman House. At City Hall South, the client group saw a location that was more ripe for development in the short-term. In particular, Cooper Hospital saw opportunities at this location to unpack their economic power in the local community. Suggestions for improvement at this location included redefining the site to include the entire block, even the existing retail uses, and proposing a development both with or without the existing Commerce Building, located on the northeast corner of the block.
48 Camden Transit Commons
For both locations, the client group felt that brownfield challenges would be surmountable and that each option presented unique opportunities to improve retail options in downtown Camden. They were attracted to our argument that any new development should involve a mix of uses that definitely includes residential uses to help make the spaces active throughout the evening.
front site. With these reasons in mind, we then moved into the full development of the City Hall South alternative, now named the Camden Transit Commons.
Alternative Selection Without a clear consensus as to which alternative should be pursued, our group had to reevaluate both site locations after the feedback from our midterm client presentation. After significant back-and-forth deliberations, our group decided to move forward with plans for the City Hall South site location, which we rebranded as the Camden Transit Commons. The major reasons supporting our decision are as follows: •The City Hall South location offered better short-term development opportunities in Camden. •This location offered the opportunity to leverage existing transportation assets into creative new transit-oriented development. •Major Camden anchor institutions, in particular Cooper University Hospital, preferred this alternative to the MLK/WaterUniversity of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Site Alternatives 49
The Plan: Camden Transit Commons
50
51
Camden Transit Commons Concept and Vision Camden Transit Commons is a proposed mixed-use, transit-oriented development in the heart of downtown Camden. It seeks to enhance retail and living opportunities for Camden’s residents. Further, it aims to redevelop an active core for the center of downtown Camden.
•Increase “location efficiency” so people can walk and bike and take transit •Boost transit ridership and minimize traffic •Provide a rich mix of housing, shopping and transportation choices •Generate revenue for the public and private sectors and provide value for both new and existing residents •Create a sense of place
Site Context Site description
Legend
The site context map on the opposite page (Figure 4.1) shows the general site boundaries of Camden Transit Commons. The original City Hall South site was expanded to include the entire city block bordered by Broadway, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Federal Street, and South Fifth Street. This expansion of the site location includes The development is designed to set the According to the Sacramento Regional the Commerce Building on the northeast foundation for transit-oriented development Transit plan, TOD success relies upon corner of the site and the existing CVS through building up a critical mass of residential several variables. A transit passenger Pharmacy and TD North Bank buildings on uses; to expand local retail options; and to “must navigate the streetscape, private the southwest corner of the site. By including take advantage of the growth and economic development, utilities, transit infrastructure, the entire city block and existing structures power of Camden’s anchor institutions civic uses and greenspace. If any of these in the plan for Camden Transit Commons, to create a successful development. variables discourages transit use, the viability we created a more complete program to of TOD will suffer.”2 Our plan works to change the block into a true transit hub. successfully implement these six elements. Transit-Oriented Development The first defining element of the Camden Transit Commons plan is that it is a transitoriented development. According to the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, a national nonprofit effort dedicated to providing information and strategies to support market-oriented transit oriented development projects, a TOD is often defined as “higher-density mixed-use development within walking distance—or a half mile— of transit stations.”1 The CTOD includes additional performance-based qualities that a TOD development should aspire to:
52 Camden Transit Commons
Transit at the Commons The site of Camden Transit Commons in downtown Camden is ideally served by existing transit networks. These include the PATCO high-speed regional rail, the River LINE light rail, and the Walter Rand Transportation Center, a major bus hub. The PATCO line serves over 2,600 passengers at its Broadway station while the River LINE averaged 9,000 weekday passengers per day in 2008. Thousands more passengers access the station via the two dozen bus lines that service the Walter Rand location.3
1.
Parkade Building
2.
City Hall
3.
County Administration Building
4.
Walter Rand Transportation Center
5.
Structured Parking
6.
Government Building
Site Context
7.
Cooper Hospital
The site is surrounded by many important buildings in Camden. It sits adjacent to City Hall, the PATCO and River LINE stations, the Walter Rand Transportation Center, Broadway’s retail corridor, the County Hall of Justice, and Cooper University Hospital. The close proximity to these key locations is an advantage for the site.
8.
Broadway Corridor
9.
Walt Whitman House
10.
Justice Figure 4.1. Site context and surrounding buildings at the Camden Transit Commons.
University of Pennsylvania
County Hall of
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
11.
County Jail
The Plan 53
Site Analysis Analysis Map
us from doing so. This is a serious site restriction as the PATCO line runs under the The existing physical environment had to be parking lot located directly west of the River carefully considered when creating the site LINE tracks. Thus, a significant portion of the plan and program. In particular there are two site cannot support building development. major advantages to the site location that helped shape the design of the site plan. First, The third challenge is the mostly vacant the proximity to the PATCO station, the River Commerce Building located on the LINE transit facilities, and the Walter Rand northwest corner of the site. The building Transportation Center forms the basis for a is currently owned and it could be difficult transit-oriented development. Second, the to acquire the property from the owner. site is currently located south of the Parkade There is potential for a developer to form a Building, which is scheduled for demolition in partnership with the property owner in order order to create a public park in front of City Hall. to avoid high acquisition and demolition costs. The Camden Transit Commons development will build off of the new civic space to further The fourth challenge is the CVS Pharmacy develop an active urban center for the city. and TD North Bank buildings located at the southwestern portion of the site. These There are four major challenges associated businesses are in relatively new buildings, with the site that had to be addressed. First, and it could be difficult to convince these there is a brownfield located at the northern businesses to relocate in order to use parking lot east of the River LINE tracks. their parcels in a more effective manner. While brownfields can be remediated and reused, the additional time and expense to remediate a contaminated site can deter potential developers. However, there are state and federal programs as well as local tax incentives that can be used to attract developers and offset remediation costs.
Figure 4.2. Analysis map of the Camden Transit Commons area, illustrating major site issues and opportunities.
The second challenge is that there is an underground PATCO tunnel located at the site. While it is possible to build on top of an underground tunnel, the high costs deterred
54 Camden Transit Commons
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
University of Pennsylvania
The Plan 55
Proposed Site Plan
Walking Distances and Circulation
Camden Transit Commons is designed to be a transit gateway for pedestrians to encourage people to stop, shop, and live in the area. Major features of the proposal can be seen in the site plan (Figure 4.3). The landscaped retail and transit plazas create clear pathways between the PATCO and River LINE transit facilities and the retail stores, residences, and offices. The buildings are designed to integrate the surrounding streets and plazas while turning the center of the block into an active public space. The plazas contain street vendors. A new triangular public park has been created to serve as an additional green open space for Camden. The park is connected to the transit facilities and retail through better defined River LINE rail crossings. Additionally, Broadway has been widened to accommodate a dedicated bus lane.
An essential element of a successful transit-oriented development is that it provides the ability to access destinations through a combination of transit and walking, rather than requiring a trip by car to accomplish all journeys. Figures 4.5 and 4.6 demonstrate why the Camden Transit Commons is uniquely suited for transit-oriented development.
Figure 4.3. Camden Transit Commons Site Plan.
Proposed Land Uses
Figure 4.5. Walking distances and times from the center of the proposed development.
Camden Transit Commons has six proposed land uses: Mixed Use (Retail/Residential); Mixed Use (Retail/ Parking/Residential); Retail; Mixed Use (Retail/Office); Institutional;
Open
Space;
and
Structured
Figure 4.5 illustrates the overall vehicular and pedestrian access points to the new proposed development. Vehicle traffic largely kept to the fringe of the development and the established surrounding streets, while the interior of the space is opened up for pedestrian uses, retail storefronts and street vendors. This centralized pedestrian activity, fueled from the passengers using the rail transportation hubs, will be a crucial element of success toward the proposed development.
Parking.
These uses are shown in the proposed land use map (Figure 4.4). Mixed use will include a combination of first-floor retail with structured parking, residential or office floors above. Institutional uses will be the PATCO and River LINE transit facilities as well as a public bicycle station. The open space will include public hardscapes in the form of a landscaped retail and transit plaza with access to ground floor retail. Additionally, the open space will include public green space in the form of a public park. Lastly, space will be provided for structured parking.
Sources
Figure 4.4. Land uses at the proposed Camden Transit Commons development.
56 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 4.5 shows areas within 2-3, 5 and 10 minute walks from the center of the proposed site—approximately where the River LINE Broadway Station is located. It shows clearly that nearly all of downtown Camden, and a significant portion of the Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square neighborhoods, are accessible within a 10 minute walk from the site. This has two major advantages: first, it allows for easy access to transit for residents and easy access to Camden destinations for transit riders; second, it demonstrates that any new retail development on the proposed site will be within walking distance of the established residential neighborhoods to the south of MLK Blvd.
University of Pennsylvania
Figure 4.6. Access and circulation around the site for vehicles and
1 From http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/public/tod. 2 Sacramento Regional Transit: A Transit Action Plan. From ReconnectingAmerica. org. 3 Numbers are 2008 data from NJ Transit and the Delaware River Port Authority.
pedestrians.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
The Plan 57
Development Proposal and Phasing Our group recommends that Camden Transit Commons be developed in three phases. The first two phases focus on building residential density on the site as well as adding new retail options that are in part supported by the new residential development. The third phase describes a longer-term development that could be programmed after reaching true urban densities on the site.
Phase I
pending expansions of Cooper Hospital and Rutgers University-Camden create more demand for the type of housing that Phase I of Camden Transit Commons will provide.
Phase I of Camden Transit Commons. There are clear paths from both the PATCO station and River LINE station to the Phase I retail and the link between the two buildings. A restaurant or cafĂŠ would be an ideal type of retail to take advantage of this space. The area also links to the north side of Federal Street where a new park will be built after the demolition of the Parkade Building.
On the ground floor of the Phase I buildings is 14,900 SF of retail space, designed primarily to serve current downtown Camden residents, area employees, and the residents of Camden Transit Commons. On the ground floor of the structures, this retail faces and helps to activate Federal Street, the interior Brownfield Remediation space between the buildings, the PATCO station and the River LINE station. The site’s The first step of Phase I is to remediate the central location near so many different types brownfield located at the northern parking of consumers makes it an ideal place for a retail center. While most of the ground floor in both buildings is used by retail, small spaces in the middle of each building are reserved for residential entrances and elevator shafts.
The initial phase of Camden Transit Commons development will take place on 0.9 acres in the northwest section of the site. The construction will result in two buildings, one running parallel to the River LINE track, the other with a north-south orientation. A space between the structures serves as plaza and connection through the rail stations and future park space next to City Hall. The two Two access roads border the Phase I buildings combined feature 93,600 SF of total buildings, one in between the west building constructed space and a floor area ratio of 2.35. and the River LINE, the other on the east side of the east building. These allow trucks The majority of the built area (79,200 SF) to access the retail and serve as drop off is going to be used for residential space. channels for residents. An already existing Approximately 90 market-rate rental surface parking lot immediately south of the residential units anchor the first phase of River LINE tracks is for residents in both Camden Transit Commons, acting as a of the Phase I buildings. After some minor catalyst to stimulate future residential and repairs and repainting, 95 spots (33,125 SF) retail growth in downtown Camden. The will be available exclusively for their use. average unit size is 750 SF, resulting in Figure 4.7. Proposed Phase I development program. a density of about 90 units per acre. The Pedestrian connectivity is a major theme of
58 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Figure 4.8. Aerial view of proposed first phase, with new buildings
Figure 4.9. Site plan of the completed first phase, with new build-
lot east of the River LINE tracks. According to the FutureCAMDEN master plan, the site used to be a gas station and restaurant. A preliminary investigation of the site and a supplemental investigation were completed as of the publication of the FutureCAMDEN report in 2000. These investigations found that there are currently three or four underground storage tanks (USTs) located underneath the parking lot. The USTs likely contain residual petroleum, but there is no sign of significant soil contamination.1 There are no site specific estimated costs for remediation, however according to a 2008 report by the National Brownfield Coalition, leaking underground storage tank cleanup costs an average of about $200,000.2 The documentation from the investigations was forwarded to the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection, but no further action has been taken at this site. Thus, the developer of Camden Transit Commons would have to continue the remediation process to clean up the site.
in white.
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
ings in yellow.
The Plan 59
Phase II
features 37,700 SF of retail space, more than doubling the amount in Camden Transit The second phase of Camden Transit Commons. The stores will front Broadway, Commons development will take place on 1.4 Federal St., and the PATCO station. The acres on east side of the site. The construction retail on Broadway will continue the already will result in one large building on the corner existing corridor that exists south of Martin of Federal St. and Broadway. There is not Luther King Blvd. An ideal use for one of a universal height of the building, with two these spaces is a small-footprint convenience towers built taller than a short middle area. grocer, such as the Fresh & Easy chain. The structure has a total of 214,000 SF of constructed space and a floor area ratio of 4.2. The two floors of structured parking between the ground floor retail and the upper level The first step of Phase II is demolition of residential provide 195 spaces, for use by the current structure at the northeast corner residents, shoppers, and employees. The of the site. The dimensions of the upper same access road built in Phase I can stories are not suitable for residential or continue to serve retailers and residents office use and they are currently all vacant. in the new building. After the demolition A private estate currently owns the parcel, of the existing structure, Broadway will be which has expressed interest in the past widened to relieve congestion and allow in making a deal for property. After the more room for the buses that stop at the end demolition and clean up, construction of the street. Sawtooth berths are included on the mixed use structure can begin. on the west side of Broadway for the buses to park in while picking up passengers. As with the buildings in Phase I, more than half of the structure in Phase II (108,000 SF) is for residential space. Approximately 120 market-rate rental residential units populate the top five floors in the building’s towers. The average residential unit size is 750 SF, resulting in a density of 85 units per acre. With the prices and sizes being identical, a similar residential market is expected. The ground floor of the Phase II construction 60 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 4.11. Aerial view of proposed first and second phases, with new buildings in white.
Figure 4.12. Site plan of the completed first and second phases, with new buildings in yellow.
A clearly defined path from the PATCO station guides emerging passengers to the retail facing the station and on Broadway. Pedestrians can also enter the site from Broadway and walk across the plaza between the turnaround and the PATCO station to the Phase I buildings. There is also a clear path from Broadway to the River LINE station. Entrances for residents are on the north, west, and south sides. Figure 4.10. Proposed Phase II development program.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
The Plan 61
Phase III The third phase of Camden Transit Commons development will take place on 1.5 acres in the south section of the site, fronting Martin Luther King Blvd. The construction will result in one large building, spanning from 5th St. about two thirds of the distance to Broadway. Small plots of green space remain on the east and west sides of the area, with an access road to the north. The building has a total of 203,000 SF of constructed space, with a floor area ratio of 3.1.
Transit Commons. The programming for Phase III is flexible to allow for the inclusion of a larger footprint grocery as an upgrade to the smaller store from Phase II. To serve these uses and the new office, 100 units of structured parking (36,000 SF) will be included on the north side of the building.
the creation of a 33,000 SF triangle-shaped park in the northwest part of the site. The construction of the structured parking allows the parcel to be used as public space. This is by far the largest parcel of contiguous green space in Camden Transit Commons. The already existing River LINE pedestrian crossing allows circulation from the park The other main component of Phase III is to space on the other side of the site.
The majority of the built area in Phase III (108,000 SF) is office space. While the previous two phases provide only residential and retail space, the business climate in Camden may be more able to support new types of businesses. Office space was previously not a part of the programming in the project because it was more important to build the residential and retail bases simultaneously. With over 200 residential units in the other Camden Transit Commons buildings, a high number of potential employees will already be living close by. In addition to this office space, the large complex will feature more space for residential units (32,000 SF) and retail stores (27,000 SF). These are both relatively low numbers compared with the dense residential and retail in the other phases of Camden 62 Camden Transit Commons
Figure 4.14. Aerial view of proposed development with all three phases completed and shown in white.
Figure 4.15. Site plan of the completed development, with new buildings in yellow and park spaces in green.
Figure 4.13. Proposed Phase III development program.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
The Plan 63
Potential Residents Danny is pursuing a biology degree at Rutgers-Camden. For his first two years of college, he commuted from his parents’ house in the suburbs. When the Transit Commons residential buildings opened, he and his housemates were excited to have found an affordable apartment with modern amenities two blocks from campus. He hopes to get an internship at Cooper University Hospital so that he can stay in Camden this summer and take advantage of activities along the Camden waterfront.
Fresh & Easy at Federal and Broadway, he and Rianne grab dinner at the new neighborhood sports bar and grill on MLK Blvd.
Sources 1 Planning Board of the City of Camden. 2000. FutureCAMDEN Master Plan. Appendix V-A.3. 2 The National Brownfields Coalition. 2008. A Proposal to Increase Cleanup Grants for Brownfield Redevelopment, p. 4. http://www. nemw.org/increaseBrownfieldCleanupGrants.pdf
Janisa is a single mother living in North Camden with her two children. On summer weekends, she can take them both to the Transit Commons. She watches her young daughter play in one of the two fountains while her son attends music classes at the student arts center adjacent to the transit plaza. Afterward, they visit her cousin’s café at the Commons, to enjoy lemonade at the outdoor café tables. Rianne and her husband Jeremy have just purchased a historic rowhouse in Cooper Plaza. Jeremy works in the new office tower at Camden Transit Commons. He loves that his commute is a five-minute walk up the bustling Broadway corridor. Rianne works in Philadelphia – which requires just a quick trip on PATCO in the morning. If Jeremy does not have time to pick up food at the 64 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
The Plan 65
Implementation
Capital Improvements: Recommendations The Camden Transit Commons will not come into existence without a careful implementation strategy. This section of the report discusses recommendations for capital improvements to the Camden Transit Commons site as well as information on management and partnership opportunities and a breakdown of the financing for Phase I and possible sources for gap financing to help the project get off the ground.
gas, insurance or parking and are able to find in the heart of the city. Transit serves as a new uses for that portion of their household gateway to Camden – this development income that they allocate to transportation. will be the first place experienced by both everyday commuters and new visitors. The city should work with the site’s developers to integrate architecturally significant structures Destination Station and inviting, memorable landscaping and Plaza improvements should focus on amenities. Other communities have used making the Transit Commons a destination the transit center to provide information, food
The report uses demonstration examples from around the country to illustrate the possible improvements that could be made to the Camden Transit Commons site to turn it into an arrival gateway for Camden.
Bicycle Station The proposed bicycle station adjacent to the PATCO station has a wide variety of possible models. Bicycle stations and car-sharing programs offer relatively inexpensive ways to improve the multi-modal functioning of the Transit Commons. Bike stations provide a mix of 24-hour secure bicycle parking, bicycles for rent, bicycle repair and accessories, and even showers and lockers for commuters. Such stations usually charge a fee for services or offer memberships to regular users. Car sharing programs, like PhillyCarShare, offers memberships to residents with infrequent need for a vehicle. Members no longer need to register and maintain a vehicle or pay for 68 Camden Transit Commons
kiosks, ticket stands, fountains and sculpture. These elements heighten the visibility and importance of the transit and make the location more attractive to businesses seeking to cater to the increased pedestrian traffic. St. Paul’s Information Centre in St. Paul’s Churchyard lies on one of that city’s principal tourist routes. Various sponsors renovated the kiosk in 2007 into a dramatic landmark. Picnick runs two eco-friendly kiosks in Battery Park in New York City.
Figure 5. 1. Bike station in Long Beach,
California (right) and proposed bike station in Washington, D.C. (below.)
Figure 5.2. Picnick food kiosk in Battery Park in New York, NY. Figure 5.3. An
attractive information kiosk near St. Paul’s Cathedral and the St. Paul’s London Underground Station in London, England.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Implementation 69
Figure 5.4.
Low Impact Development
Capital improvements in Phase II will focus on the creation of a transit plaza and rehabilitation to the PATCO and River LINE stations. The plaza in the southeast part of the site will include more landscaping improvements and the erection of new small, permanent structures. Immediately outside of the PATCO station is an ideal place for a kiosk providing visitors information about Camden Transit Commons and the rest of the downtown area. Also in this phase, additional pedestrian paths will be created, linking the transit stations, streets, and entrances of the buildings.
Example of a treebox filtering stormwater at the U.S. Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
Among the initial goals of this project was an intention to integrate sustainable design. There are a variety of ways to do this. The developers of the various phases of the Transit Commons can erect buildings that meet sustainable design criteria. More immediately, both public and private entities involved in the project can focus on low impact development (LID) of the hardscape and open space on the block. LID describes various ways of engineering and land planning to improve management of stormwater runoff. A primary effort of LID is to reduce and improve the quality of this runoff. Examples include tree boxes, rain gardens, Figure 5.5. Examples of permeable pavers permeable pavers, and green roofs – all of and a curbside bioswale in Portland, OR. which allow natural features to filter and slow the force of the water. These can be somewhat costly to implement, but they provide long-term cost savings as the traditional stormwater and sewer capture and treatment systems
experience
reduced
demand.
Capital Improvements by Phase One of the primary capital improvement projects in Phase I calls for the creation of plaza space between the two new buildings to be used by retailers and residents. Trees and furniture will be part of the environment to create a more appealing public space. Two access roads border the Phase I
70 Camden Transit Commons
We suggest a long-term planning strategy group that includes some mix of the following agencies and organizations:
City of Camden and CRA NJ Transit NJ Department of Transportation NJ Department of Environmental Protection Delaware River Port Authority and PATCO Camden County GCP and Camden Special Services District Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Community service organizations Phase III will see the construction of a park on Private developers the triangle-shaped parcel that was previously a parking lot. A bicycle station also will be Sources: constructed on the other side of the River LINE track, just south of the PATCO station. http://blog.bellostes.com/?p=340 The final open space totals in Camden Transit http://www.mypicnick.com Commons are 2.8 acres of hardscape, 1.6 acres of roads, and 1.1 acres of green space. http://nymag.com/images/2/dailyfood/08/05/05_ picnick_lg.jpg
buildings, one in between the west building and the River LINE, the other on the east side of the east building. These allow trucks to access the retail and serve as drop off channels for residents. An already existing surface parking lot immediately south of the River LINE tracks is for residents in both of the Phase I buildings. After some pavement repairs and repainting, 95 spots (33,125 SF) will be available exclusively for their use.
Management and Partnerships A successful transit-oriented development requires a high level of communication and cooperation among various public and private entities. Transit operators, private developers and public development agencies need specific agreements to facilitate management of shared spaces so that infrastructure projects connect in a logical manner.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/stpauls/ http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2003environ/will2.pdf http://uniqbike.vox.com/library/photo/6a00d10a7c21f08bfa 00e398b24f400004.html
Implementation 71
Development Pro Forma A development proforma was made for Phase I of the project. A proforma is an exercise that makes several assumptions in order to evaluate the feasibility and risks of a development to decide whether or not to proceed with the project. According to Merriam Webster, a proforma is “based on financial assumptions or projections…reflecting a transaction or other development as if it had been or will be in effect for a past or future period.”1 This proforma is for a private developer to implement the first phase of the site plan with the help of gap financing.
Rents and Income
Hard Costs $168
Construction Cost (per sqft)
$15,736,968
Construction Cost (total)
$0
Parking Cost (total)
$1,000,000
Landscaping
Total Hard Costs
$16,736,968
Development Costs
Soft costs
Site clearance and remediation is assumed to be covered by one of several available grant programs for brownfield cleanups. Landscaping costs cover general necessary capital improvements in Phase I for streetscaping, sidewalks, lighting, benches, greenspace and parking lot improvements. Total construction cost is an estimate based on the dimensions and region of the development projects according to RSMeans cost estimator.
Total Development Costs
72 Camden Transit Commons
$2,023,818
$18,760,786
Figure 5.5. Summary of development costs. Development Accounts Item
The land purchase price is shown in Year-1 in Figure 5.6 and is based on the Camden Redevelopment Agency’s value of the land. The necessary subsidy gap financing is a $3,000,000 grant that can be from a variety of sources. This is a situation referred to as “publicly-sponsored private development.” One such source would be the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority which has subsidized many of Camden’s recent developments: The Camden Amphitheater/Performing Arts Center, GE Aerospace Research & Development, Camden Children’s Garden, Camden Boys & Girls Club.2 Other options for publicly sponsored private development are low interest loan options or tax credit options such as New Market Tax Credits or the Urban Hub Tax Credit Program.
$0
Site Clearance & Remediation
Land Purchase Price Soft Costs Construction Loan Fees Construction Cash In Subsidy- Gap Financing
Year -1
Year 0 $540,700 $2,744,012 $296,848 $3,710,603
($3,000,000)
Construction Interest Costs
$653,066
Permanent Loan Points
$295,403 $72,252
Additional Cash-in at Take-out
Cash In This Year
$5,792,164
$1,020,721
Total Cash In
$5,792,164
$6,812,885
Figure 5.6. Summary of Year -1 and Year 0 development accounts.
University of Pennsylvania
The rents and income were decided up on by considering the average rents in Camden, which are $1.2/SF. As this is a new development with the amenities of commercial retail and transit nearby, the costs range from $1.3/SF to $1.5/SF. For the retail space, $24/ SF was based on the Victor building which charges $20/SF and is not in the downtown walking area or near a transit hub. Finally, 91 parking spots are being adopted into the development that are currently owned by the Camden Redevelopment Agency. The income from the parking at $200/month will help support the development’s revenues and make the project viable. The total potential gross income for year 1 based on residential, retail and parking, is $1,682,100. Residential vacancy rates in Operating Year 1 are assumed to be 15%. In Year 2 these are expected to drop to 10% and thereafter even further to 5%. The rents are expected to increase at 4% per annum and the expenses are expected to increase at 2% per annum. Operating expenses are estimated at $4/SF, an industry standard.
Financing The lending terms for the proforma include
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Rents and Income #
Monthly rent
Annual rent for all units per size
Rent per SF
Residential Studios
35 $
750 $
1.50 $
315,000.00
1 bedroom
30 $
1,050 $
1.40 $
378,000.00
2 bedroom
16 $
1,300 $
1.30 $
249,600.00
3 bedroom
9 $
1,625 $
1.30 $
175,500.00
$
1,118,100.00
Total Residential Income
Retail
Total SF
14400 $
Total ground floor space
Parking
Annual rent per SF
#
24.00 $
Monthly rent per space 91 $
Total Income (Operating Year 1 Potential Gross Income
Annual rent for retail space 345,600.00
Total annual rent for parking
200.00 $
218,400.00
$
1,682,100.00
Figure 5.7. Summary of development revenue sources. a permanent financing structure of 30 years at a 6% interest rate with a debt-coverage ratio of 1.2. A debt-coverage ratio refers to the amount of money the bank will loan a developer as compared to the projected net operating income (total revenue minus vacancies and expenses). A 1.2 debt coverage ratio means that the project’s net operating income produces enough money to cover the debt and have 20% income remaining. The remaining gap is equity that must be
from either investors or public subsidies. The construction lending, based on hard costs of $16,736,968 and 90% financed, leaves a loan amount of $15,063,271. The interest rate is 9% for 12 months, leaving an interest of about $837,000 and construction fees of about $338,000
Implementation 73
Return on Investment
Operating Accounts
In order to determine the projected return schedule, a sales cap rate of 7%, selling costs of 5%, a capital gains rate of 15% and a discount rate at 11% is assumed. The cash flow summary shows a negative net present value (calculated by discounting future cost streams back to present day dollars by assuming a particular interest rate) until year 4, after which positive net present values are achieved and internal rate of returns exceed the assumed discount rate.
Sale and Reversion Assumptions Sales Cap Rate Selling Costs
7% 5%
Capital Gains Tax Rate
15%
Discount (Hurdle) Rate
0.11
Figure 5.8. Summary of major pro forma assumptions.
74 Camden Transit Commons
Below is the after tax cash flow of the development which involves taking the net operating income and subtracting debt service and using a $3,500 tax shelter per year. The after tax cash flow is listed in the bottom line of the spreadsheet.
Year
1
2
9
10
11
12
Gross Scheduled Rent
$1,682,100
$1,749,384
$1,819,359 $1,892,133.73
$1,967,819.08 $2,046,531.85
$2,128,393.12
$2,213,528.85
$2,302,070
$2,394,153
$2,489,919
$2,589,516
- Vacancy Adjustment
($252,315)
($174,938)
($181,936) ($189,213)
($196,782)
($212,839)
($221,353)
($230,207)
($239,415)
($248,992)
($258,952)
Discounted Cash-flow Summary For Sale in Year
IRR
Year 1
NPV (3,158,450)
3
4
5
6
($204,653)
7
8
Year 2
-12%
(1,435,175)
Effective Gross Income
1,429,785
1,574,446
1,637,423
1,702,920
1,771,037
1,841,879
1,915,554
1,992,176
2,071,863
2,154,738
2,240,927
2,330,564
Year 3
3%
(760,102)
- Expenses
(374,400)
(381,888)
(389,526)
(397,316)
(405,263)
(413,368)
(421,635)
(430,068)
(438,669)
(447,443)
(456,392)
(465,519)
Year 4
8%
(332,323)
Year 5
13%
362,544
Net Operating Income
1,055,385
1,192,558
1,247,898
1,305,604
1,365,775
1,428,511
1,493,919
1,562,108
1,633,194
1,707,295
1,784,536
1,865,045
- Yearly Debt Service
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
BTCF (Cash Throw-off)
61,587
198,760
254,100
311,806
371,977
434,713
500,121
568,310
639,396
713,497
790,738
871,247
+ Tax Shelter
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
After Tax Cash Flow
65,087
202,260
257,600
315,306
375,477
438,213
503,621
571,810
642,896
716,997
794,238
874,747
Year 6
15%
826,501
Year 7
16%
1,235,021
Year 8
17%
1,594,260
Year 9
17%
1,909,711
Year 10
17%
2,186,275
Year 11
17%
2,428,321
Year 12
17%
2,639,747
Year 13
17%
2,824,027
Year 14
17%
2,984,257
Year 15
17%
3,123,196
Year 16
17%
3,243,301
Year 17
17%
3,346,759
Year 18
17%
3,435,519
Year 19
17%
3,511,313
Year 20
17%
3,575,683
Year 21
16%
3,629,999
Year 22
16%
3,675,479
Year 23
16%
3,713,205
Year 24
16%
3,744,137
Year 25
16%
3,769,127
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
$2,693,096
$2,800,820
$2,912,853
$3,029,367
$3,150,542
$3,276,563
$3,407,626
$3,543,931
$3,685,688
$3,833,116
$3,986,440
$4,145,898
$4,311,734
($269,310)
($280,082)
($291,285)
($302,937)
($315,054)
($327,656)
($340,763)
($354,393)
($368,569)
($383,312)
($398,644)
($414,590)
($431,173)
2,423,787
2,520,738
2,621,568
2,726,430
2,835,488
2,948,907
3,066,863
3,189,538
3,317,119
3,449,804
3,587,796
3,731,308
3,880,561
(474,830)
(484,326)
(494,013)
(503,893)
(513,971)
(524,250)
(534,735)
(545,430)
(556,339)
(567,465)
(578,815)
(590,391)
(602,199)
1,948,957
2,036,412
2,127,555
2,222,537
2,321,517
2,424,657
2,532,128
2,644,108
2,760,781
2,882,339
3,008,982
3,140,917
3,278,362
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
(993,798)
955,159
1,042,614
1,133,757
1,228,739
1,327,719
1,430,859
1,538,330
1,650,310
1,766,983
1,888,541
2,015,184
2,147,119
2,284,564
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
3,500
958,659
1,046,114
1,137,257
1,232,239
1,331,219
1,434,359
1,541,830
1,653,810
1,770,483
1,892,041
2,018,684
2,150,619
2,288,064
Figure 5.10. Pro forma operating accounts.
Figure 5.9. Summary of the operating
accounts of the Camden Transit Commons first phase development for the first 25 years of operation.
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Implementation 75
Funding Sources To be successfully implemented, the Camden Transit Commons will need to utilize creative funding mechanisms and leverage available sources of public assistance. Two such programs are the federally-sponsored New Market Tax Credits and New Jersey’s Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Program.
New Market Tax Credits
This is one option that is available for developers to use in financing Camden Transit Commons. However, as the development in Phase I is primarily housing, the commercial rents would have to be inflated enough to outweigh the 80/20 balance necessary to qualify for the tax credit program. At $24/SF for retail space in Phase I a developer would be able to use the credits, but this rent is a very optimistic proposal and so the ability to take advantage of the New Market program is not ensured in the first phase of the project. It has not been used in the proposed development proforma.3
The New Market Tax Credit Program is a federal program that allows financiers to claim a credit against Federal income taxes for money that is used in Qualified Low Income Community Investments. The investor, or a subsequent purchaser, is provided with a tax Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit credit claimed over seven years. The investor Program receives a tax credit equal to 5% of the total amount paid for the capital interest or stock The Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Program purchase over the first three years and for the began in 2006 with Governor Corzine’s final four years, the value is 6% per annum. economic growth strategy plan to create wellpaying jobs, support smart and sustainable The law requires that New Market Tax growth and infrastructure, and ensure the Credits can be used to develop affordable state’s efforts for job retention and growth.4 housing. However, they can be used to Camden is one of New Jersey’s designated finance mixed-use projects where less than “urban transit hubs.” The state has developed 80% of the gross rental income comes an initiative for job and economic growth around from residential rents. The New Market Tax heavy rail stations: Camden, East Orange, Credits can be used to support businesses Elizabeth, Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, New that purchase, rehab and sell single Brunswick, Paterson, and Trenton. The Urban family homes by investing in businesses Transit Hub Tax Credit Program provides tax that are involved in affordable housing. credits equal to between 80-100% of the qualified capital investments made within an eight-year period. Taxpayers may use 10% 76 Camden Transit Commons Dept. of City and Regional Planning
of the total credit amount per year over ten years against their corporate business tax, insurance premiums tax, or gross income tax liability. Program requirements include: •Capital investment must be at least $75 million in a qualified facility. •The capital investment project must be located within a ½-mile radius of a the rail stations in one of the nine aforementioned municipalities. •The business receiving the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit must employ at least 250 full-time workers at the facility. •Tenants that employ at least 250 full-time workers in a qualified facility may also receive Transit Hub Tax Credits if they occupy space in the facility that represents at least $25 million of the overall capital investment of $75 million or more.
Sources 1 www.merriam-webster.com 2 www.njcrda.com/south-jersey.html 3 www.impactseven.org/NMTC_FAQ.htm 4 www.state.nj.us/njbusiness/financing/geographic/urban_ transit.shtml
University Pennsylvania Site of Alternatives 76
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Implementation 77
Conclusion
With a new wave of institutional growth on the horizon, now is the perfect time for reinvestment in downtown Camden. The area is currently underserved by retail and the demand for housing is also expected to increase. The strength of Cooper Hospital as an anchor for downtown Camden will be given new meaning under the Camden Transit Commons proposal.
With its central location, Camden Transit Commons will serve as a catalyst for other growth in the city, its positive influence expanding outward to the surrounding neighborhoods. Aided by growing institutions and visitor attractions, the Commons has the chance to reverse the trends of economic decline in downtown Camden. The core of the city has gone too long without This study identified several parcels just redevelopment project of this nature. With south of Camden City Hall that are prime the right leaders and partnerships, Camden for redevelopment. Our project team Transit Commons has the potential to become produced a transit-oriented development a reality, and more importantly, a success. proposal for the site that could give Camden a new, active block at its core. Our group spent several months evaluating sites and programming options before developing Camden Transit Commons. From data gathering and preliminary interviews to site design and budgeting, every step of the planning process has been addressed. Our team has worked together, independently, and with instructors and contributors to create a realistic program to help revitalize what used to be one of the northeast’s greatest cities. We hope to do this through mixed-use and transitoriented development concepts, a combination of new and old ideas for an aging urban center.
80 Camden Transit Commons
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of City and Regional Planning
Conclusion 81