Transi-Oriented Development in Duarte

Capturing a Golden Opportunity for Transit-Oriented Development in Duarte Recommendations in Land Use, Transportation, and Economic Development at the Duarte Gold Line Station

University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy Prepared by Masters of Planning Students in PPD 531 | Transportation Planning Studio Instructor: Professor Eric Shen April 24 , 2014

USC Price School Metro Gold Line Duarte Station Study

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Table of Contents

Contents I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

II. CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 CHAPTER 1 -- INTRODUCTION 1.1.

1.2.

1.3

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVE PROJECT SETTING

7 CHAPTER 2 -- CITY BACKGROUND 2.1.

2.2.

HISTORY OF DUARTE POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF DUARTE

13 CHAPTER 3 -- EXISTING CONTENT 3.1. DEMOGRAPHICS

3.1.1. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1.2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHICS 3.2. MARKET CONDITIONS & ECONOMIC TRENDS

3.2.1. REAL ESTATE MARKET ANALYSIS

3.2.2. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

3.2.3. WORKFORCE PROFILE

3.2.4. ECONOMIC POLICIES

3.2.5. COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH

3.2.6. CONCLUSIONS & EVALUATION OF FINDINGS

3.2.7. RECOMMENDATIONS 3.3.

LAND USE & ZONING

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Table of Contents

Contents

3.3.1.

3.3.2.

3.3.3.

3.3.4.

3.3.5.

3.4.

LAND USE ZONING POLICY DUARTE STATION SPECIFIC SITE PLAN ADJACENT STATION AREAS CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

TRANSPORTATION 3.4.1. TRAFFIC IMPACT & FORECAST FOR PROPOSED STATION SPECIFIC PLAN 3.4.2. TRANSIT SERVICES 3.4.3. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES 3.4.4. PARKING 3.4.5. INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS 3.4.6. OVERALL EVALUATION 3.4.7. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

53 CHAPTER 4 -- RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1. OVERVIEW 4.2. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

4.2.1. LAND USE RECOMMENDATIONS

4.2.2. TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

4.2.3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

4.2.4. FINANCING RECOMMENDATIONS 4.3.

DESCRIPTION OF FOUR STATION-AREA DEVELOPMENT ALTERNITIVES 4.4.

EVALUATION OF FOUR STATION-AREA DEVELOPMENT ALTERNTIVES 4.5.

PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR STATION-AREA DEVELOPMENT 4.6. CONCLUSION

65 APPENDIX

A B C

INTERVIEW SUMMARIES CASE STUDIES TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

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Ackowledgement

Acknowledgements The

following report is the final product of the 2014 USC Master’s of Planning Transportation Studio.

Our work would not have been possible without the tireless guidance and expertise of our professor, Eric C. Shen. Your real-world instruction challenged us to think pragmatically about solutions, grew us as a project team, and undoubtedly shaped us as young professionals entering the fields of planning, transportation and development.

Additionally, we are grateful to the students of the 2013 USC Master’s of Planning Transportation Studio for their well-documented research and analysis entitled Metro Gold Line Rail Service: Foothill Extension, A Golden Opportunity for Foothill Cities to Learn and Succeed. Your work provided us with a solid foundation for our research methods, topics and recommendations. Fight on.

Lastly, we extend our gratitude to the following individuals who graciously contributed their time and expertise through interviews, personal tours, and access to numerous research and background studies related to the Duarte Gold Line Station. Your shared knowledge was invaluable to our understanding of planning issues in Duarte and the formulation of our report.

Ms. Liz Reilly Mayor, City of Duarte Mr. Jason Golding Senior Planner, City of Duarte City of Duarte Economic Development Commission Mr. Gary Schultz Director of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management, City of Hope Mr. Andrew Kaplan Vice President, Economic & Planning Systems Mr. Steve Fox Senior Regional Planner, Southern California Association of Governments Ms. Lisa Levy Buch Director of Public Affairs, Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Ms. Tanya Patsaouras Station Coordinator, Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Ms. Marissa Aho Senior Associate, PlaceWorks Mr. Filippo Fanara Principal, CIBA Real Estate, Duarte, CA

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Contributing Authors

Contributing Authors Gabriel Barreras

Sabrina Fung

Jesus Herrera

Jan-Michael Medina

Dami Olubanwo

:: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

Contributing Authors

Renata Ooms

Vy Phan-Hoang

Shuang Tian

Tingting Xu

Boyang Zhang

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Executive Summary

Executive Summary The City of Duarte is receiving its first light rail station through Los Angeles Metro’s Gold Line Foothill Extension project. With the opening of the Duarte Gold Line Station, Duarte will gain a nodal position on the rapidly growing Los Angeles area rail network. This station affords Duarte direct transit connections to the San Gabriel Valley region, Downtown Los Angeles, and, in the future, the Ontario Airport. The Gold Line Station advantageously positions Duarte for absorbing regional growth and preparing for a future that may require cities to become increasingly multi-modal.

The rail station offers opportunities for Duarte beyond simply increasing connectivity and access. The station can also improve business activity, land values, city revenues, and the overall quality of life. However, the presence of a new rail station cannot guarantee the realization of these positive outcomes. Unfortunately, the alluring infrastructure philosophy that states, “if you build it, they will come,” has been disproven. Peer reviewed research in urban economics and transportation has shown that the success of urban mass transit projects depends heavily on the presence of complementary land-use policies, parking management programs, and development subsidies (Hanson et. al., 268). This report examines the current market conditions, policies, and transportation infrastructure of the City of Duarte and ultimately proposes policies and strategies that complement the introduction of light rail and facilitate the station’s success and development.

Goals of Policy and Development Recommendations:

Maximize rail ridership at the Duarte Station.

Develop a ridership base for transit in Duarte and create an especially strong ridership base in the

immediate station area.

Take advantage of opportunities that maximize land values in Duarte, especially near the station.

Increase citywide and regional connectivity.

Deepen the multi-modal layering of transit in the city and improve transit services for city residents.

Find the best strategies and practices for creating a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) that utilizes an

appropriate mix of uses.

Work in coordination with City of Hope so that both the medical facility and the city can benefit from the

new station and station area development.

Summary of Findings Our findings are based on independent research, analyses of the proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan, numerous supporting documents and studies, and stakeholder interviews. Stakeholders consulted include the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, City of Duarte staff, Southern California Coalition of Governments staff, the City of Hope, economic analysts and related professional planning firms. The following is an overview of some key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that affect Duarte, Gold Line ridership at the Duarte station, and the success of the new Gold Line Station area development.

Strengths

Land Use Potential: A Specific Plan Area has already been designated. A Specific Plan, which features many promising zoning changes and development strategies, has been drafted and is undergoing review (but has not yet been approved).

Transportation Potential: Bus routes pass very close to the station and can easily be re-routed to increase multi-modal access to the station. The City already secured funding for some pedestrian streetscape improvements and has some bike lanes. There is ample space for a park-n-ride lot or structure.

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Executive Summary

Employment Center: City of Hope is Duarte’s largest employer and is located just across from the station.

Strategies to develop ridership and commercial patronage among City of Hope employees and visitors are promising.

Weaknesses

Funding: Currently there are few funding sources or plans to secure funding for initiatives that complement the station.

Geography: The Dam, the Interstate 210 freeway, the Interstate 605 freeway, and flood protection infrastructure create physical barriers limiting access routes to the station. Furthermore, the presence of the Santa Fe Recreational Area severely reduces developable land near the station and thus limits the amount of land that can be developed into transit-friendly uses.

Opportuties

Land Acquisition: Although the area identified for TOD development is not owned by the City, there are only three parcels owned by two landowners in the potential TOD area. This relatively small number of land owning stakeholders should make land-related negotiations less complex and more promising.

City of Hope: As the medical campus expands administrative and support offices, it may be possible to coordinate or partner with some components of a TOD such as office space.

Threats

Land Acquisition: The City does not own the industrial land it wishes to redevelop into a TOD at the station. The landowners are currently not interested in selling or redevelopment. Much of the development potential of the station area hinges on finding a solution that benefits both the landowners and the City.

Summary of Recommendations 1. Increase the demand for transit in Duarte through targeted economic development at the station.

2. Emphasize a TOD concept and promote a mix of uses including market rate housing and affordable housing, office, commercial, and entertainment.

3. Improve local transit services by rescheduling and rerouting to create temporal and spatial integration of bus and rail.

4. Improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the City with an emphasis on creating links to the Gold Line Station.

5. Work collaboratively with Metro to develop appropriate parking facilities and research opportunities for effective future parking management strategy for the station area parking.

6. Consider developing more accessible open space to create a sense of place for the community that invites pedestrians.

7. Provide multi-model housing (either affordable housing, senior housing and/or hotel) to accommodate regional housing needs and to match market demands generated by City of Hope’s future expansion.

REFERENCE Hanson, Susan, & Genevieve Giuliano. Ed. The Geography of Urban Transportation (New York, NY: The Gilford Press, 2004), 268.

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Chapter 1--- Introduction

Introduction 1.1. INTRODUCTION The City of Duarte strives to serve its community through development strategies that foster opportunities for growth. Most recently, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Project will bring the Duarte Gold Line Station to the community and future opportunities for economic development, land value maximization, transit connectivity, mobility alternatives, spatial efficiency, and community pride for local residents and businesses.

The City of Duarte seeks to revitalize a community corridor through transit-oriented development by creating a new focus of activity (i.e. mixed-use development around the station, including a hotel) and by utilizing the new Duarte Station as a landmark. The new opportunities offered by the Duarte Station should be maximized to create a sense of place enhanced by a complementary mix of uses and extended multimodal transportation links to other activity nodes in Duarte. The vision of Duarte is to fully integrate the Duarte Station into the local and regional transportation network with efficient connections to the public transit network to encourage alternative modes of mobility. The new transit-oriented development will also present the City of Duarte with opportunities to encourage development in the City pursuant to its General Plan.

The Duarte Station Specific Plan 2014 will provide a complete analysis of the Duarte Station located at the intersection of Duarte Road and Highland Avenue, and recommendations for site development, land use zoning, transit-oriented economic development, transit connectivity, parking management, infrastructure needs, policy adaptations, and financing. It will also provide initiatives that can be implemented in partnership with the City of Hope, a large medical facility located in the City of Duarte and within walking distance of the Duarte Station.

1.2. OBJECTIVE This site report was created as a development plan for the City of Duarte in order to provide analysis of alternatives for the Duarte Gold Line Station. The construction of the Metro Rail station provides the City with a unique opportunity to capture economic development, land use development, and transportation connectivity.

While the land parcels currently zoned for industrial use to the north of the Station are currently privately owned, this plan anticipates that the neighboring parcels will be key to creating a vibrant transit-oriented station stop.

While the development of this site will have many different benchmarks, the provision of this site plan will guide

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the City of Duarte in creating a vision for this Station Area that will benefit the City.

The report’s main objectives are to:

Provide a comprehensive overview of existing conditions for general demographics, market conditions,

land use, and transportation availability

Identify ways Duarte can maximize opportunities created by new transit investment in the city

Deliver four site specific recommendation options for the city

Offer an in-depth analysis of recommendations regarding market conditions, land use opportunities,

and transportation connectivity

Specify case study examples for the City of Duarte

1.3.

PROJECT SETTING

Location The project site is located in the center of the City of Duarte along Duarte Road and Highland Avenue centered around the Duarte Gold Line Station. This proposal seeks to provide development recommendations for the three parcels located at the northwest and southwest corners of Business Center Drive and Highland Avenue, which is about 19 acres in size.

Surrounding Uses Figure 1.1-1 Duarte Gold Line Station Sphere of Influence, 0.5-mile radius.

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Chapter 1--- Introduction

The surrounding uses of Duarte Station are as follows:

North: The Evergreen Street and Interstate 210 are located to the north of the project, the land is mainly developed for single-family residential

West: Single-family residential neighborhood with about 204 units

South: Metro railroad, City of Hope campus, the Santa Fe Dam

East: Duarte/Lewis Business Center History of the Station In 2002, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (referred to as Authority from here on) initiated an Analysis Study looking at opportunities to extend Metro Gold Line service eastward of Pasadena with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. The study area encompassed 13 cities, including Duarte. During the study and EIR process, the Authority also worked with the City of Duarte to review the preliminary plan for Light Rail Transit (LRT) development, which mirrored that of a transit-oriented development (TOD). The Analysis Study and EIR were finalized and certified in February 2007. In the same year, Duarte’s City Council adopted a General Plan update that included the re-designation of land use for the Duarte Station Specific Plan. In 2008, IBI Group Inc. (IBI) prepared a Duarte Gold Line Station Area Vision Report, requested by the City of Duarte, which evaluated the TOD potential in the Station Area. In 2012, City of Duarte received grant funding to carry out the Duarte Station Specific Plan Project. The Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa is expected to be completed

by September 2015.

Sphere of Influence: Duarte Station The Duarte Station will impact the City of Duarte and specifically, residents and businesses within a quarter-mile and half-mile radius of Duarte Rd., Highland Ave., Huntington Dr., and Buena Vista St. The Station can provide commuting alternatives for travel to downtown Los Angeles or Ontario once the Gold Line has been completed.

The development of the Duarte Station will immediately cater to the local constituents. Potential transit riders will immediately come from the business district to the east, City of Hope Medical Facility to the south, or singlefamily homeowners to the west.

The vision of the Gold Line Extension is to connect the outer San Gabriel Valley area to downtown Los Angeles.

This would provide connectivity to the eastside of Los Angeles County and Riverside County. In order to increase ridership and overall use of the station area, there will be a need for a regional approach. Duarte is situated between popular destinations such as Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. To be a regional landmark, the City of Duarte will have to distinguish itself from neighboring cities so that transit riders will have a purpose to visit Duarte. When the entire Metro Gold Line Extension is fully built out to Ontario, the City of Duarte will have an opportunity to become a regional medical facility destination centered around the City of Hope.

The most effective way for Duarte to maximize its influence along the Gold Line will be to first plan local development followed by regional development. This comprehensive report will further discuss five to twenty year recommendations that the City can utilize to enhance every opportunity the Gold Line Station presents.

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Figure 1.1-2 Duarte Gold Line Station Sphere of Influence, 0.5-mile radius.

Figure 1.1-3 Regional Map of Duarte Station

Source: Duarte Station Specific Plan

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Chapter 1--- Introduction

REFERENCES City of Duarte (n.d.). accessduarte.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.accessduarte.com City of Duarte History. (n.d.). City of Duarte. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.duartehistory.org

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Chapter 2--- City Background

City Background 2.1.

HISTORY OF DUARTE

Home to the Gabrielino-Tongva Indians, the upper San Gabriel Valley is a rich and beautiful land surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains. In 1841, the governor of Alta California granted Mexican Corporal Andres Duarte approximately 7,000 acres of land in the upper San Gabriel Valley region, which included portions of Arcadia, portions of Monrovia, all of Bradbury, all of Duarte, portions of Irwindale, portions of Azusa, and portions of Baldwin Park; the 7,000 acres were named Rancho Azusa de Duarte. By the mid-1800s, Corporal Duarte began selling portions of the Ranch to repay incurred debt from levied taxes when California became a state of the US, thus, ending the era of Corporal Duarte’s legacy. Pioneer families traveled from the East and settled in the Duarte region because of the temperate climate; the climate was beneficial for health and agriculture, specifically citrus production.

By the early 1900s, two medical institutions emerged in what is present-day Duarte. The Jewish Relief Association started a tuberculosis sanitarium on 40-acres of land south of Duarte Road, today known as the City of Hope Medical Center. A group of Carmelite sisters started the Santa Teresita Rest Home, which is known as the Santa Teresita Hospital and Medical Center today. The imprint of these medical facilities has shaped Duarte into a world-renown destination for medical treatment. The current impact of these medical facilities to the City of Duarte is important to the character and identity of the community.

On August 22, 1957, the City of Duarte and the Duarte Unified School District were formed and incorporated into California. This incorporation aided the unity of a previously fragmented community, allowing it to set goals and establish priorities for the City.

2.2.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF DUARTE

Since incorporation in 1957, those serving the City of Duarte have worked to ensure that their residents live in a safe, clean, family-friendly community. The staff and leaders of the City of Duarte have been working with Metro on the proposed Gold Line Station so that the project is well incorporated into the community. The mission statement of the City reads:

With integrity and transparency, the City of Duarte provides exemplary public services in a caring and fiscally

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responsible manner with a commitment to our community’s future. (Accessduarte.com)

In addition, it is important to highlight the City’s general goals and vision via their Three Year Goals on their website. Listed in no particular order, they are to:

Improve the infrastructure and facilities

Identify and improve long-term revenue resources

Enhance programs, services and involvement of youth and families

Improve internal and external communications

Improve the environment With the collaboration between agencies for the Duarte Gold Line Station, the City hopes to meet these goals as well as increase mobility for its residents.

City Council Structure Through the powers granted by Government Code Section 87200, the Duarte City Council is able to serve its constituents and ensure a successful future for the City. City Council is comprised of five members directly elected by voters and serve as a legislative body. Before the dissolution of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), City Council served both the City and the CRA. The structure of the City Council is: Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and three Councilmembers. The responsibilities of these elected officials are to establish City policies, adopt ordinances and resolutions, hold public hearings, adopt budgets, authorize expenditures, and appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, and members of City commissions and committees.

City Structure Appointed by the City Council, the City Manager oversees the organizational structure within the City of Duarte.

The city organizational structure is shown in Figure 2.2-1.

Figure 2.2-1- City Organizational Chart

Source: Accessduarte.com

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Chapter 2--- City Background

City Commissions The City-appointed commissions study and report to the City Council on specific matters as requested. Members of the commission are appointed for a four-year term, and the Chairperson leads commissions and ViceChairperson elected for a one-year term by the appointed commissioners. The eligibility requirements are to: maintain residency in the city, have no felony convictions, file a city application, and submit a resume. The City of Duarte has six permanent commissions: Economic Development Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Public Safety Commission, Public Services Commission, and Traffic Safety Commission.

Also appointed are the Mayor’s Youth Council and the Duarte Youth and Family Committee.

Duarte Chamber of Commerce One of the goals of the City of Duarte is to welcome new businesses into the community while supporting existing businesses. The Duarte Chamber of Commerce protects the business interests of the community by working with many different City departments and commissions. The mission statement of the Chamber of Commerce is to, “create an environment that will promote and encourage business to succeed while enhancing its relationship with the surrounding community,” (Mission Statement, www.duartechamber.com).

The Chamber of Commerce Executive Team is comprised of three groups: Executive Committee, Board Members, and Staff Members. The Executive Committee is comprised of a Chairman of Board, Vice Chairman Fundraising, Vice Chairman/ Legislative Action & Education, Vice Chairman/ Ambassadors, Vice Chairman/ Publicity & Marketing, and Vice Chairman/ Finance & Administrative. The Board Members are currently comprised of eleven Directors. There are also two Staff Members that support the Chamber of Commerce.

Table 2.2-1- Legislative Priorities of Duarte Chamber of Commerce Education

Support educational initiatives that improve student achievement resulting in a highly qualified workforce to strengthen economy

Energy

Support efforts to develop and sustain safe, reliable, efficiently funded, effective sources of energy for a viable business environment

Government

Enhance economic base of private enterprise and local business

Health Care

Ensure access to basic services as a citizen right

Support maintenance and required improvement of Infrastructure and Environment infrastructure to support needs of growing population which stimulates economy Labor/ Workforce Development

Allow business and industry flexibility to safely and efficiently manage employees and develop programs to enhance productivity

Regulations/ Legislation

Encourage new business and retain existing businesses by reforming burdensome regulatory processes

Transportation

Support transit improvement that reduce congestion and enhance mobility of goods

Source: "Duarte Chamber of Commerce." Duarte Chamber of Commerce. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www.duartechamber.com>.

Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Authority) is the transportation planning, design

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and construction agency coordinating the Metro Gold Line Development project. California State Legislation SB 1847 created this agency in order to coordinate the development of the Gold Line Phases.

The Foothill Extension project was envisioned as a three-phased development process. Phase I, a 13.7-mile stretch from downtown Union Station to Sierra Madre in Pasadena, opened to the public in 2003. The Authority is currently working on Phase II continuing the Gold Line 11.5 miles from Pasadena to Azusa. There will be six new stations located in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. Phase III will extend from Azusa to Montclair 12.3 miles adding another six stations to the Gold Line. Envisioning the Gold Line as the San Gabriel Valley regional connector, the end of the Gold Line will go from Montclair to the Ontario Airport. This final phase of the connector is still under the review of involved agencies and stakeholders. After the final build out of the Metro Gold Line, eastern Los Angeles will have a regional connector bridging downtown Los Angeles to Ontario.

The City of Duarte began working closely with the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority in 2005 to design and incorporate the light rail station into the community. There have been multiple studies done along the Gold Line Corridor to incorporate each station into the City. The City of Duarte created its own Specific Plan for this new transit-oriented corridor. This Comprehensive Plan will discuss specific land use, transit, programming, and funding opportunities for the City of Duarte.

CONCLUSION The Duarte Station provides an opportunity for the City of Duarte to consider development prospects that will benefit the City both locally and regionally. With many different agencies working together, like the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Agency and the City of Hope, the City of Duarte is able to encourage alternative modes of transit while creating development opportunities that will give back to the City. This report will provide analyses and recommendations on future steps the City can consider for a successful Duarte Station.

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Chapter 2--- City Background

REFERENCES American FactFinder. (n.d.). American FactFinder. Retrieved February 12, 2014, from http://factfinder2.census.gov/ faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml American Hospital Association (AHA). (July 2013). City of Hope: Stats and Services. Report generated from www. ahadataviewer.com.

About Metro. (n.d.). Metro LA. Retrieved February 12, 2014, from http://www.metro.net City of Duarte (n.d.). accessduarte.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.accessduarte.com City of Duarte History. (n.d.). City of Duarte. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.duartehistory.org City of Hope. (n.d.). “City of Hope Facilities Master Plan”, Feb 12, 2014. <http://www.cityofhope.org/> City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital. (n.d.). City of Hope. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://gis. oshpd.ca.gov/atlas/places/facility/106190176 "Duarte Chamber of Commerce." Duarte Chamber of Commerce. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www. duartechamber.com>.

Schultz, Gary. (March 2014). Interview.

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Economic Policies Communication Research

Transportation

Transportation Services

Infrustructure Needs

Travel Behavior

Site Planning Traffic Forcast Parking

Zoning Policy

Land Use

Real Estate Market Analysis

Workforce Profile

Adjacent Recreation Areas

Market conditions

Demographics

Chapter 3--- Existing Context

Cluster of Economic activity

Commute Pattern Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities

Existing Context 3.1.

DEMOGRAPHICS

3.3.1. GENERAL DEMOGRAPHICS – CITY OF DUARTE The City of Duarte has had a steady population without significant immigration or emigration patterns in the past several decades. According to the 2010 Census, the City of Duarte has a population of 21,321. In 2000, the Census reported Duarte’s population at 21,486. Within the past decade, the City saw a slight decrease in population. The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual estimate of the resident population stated that City of Duarte had a population of 21,657 in 2012. Duarte is approximately 6.69 square miles with a population density of about 3,187 persons per square mile, one of the lowest densities in the San Gabriel Valley and in the County of Los Angeles.

Among the total population in 2010, females accounted for 52.7% of the total population, which was approximately 4% higher than the male population. The U.S. Census also found that 24.8% of the population was under the age of 19; 53% of the population was between the ages of 20 and 59; and 22.2% of the population was over the age of 60. According to City of Duarte’s own data, the age cohort of 65 and over has the fastest growing rate. In light of this, the Duarte Metro Station Transportation Plan should take into consideration the elderly, which is a large portion of Duarte’s population. It will be important to identify connectivity opportunities specifically designated for older individuals. This can include connecting paratransit options to the Gold Line Station.

The station is at the intersection of three census tract areas, Census Tract 4301.01, 4301.02, and 4300.02. For Census Tract 4301.02, the population of 60 years and over is only 15% of the total tract population, while in Census Tract 4300.02 the population of 60 years and over is 20.9% of the total tract population. Census Tract 4301.01, located northwest of the station, has the population of 60+ as 30.6% of the total tract population. With a large senior community, the City of Duarte may want to consider options for creating connectivity for transit specialized for seniors.

The City of Duarte is a large employment center and the Duarte Station also has opportunity to cater to commuting employees. This group will make up the largest immediate ridership as the station opens. However, as a large employment center, the City of Duarte needs to also consider what options are available for the commuting population. :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

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Table 3.1-1 General Demographics (U.S. Census, 2010)

Caucasians account for the largest racial group in Duarte at 51.9% of Duarte’s total population. Asians account for 15.8%, while African Americans account for 7.4% of Duarte’s total population. The 2010 Census found 47.8% of Duarte’s population having Hispanic or Latino heritage, and more than 80% of the Hispanic population identified as Mexican. While total population numbers are relatively consistent, the racial and ethnic make-up of Duarte is continuously changing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the City of Duarte was expected to see a Hispanic population of 9,718 in 2012, which would comprise 45.4% of Duarte’s total population. This is a 2.4 percentage point decrease from the 2010 Census figure. Although a large ethnic constituent, the Hispanic population appears to have stabilized.

Figure 3.1-1 Population by Race

Source: U.S. Census, 2010.

Figure 3.1-2 Population with Hispanic or Latino Origin

Source: U.S. Census, 2010.

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Chapter 3--- Existing Context

3.1.2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHICS In 2010, Duarte had 7,013 households and 7,254 occupied housing units with an average household size of 2.98.

Approximately 67.1% of the housing units are owner-occupied while the remaining units are renter-occupied.

The homeownership rate in Duarte is 68.3%, which is higher than the Los Angeles County homeownership rate of 47.3%, and California homeownership rate of 56%. About 33% of households in Duarte possess household incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. Households with a household income over $100,000 account for 26.6% of all households. The large number of high-income households may present a ridership challenge for the Gold Line at Duarte since people with high-incomes tend to drive rather than use public transit for their travel.

The Duarte Station will need to consider strategies to encourage ridership among all income levels. City of Duarte’s middle-income households are more likely to become transit riders because they see the cost savings from using public transit (Raskin 2012). The median household income of Duarte is $63,160, which is higher than L.A. County’s median household income of $56,241, and California’s mean of $61,400. If middle-income households are more likely to become riders, their attraction may be more important for station development.

Persons below the poverty level account for 11% of Duarte’s total population. In comparison, LA County’s poverty level is 17.1 % and California’s poverty level is 15.3%. Overall, Duarte’s economic standing seems to be higher than the county and state average level.

Figure 3.1-3 Household Income

Source: U.S. Census, 2012.

The unemployment rate for the civilian labor force in Duarte is 9.2%. The unemployment rate is lower than the state and the county’s unemployment rates, which are around 11%. About 80.7% of Duarte’s population possesses a high school diploma (or GED) or a higher education level. Approximately 19.5% of the population has a bachelor’s degree, and 8.6% of the population has a graduate degree.

Today, Duarte is a very auto-dependent city. About 80% of its workforce drives to work alone; 10% carpools; and 2.2% takes public transportation to work. The mean travel time to work is 28.1 minutes, which is about the same for the county and the state. The lack of public transit service could be responsible for the low usage of public transportation for commuting to work. The key to guarantee ridership of Metro Gold Line is to encourage more people to take public transportation to work, especially now that the Duarte Gold Line station will be completed soon. For now, driving is the deeply rooted travel mode for Duarte residents. For the Duarte Station to be successful, Duarte will have to develop a strategic transportation and development plan coupled with strong connectivity between transit modes.

Crime in Duarte In the past 6 months from August 5, 2013 to February 2, 2014, 23 violent crimes and 184 property crimes occurred in the City of Duarte. The crime rate per 10,000 people is 96.3. This rate is higher than the nearby Bradbury and Mayflower Village’s crime rates. Also, it is higher than the State of California of 42.5 per 10,000 in the year of 2012, and Los Angeles County of 39.6 per 10,000 in 2013. The City of Duarte should make an effort to decrease the crime rate because safety is constantly a big determinant for public transit riders. :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

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3.2. MARKET CONDITIONS & ECONOMIC TRENDS This section offers a market analysis of the real estate and industry components of the Duarte economy. Areas investigated include the City of Duarte and the greater San Gabriel Valley region. Analyses include: a real estate market analysis for various residential and commercial markets; an in-depth analysis of City of Hope, Duarte’s largest employer; a spatial analysis of commute patterns to assess where residents of Duarte work and where people who work in Duarte live; and a review of local economic policies and strategies with a special focus on policies relevant to the Gold Line and the station area development.

3.2.1. REAL ESTATE MARKET ANALYSIS The area surrounding the rail station includes an industrial cluster to the north and east and the City of Hope medical campus to the south. The Huntington Drive corridor, north of the 210 freeway, is the commercial and retail center of Duarte. Buena Vista Street and Huntington Drive have been identified by the city as focal points for town-center development activity. This analysis examines economic conditions that are critical for understanding spatial components of the real estate market.

3.2.1.1. SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTI-FAMILY MARKET The City of Duarte is primarily a single-family home market. According to U.S. Census data, more than 70% of residents own their home. Most of the housing growth occurred prior to 2000, and there has been relatively little change in new single-family households since. As of December 2013, the median sales price for single-family homes in Duarte was approximately $368,000, which is below the median price for Monrovia ($462,000) and the County of Los Angeles ($429,000) (Redfin, n.d.). Given that the city is nearly built-out, new single-family home tract development is unlikely to prevail and new growth is expected to occur through infill and high-density development.

The rental market in the City of Duarte is small with little over 2,000 households considered renters. A survey conducted by Economic & Planning Systems (EPS) found that multifamily rents in the fourth quarter of 2012 range between $1.50 and $1.66 per square foot for all bedroom sizes (Economic & Planning Systems, 2013, p. 14).

A similar survey conducted for this report in March 2014, Figure 3.2-1, found similar findings regarding market rents with prices ranging from $1.37 and $1.76 per square foot for all bedroom sizes. The median rental price in Duarte ranges between $700-1,000 per month in different areas of Duarte.

Table 3.2-1 Duarte For-Rent Market

Duarte’s residential vacancy rate is very low for the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) region and LA County. According to a LAEDC economic forecast report of the San Gabriel Valley, the residential vacancy rate in Duarte (3.32%) is much lower than the overall SGV vacancy rate (4.53%) and the countywide rate (5.92%). Duarte’s residential vacancy rate is lower than rates in 23 of the 30 incorporated cities of the San Gabriel Valley (Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2013, p.26).

3.2.1.2. OFFICE MARKET According to EPS, the office market in Duarte is weak. There is a total of 257,385 square feet of office space in Duarte and medical offices use up approximately 112,111 square feet of that space. With the exception of 60,000 square feet of office space on the City of Hope campus, all of Duarte’s office building stock is assessed as Class

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C (the lowest rating which signifies older, lower quality and often outdated buildings). No new office space has been built since 1970. Office rents in Duarte average $1.70 per square foot and vacancy is high at approximately 17.8% (Economic & Planning Systems, 2013, p. 14). This is higher than the 10.3% average vacancy rate in the San Gabriel Valley. However, as a whole, the office vacancy rate in the San Gabriel Valley is substantially lower than LA Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office vacancy rate.

Figure 3.2-1 Office Vacancy Rates

3.2.1.3. HOTEL MARKET A market analysis report conducted by PKF Consulting in May 2008 provides estimates for the expected Average Daily Rate (ADR) for a hotel in Duarte. According to the PKF report, the estimated ADR for 2013 is $133 per room with an occupancy rate of 76%. EPS verified the 2013 rate through a review of lease rates of competitive hotels in the market area (PKF Consulting, 2008, p. vii). Estimates through the year 2017 are shown in Figure 3.2-2.

Figure 3.2-2 Project Market Performance

A regional hotel market analysis of the San Gabriel Valley, published in 2013 by the LAEDC using data from PKF Consulting, suggests that three SGV cities dominate the regional hotel market. Over half of the hotel rooms in the region are located in Pasadena, Arcadia and Monrovia. These three cities also have higher average room rates, greater revenue generated per room, and higher room occupancy rates than the rest of the SGV (Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2013, p.30).

Table 3.2-2 Duarte For-Rent Market

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3.2.3. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY There are approximately 984 businesses in the City of Duarte, which employ nearly 7,000 people (see Figure 3.23). The largest sectors by employment include Retail Trade (25.5%), Manufacturing (16.8%), Other Services (9.2%), Educational Services (8.4%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (7.1%).

Figure 3.2-3 City of Duarte Industry Profile

Top employers in Duarte are listed in Figure 3.2-4. The City of Hope is by far the largest employer in the city with over 3,550 employees, accounting for 38% of total employment in Duarte (Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2011, p.i). Manufacturing and retail trade are also strong employers in the city, each supplying more than 1,100 jobs. Three of the major retail employers include Wal-Mart, CarMax, and Target. Top manufacturing employers include GE Aviation, an aircraft manufacturing center; We Pack It All, a contract packaging and service company; and TheraPak, a pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution company. The City of Hope, TheraPak, and GE Aviation are located within a quarter mile of the Gold Line station. Additionally, the parcels immediately north and northeast of the Gold Line station are home to more warehouse and distribution businesses. Since the City of Hope and Manufacturing jobs account for more than half of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employment, there is an opportunity to capitalize on the concentration of jobs and industry in the immediate area around the Gold Line station. However, over time these businesses, with the exception of COH, are likely to be impacted by the Gold Line and the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans to turn the area into a transit village. No information was found to determine if the City has a plan for these businesses.

Figure 3.2-4 City of Duarte Top Employer

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The presence of the City of Hope has created a small cluster of health care related economic activity that is significant to Duarte’s overall economy. Numerous jobs in the area are the result of business expansion and growth related to the health care industry. The 2011-2015 Economic Development plan acknowledges the existing health care cluster and suggests a sector-based economic development strategy to further expand businesses in the biomedical and health care industry. Industries in the biomedical and health services are expected to show some of the strongest employment gains over the next 20 years in Los Angeles County, driven by general population growth, the aging of the population, and the adoption of new treatments and therapies (ED, p.27). The City of Hope’s proximity to the Gold Line station is significant as it maintains a high employee base, attracts outside visitors, and is poised for growth. An opportunity exists for the proposed transit village and Gold Line to offer services and amenities for employees, house future workers, and provide other unmet needs.

3.2.3. WORKFORCE PROFILE There are an estimated 17,210 working age adults in the City of Duarte and approximately 10,400 or, 60 percent, are in the labor force. Among those employed, 34 percent hold occupations in management, business, science, and the arts. Occupations in sales and office closely follow with 26 percent of the employed labor force participating in such jobs. Figure 3.2-5 shows the full distribution of occupations held by Duarte residents.

Figure 3.2-5 City of Duarte Labor Force Profile

Most Duarte residents work outside of the city. According to the City of Duarte’s Economic Development plan, residents of Duarte hold 8% of the payroll jobs in the city. Residents of cities outside the immediate area of Duarte hold almost two-thirds of the jobs, while residents of the City of Los Angeles hold 7% and residents of Monrovia hold 3% of the jobs (Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2011, p.18). The data shows that approximately 15% of the people that work in Duarte originate from cities connected by the Gold Line station.

Figure 3.2-6 City of Duarte Labor Shed

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At the same time, only 7.1% of Duarte’s working residents work in the city, while more than half commute to jobs outside the immediate area of the city, as shown in the figure below (Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2011, p.19). However, approximately 35.5% of Duarte’s working residents commute to cities connected by the Gold Line. Therefore, the Gold Line station has an opportunity to serve a significant number of Duarte’s working residents.

Figure 3.2-7 City of Duarte Commute Shed

Source: Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation 2011, p.19

City of Hope: A Closer Look at Durate’s Largest Employer Located across the Duarte Gold Line Station at 1500 E. Duarte Road is the 185-bed City of Hope facility. This world-renown independent medical and research institution is leading the way for medical breakthroughs in cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and other life-threatening diseases (AHA, 2013). Its ambitious mission of transforming the future of health through exceptional care, innovative research, and education demands a large scale and state-of-the-art medical campus. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is now a 114-acre medical campus with 1,615,265 square feet of building use. The Facilities Master Plan includes a phased campus growth strategy that will increase the campus’ building use to 2,692,990 square feet by 2032.

As one of the 41 leading comprehensive cancer research centers in the United States, the City of Hope is a major institutional asset to the San Gabriel Valley. In 2013, the American Hospital Association reported that City of Hope conducted over 177,000 outpatient visits, 6,100 patient admissions, and 3,500 inpatient surgeries (AHA, 2013). The Duarte campus staffs over 3,500 employees including doctors, nurses, technicians, professors, administrative staff, and 50 graduate-level students.

The City of Hope is anticipating how the new Duarte Station and station area development will affect their facilities. City of Hope is supportive of some imagined developments for the station area but remains reserved on integrating their campus into the station area. City of Hope views the new transit station as a new campus access point that may threaten campus security. The medical center hopes to maintain a quiet and informally secure campus that does not invite persons unaffiliated with the City of Hope to enter. Despite security concerns, City of Hope supports hotel development in the Station Area since there is a demand for temporary housing with easy access to the hospital. Patients, visitors, consultant, contractors, and new hires require local lodging (Schultz, 2014).

3.2.4. ECONOMIC POLICIES 3.2.4.1 City of Duarte Economic Development Strategy In 2011, the City of Duarte adopted a five year Economic Development Strategy for 2011 to 2015. It focuses on workforce development, business friendly policies, improving quality of life, smart land use, and infrastructure

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improvements. It is primarily a visionary document that does not offer implementation strategies for all recommendations.

The few recommendations which do offer specific implementation strategies are: advertising workforce training; adding specific elements to the city website which provide employment resources, transaction based features for business licensing, a concise list of all city by-laws (which new and existing firms must comply with) and a “Why Duarte?” page devoted to the business friendly aspects of Duarte; promoting seminars and job fairs for business and employment growth; establishing partnerships with specific organizations to expand youth opportunities; and developing a specific plan for Huntington Drive.

General recommendations that lack implementation strategies include: strengthening relationships and supporting organizations to benefit schools; marketing to promote education programs; creating new education programs; designing a marketing campaign for the city and its “small town advantages;” pursuing media to promote Duarte; creating a database of all businesses in the City of Duarte; modifying tax incentives; promoting biomedical and healthcare industries and a possible research and development incubator; improving mobility and reducing traffic congestion; adding affordable and workforce housing; promoting healthy living, park space, and community gardens; promoting greening of business operations by connecting businesses with appropriate resources; using smart-growth strategies; and developing a ridership program to connect the Gold Line station to local employers.

3.2.4.2 City of Duarte General Plan: Economic Development Component The City of Duarte’s commitment to fostering economic vitality is made through the inclusion of an Economic Development Element in the 2005-2020 Duarte General Plan. This element assures that the city maintains high quality city services, nurtures a balanced economy, and utilizes all available economic assets.

There are many specific implementation items in this document that indicate how the city will support and improve its workforce, support and attract local businesses, and maintain close tabs of the real estate market, businesses, and market clusters so that economic policy can specifically target city needs. There are also clear intentions to pursue external grants and funding options for the city. Objectives relevant to the Gold Line include a specific strategy for developing a Gold Line ridership program with nearby businesses and a goal for intensifying land uses and vertically mixing uses.

3.2.5. MARKET INTEGRATION Kaplan from Economic & Planning Systems was interviewed about the City of Duarte’s plans for the transit station and proposed transit village. EPS was contracted to provide an overview of potential implementation strategies that may be available to the City to help expedite realization of the Duarte Transit Village Vision. The following highlights key points from the interview and the EPS report titled “Implementation Strategy: Duarte Gold Line Station Transit Village Area Plan,” dated August 5, 2013.

Current market rates in Duarte are not sufficient to support build-out of the proposed transit village.

In order to attract new development, market rents in Duarte need to appreciate by 19%. However, a lack of demand to live in Duarte and poor infrastructure are an impediment to such appreciation. Additionally, compared to other stations such as Monrovia and Arcadia, Duarte is considered a less desirable area to live in and the area surrounding the transit station is not conducive to a pedestrian-oriented environment.

The City can provide public infrastructure to supplement market incentives to expedite development of a transit village. The Duarte Gold Line station is surrounded by low-density residential and industrial uses, and major thoroughfares, which pose development challenges. The area is not very inviting and not pedestrian friendly. The City can remedy these challenges and induce transit village development by creating the underlying infrastructure conditions to support platform access, connect the station to the community and uses, and lower development risks. This includes new on-site circulation, streetscape improvements to facilitate walking and biking, and adding lighting, street trees, and benches.

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The City of Duarte should aim to harness the City of Hope Medical Center through engagement and supportive public infrastructure. The City of Hope is considered critical to the success of the City’s vision for the Gold Line station and transit village. There are physical barriers between the Gold Line station and the COH campus, which impede integration. The wide green buffer along Duarte Road isolates the campus, making short shopping excursions and pedestrian access and egress difficult. To mitigate this, EPS recommends that the City improve the public infrastructure connecting the campus to the transit village and encourages City of Hope to consider orienting new on-campus development in a manner that facilitates Gold Line usage. Additionally, the City can broker relations between the City of Hope and developers to tailor transit village development to address the institution’s off-campus needs. COH can potentially be the catalyst the transit village needs to spur development.

Implementation will require close coordination between the City, Metro, and the landowners of the three parcels in the site to guide disposition and development decisions. The existing landowners could be strong strategic partners in developing the site. Current occupancies of the buildings in the area are high, which makes land buy-out expensive. Therefore, negotiating a development strategy with current landowners can reduce costs and speed-up development.

The conceptual transit village should generate a significant incremental tax benefit that may be used to support infrastructure build-out or supplement and accelerate vertical development. The potential fiscal benefits generated by the proposed program are over $645,000 in estimated net new contributions to the General Fund. This is a 5% increase over current revenue. The additional revenue can be utilized for implementing the vision of the transit village.

3.2.6. EVALUATION OF FINDINGS Evaluation of Existing Economic Development Policy Duarte’s Economic Development Strategy aims to support businesses and the workforce. However, it is primarily a visionary document and lacks implementation mechanisms. This visionary document should be used as a starting point for Gold Line Station economic development strategies as it indicates the city’s priorities, desires, and needs.The Economic Development Strategy outlines the City’s housing priorities, ridership development strategies, biotech industry goals, smart growth principles, and mobility, traffic, and transportation infrastructure goals. It is critical to create specific implementation mechanisms to achieve the recommendations offered in this economic development vision.

The Economic Development Element of the General Plan more carefully lays out some implementation measures, which may relate to station development, including the development of a ridership program with local businesses and provision of mixed use design standards. However, with the dissolution of Community Redevelopment Agencies and the repeal of tax increment financing, funding for the items proposed in this policy document are limited.

In conclusion, the guidelines offered in both the Economic Development Strategy and the Economic Development Element of the General Plan are insufficient for guiding and funding appropriate development at the station site. Very few items in these policy documents are relevant to issues the station area development is facing. Targeted policy action is required to realize the economic potential of the station area. The station area is both a high priority area and a particularly challenging development environment for Duarte. As such, the station area will require development incentives and policies tailored to its specific circumstances.

Evaluation of Regional Economic Activity Competition with local and regional hubs of commercial and entertainment activities pose possible threats to the success of commercial or entertainment development at the Duarte Station. Huntington Drive is a thriving business and commercial corridor for Duarte and the San Gabriel Valley. Neighboring cities offer full shopping and entertainment options within a 10-minute drive. It is also possible that development of commercial and entertainment businesses will attract visitors primarily from Duarte -- in other words, visitors who do not require rail to access the site and will not increase ridership. Regional competition should be considered when

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determining who will utilize the site and how visitors will travel to the site.

Evaluation of the Economic and Real Estate Market Over the past decade, relatively little new housing has been built in the City of Duarte. The Gold Line extension is an opportunity to end this lull and stimulate new growth through infill and transit-oriented development.

However, the City faces numerous economic and market related challenges in attempting to convert the Duarte Station area into a dynamic hub of activity. The location of the Duarte Station, amidst industrial and manufacturing centers, combined with the lack of pedestrian-oriented infrastructure, reduces the area’s desirability. Significant capital investments would be required to increase the area’s desirability. Compared to other cities located along the Gold Line, such as Monrovia, Arcadia, and Pasadena, the City of Duarte is less competitive from a development standpoint. Duarte’s market rents for housing, retail, and office, are too low to support new institutional-grade development.

Despite Duarte’s economic and market challenges, the City’s strengths can be a boon for the future of the Duarte Station. The City remains relatively affordable compared to neighboring cities and will attract people seeking lower-cost housing. The area around the station contains a high concentration of jobs from the industrial park and COH, which provides an immediate customer base for retailers looking for market expansion opportunities.

Additionally, the proximity of COH and the campus’ relationship to the station can influence its success and growth.

Evaluation of Opportunities with Neighboring City of Hope The City of Hope campus generates a large number of daily trips: thousands of medical professionals, researchers, administrative staff, facilities staff, patients, and patient families access the site daily. However, it is unlikely that many of these trips will undergo a mode-shift from auto-trips to rail-trips with the opening of the Gold Line station. Patients and patient families are very unlikely to take transit for medical appointments or outpatient care, particularly when seeking oncological care. The long and unusual hours demanded of doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and laboratory research faculty are not compatible with transit, especially when driving is much more convenient and time-efficient. Non-medical staff may be the only group at City of Hope who may be inclined to take the Gold Line to the medical campus. Metrolink already facilitates rail connections between downtown and City of Hope employees via the Baldwin Park Station but the many COH employees commuting from the east and could utilize the Gold Line phase 2 and phase 3 extensions to get to work.

City of Hope does not anticipate expanding westward and supports development of the station area for hotel, retail, commercial and office space as long as congestion and noise do not affect patients on the campus.

Considering the Campus’ plans to grow, it may be possible to partner with COH to create hospital administrative space. Although such a partnership may be challenging given COH’s safety concerns, this is an option worth exploring.

3.2.7. RECOMMENDATIONS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Negotiate with the current parcel landowners to participate in the development of the transit village.

Land contribution or lease out of the land will be difficult to achieve but can lower development costs.

Partner with the City of Hope to invest and expand into the transit village, serving as a catalyst for further development.

Allocate funding for infrastructure improvements around the Duarte Station to create a pedestrian- friendly environment, attract development, and reduce development costs.

Designate land for affordable housing near the transit station.

Include a hotel as one component of new station area development.

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REFERENCES City of Duarte. (n.d.). “City of Duarte Demographics Profile” Retrieved February 10, 2014 from http://www. citydemographics.us/duarte/ City of Duarte. (2007). City of Duarte Comprehensive General Plan 2005-2020.

Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (2013). Implementation strategy: duarte gold line station transit village area plan. Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. (2011). City of Duarte: Economic Development Strategy 20112015. Retrieved February 9, 2014 from http://www.citydemographics.us/duarte/docs/EDS.pdf Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. (2013). 2013 San Gabriel Valley Economic Forecast and Regional Overview.

Munoz-Raskin, R. (2010). Walking accessibility to bus rapid transit: Does it affect property values? of Bogotá, Colombia. Transport Policy, 17(2), 72–84.

doi:10.1016/j.tranpol.2009.11.002

The case

PKF Consulting. (2008). Market analysis: proposed hotel to be located in Duarte, California. Los Angeles, CA. Schultz Gary. (personal communication, March 7, 2014)

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3.3.

LAND USE AND ZONING

3.3.1. LAND USE The Land Use Element is required in every General Plan in California, and it is often regarded as the unifying element among all seven required elements. Many goals and implementation policies outlined in other elements are dependent on the Land Use Element. As such, the Land Use Element remains a baseline policy for specific plans and regulates compatibility with the larger General Plan.

Duarte’s current General Plan was adopted in 2005, followed by a Zoning Code Update in 2010. Together, the General Plan and Zoning Code Update form compatible land use regulations. These regulations are the primary policy tools driving the City’s economic development and long-term growth.

3.3.2. ZONING POLICY State law requires zoning ordinances to remain consistent with their respective General Plan. Duarte’s 2010 Zoning Code Update was designed as the primary land use implementation tool for the 2005 General Plan.

The City’s Zoning Code Update outlines seven primary land use designations, and each designation has subcategories typically based on density and the intensity of the land use or activity. Density is measured according to units per acre (u/ac), and intensity is measured by the floor area ratio (FAR). The City of Duarte supports the following zoning designations, further detailed in the Land Use Map in Figure 3.3-1:

Residential Zones (R-1, R-1A, R-1B, R-1D, R-1E, R-1F, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MH) Commercial Zones (C-P, C-G, C-F) Hospital Zone (H) Industrial Zone (M) Public Facilities Zone (PF) Open Space Zone (O) Specific Plan Zones (SP) Figure 3.3-1 - Land Use Map of City of Duarte

Source: City of Duarte General Plan, 2007.

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Goals of the Land Use Element Duarte’s General Plan defines three primary goals within the Land Use Element: 1. Maintain a balanced community consisting of various residential housing types and densities,

commercial activities, industrial development, mixed use where appropriate, and open space.

2. Develop compatible and harmonious land uses by providing a mix of uses consistent with projected

future social, environmental, and economic conditions.

3. Provide unique areas to better serve the needs of Duarte residents and businesses.

3.3.3. DUARTE STATION SPECIFIC SITE PLAN In support of the primary goals above, the designation for Hospital (H) zones is particularly important for the Duarte Gold Line Station area, as the City of Hope medical campus borders the southern side of Duarte Road and the Duarte Station Specific Plan area. According to the General Plan, any specific plan for the station area should host, “horizontal and vertical mixed commercial and high-density residential housing.” It is critical that the development goals of City of Hope and the Duarte Station Specific Plan are coordinated in order to promote Duarte’s growth on a local and regional level. In other words, the success of station area development is dependent on an appropriate implementation of mixed uses at the site and its integration with City of Hope.

Duarte’s General Plan recommends two priority areas of development. The first area is the City’s Central Business District at Huntington Drive and Buena Vista Street. The second is the industrial zone adjacent to the Gold Line Station. The General Plan prioritizes upzoning the industrial area north of the station to allow for transitoriented and mixed-use developments. With an expected increase in congestion over the next thirty years, the development of the Duarte Station area seeks to offer alternative transportation modes in order to relieve local congestion and vehicle trips within the City.

The City of Duarte was approved as a TOD site for the Gold Line Foothill Extension station during Round 1 of applications outlined in Metro’s 2011/12 Fiscal Year budget. A total of $5,000,000 was available for Round 1 TOD municipalities along the Expo Line Phases 1 & 2, Crenshaw/LAX corridor, and Gold Line Foothill Extension.

Applications were accepted in September 2013, and the planning consulting firm RBF was selected by Metro as the Primary Contractor in December 2013 for the Duarte Station Specific Plan with a $400,000 grant (Metro, 2013). The Duarte Station Specific Plan is currently in draft form at the time of this report and is entering the evaluation, revision, and approval process with the City and appropriate committees.

The Duarte Station Specific Plan site includes approximately 19 acres of connected land and is located between the I-210 freeway and Duarte Road from north to south and Fairdale Avenue and Highland Avenue from west to east.

The site consists of three parcels, each of which is developed with a single building, zoned for light Industrial (M) with the following industrial tenants:

Parcel 1: Therapak Corporation, a supplier of medical diagnostic test kits; Parcel 2: GE Aviation, manufacturer of airplane components; and, Parcel 3: Coastal Composites, Armstrong Engineering.

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Figure 3.3-2 Parcel Map of the Project Area (Current)

Source: DAHLIN group, 5-13. (2013). Retrieved Feb. 11, 2014, from Duarte Station

In addition to the current on-site industry, the area surrounding Duarte Station site includes the following:

North: Single and multi-family homes, two public schools, and Open Space with two parks;

South: Metro rail line, the City of Hope campus, and the Santa Fe Dam;

East: Duarte/Lewis Business Center (industrial and manufacturing uses)

West: Single-family homes with approximately 200 units; Future Site Planning As proposed, the Duarte Station Specific Plan establishes a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Specific Plan Zoneâ&#x20AC;?, with sub-designations of Station Plaza, Mixed Use, High Density Residential, Open Space and Road. The Specific Plan Zone regulations will supersede all other zoning regulations, unless they are in conflict with the General Plan. In practice, the Specific Plan will provide flexibility in providing vertical and/or horizontal mixed high density residential, commercial uses, office, R&D and industrial uses. The General Plan estimated the project site will host 120 dwelling units with a population of 396 residents, and the non-residential zones will have 100,000 square feet of mixed-used commercial and retail space, and up to 500 parking spaces.

Figure 3.3-3 Duarte Station Master Land Use Plan

Souce: DAHLIN group, 10-13. (2013). Retrieved Feb. 11, 2014, from Duarte Station

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Most of the land is designated as mixed use, a small portion is designated as high density residential on the west side of the site, and open space is planned to occupy the area between the high-density residential and singlefamily residential areas on the west side of the site. While the City makes deliberate efforts to promote mixed uses in the station area in order to be consistent with the citywide goals, it is not clear how the City proposes to allocate such mixed-use designations between housing, commercial, retail, open space and other uses. To make this site a unique area, the selected mixed uses of the site should be integrated with and support the surrounding neighborhoods, businesses, and public facilities.

The Duarte Station Specific Plan proposes several sub-divisions of the site’s three parcels outlined in Figure 3.34 below. Among the land use designations, the general Mixed-Use designation is intended to offer flexibility to adapt to the changing market with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 70 units per acre of residential density, a maximum of 2.0 FAR for office and commercial spaces, and a maximum of 250 rooms for hotels. In addition, a secondary area designated as “Station Plaza” (SP) is assigned to the southwest corner of the plan area. This area is planned to host commercial uses, as the next closest commercial area is one mile north of the Duarte Station area. Commercial and retail tenants in the Station Plaza could support the daily needs of residents who live around the station area.

Besides mixed-use and residential designations, 0.8 acres of open space is assigned to the western edge of the station plan area to act as a buffer zone between the high-density residential area on the east side and lowdensity single-family homes on the west side. Gold Line Station parking is located at the corner of Business Center Drive and Highland Avenue. Structural parking is supported as opposed to community parking. Vehicular circulation through the proposed Specific Plan includes four new streets including: (2) N-S two-way streets, (1) E-W two-way street; and, (1) service road that connects through the parking area of the site.

Figure 3.3-4 Duarte Station Proposed Land Use DiagramDiagram

Source: Dahlin Group. (2013). Retrieved Feb. 11, 2014, from Duarte Station Specific Plan.

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3.3.4. ADJACENT STATION AREAS The following section provides an overview of the neighborhoods that border the Duarte Station Specific Plan area. These neighborhoods present a wide range of land use, programming, stakeholders, and conditions to be considered and addressed through the implementation of the Duarte Station.

City of Hope(COH) Located directly south of the Duarte Gold Line Station, the City of Hope occupies 114 acres on the southern edge of Duarte. The City of Hope is Duarte’s largest employer with over 3,550 employees, and plans to continue expanding over the next three decades. The City of Hope Strategic Plan is organized into three phases: Phase 1, completed in 2012, provided the expansion of a major conference building, supporting facilities and warehouses. Four areas of the site were designated for parking expansion. The main entrance was relocated to the intersection of Village Road and Duarte Road, which is further away from the Duarte Gold Line Station compared to the original entrance.

Phase 2 focuses on the expansion of clinical uses with multiple medical buildings being built. Phase 2 is to be completed by 2022.

Phase 3 anticipates additional projects that COH is likely to pursue in the future. These plans include but are not limited to: the expansion of parking and medical buildings around the campus and a possible hotel and parking to be located on or near the campus. Phase 3 is to be completed in 2032.

During interviews with City of Hope staff, the COH administration is currently is in the process of re-evaluating its Strategic Plan.

Duarte/Lewis Business Park The Duarte/Lewis Business Park, located to the east of the station, is zoned for industry and manufacturing.

Since the station site has been designated a specific plan zone and will be developed mostly for mixed-use, the station’s developments and amenities must be compatible with the Duarte/Lewis Business Park. Because the Business Park is located at the intersection of major freeways (210 and 605), industry and manufacturing remains the ideal use for these parcels. Other land uses will be adversely affected by poorer air quality, noise, and proximity to the freeways.

Duarte’s Central Business District Duarte’s General Plan states that the central business district for the City is centered around the intersection of Huntington Drive and Buena Vista (Policy LU 3.1.2), northwest of the Duarte Gold Line Station. The central business district is projected to attract the majority of vehicular traffic from the 210 Freeway; however, it is recommended that the City determine how to best integrate the plans, policies, and designs to build multimodal links between the Duarte Gold Line Station and the central business district.

Duarte High and Northview Intermediate School Two public schools are immediately located north of the Duarte Gold Line Station: Duarte High School and Northview Intermediate School. Both schools are members of the Duarte Unified School District and are located within 0.25 miles of the Duarte Gold Line Station. The students, teachers, and families served by the schools are primary stakeholders in the development of the station.

Together, Duarte High School and Northview Intermediate School have vehicular and pedestrian entrances and exits located along Central and Highland Avenue. The north-south streets of Highland and Duncannon Avenue provide pedestrian and vehicular access points under the 210 Freeway, connecting the schools and the residential neighborhood to the Duarte Gold Line Station. Following school hours, our team observed many students and parents walking and driving to and from the schools using these primary streets. Any development of the Gold Line Station should take these schools, their patrons, and existing routes into consideration.

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Table 3.3-1 School Profiles (2012-13)

Source: California Department of Education, Data Reporting Office (CBEDS, pubschls 7/10/13, enr12 4/05/13).

Duarte Sports Park, Northview Park and Pioneer Park The City of Duarte hosts three parks within the Station’s 0.25-mile and 0.5-mile radius. The first is the Duarte Sports Park located immediately west of Duarte High School. The Sports Park has numerous baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, recreational facilities, and free parking. Crosswalks link the Sports Park across Central Avenue providing pedestrian access to Duncannon Avenue, leading to the future Duarte Station area.

Similarly, Northview Park borders the east side of Northview Intermediate School with north-south access points to the Duarte Station area along Highland Avenue. Lastly, Pioneer Park is located immediately south of the Duarte Station site along Duarte Road and serves as greenway entrance for patrons of the City of Hope campus.

While these parks are physically separate and serve different populations, they are all within Duarte Station’s sphere of influence.

Affordable Housing Sites Under Goal 1 of the General Plan, the City defines three areas for the development affordable housing. All of these areas are adjacent to each other along Huntington Drive between Highland and Cotter Avenue. The areas are north of the 210 Freeway, and therefore, north of the Gold Line Station Site. In order to maximize transit and public services for low-income families and seniors in affordable housing, greater connections to the Gold Line Station via Duarte Transit and other public transit providers should be prioritized for this area.

Santa Fe Dam and Recreation Area The Santa Fe Dam is located southeast of the Station; the area immediately across the Station is currently used as a parking lot. While the Santa Fe Dam possesses a recreation area, a R/C airplane runway, and nature center, these uses are located on the southeast side of the dam, meaning they are not relatively close to the Station and its potential riders. The San Gabriel River Trail runs along the dam, but there is no direct connection between the trail and the part of the dam closest to the Station. Further disconnecting the dam and the Station is the 605 Freeway, which bisects the dam and obstructs the integration between the northwest and southeast parts of the dam. In its current stage, the dam is more of a barrier than an amenity or destination.

3.3.5. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS The Duarte Station is surrounded by a diverse set of land uses and stakeholders including the City of Hope, two major public schools, a business and industrial park, single-family and multi-family homes. A major challenge for the future development of the Duarte Station will be finding the correct mix of uses that will be economically sustainable, serve all communities and stakeholders present, and integrate and blend in with the existing community’s design and physical character. A second challenge for the Gold Line station is based on its local and regional location. Future station land uses must propel the station area to be a local destination, a point of departure to other cities, and a regional destination that will increase ridership to the station for employment, retail, and other commercial activities.

Considering these challenges, the Specific Plan, if approved, will give the City and developers the ability to modify land uses as needed for the diverse constituencies listed above as well as shifting market trends.

Additionally, the fact that there are only two owners for the station’s three parcels offers the potential to streamline the specific plan policies, land use designations, and zoning conversions. It is recommended that Duarte Station Specific Plan prioritize the following changes as relevant to its land use policies:

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1.

2.

3.

4.

Mixed-use should remain the priority for station development.

The City should explore opportunities for on-site affordable housing, especially the opportunity for High-Quality Transit Corridor / Area funding.

The City should consider the development of village-style housing units.

Open Space allocations should be augmented to allow for greater buffer and public use.

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REFERENCES City of Hope. (n.d.). “City of Hope Facilities Master Plan”, Feb 12, 2014. <http://www.cityofhope.org/> Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). (2013 Dec 12). Transit Oriented Development Planning Grant. Retrieved from: www.metro.net/projects/tod.

RBF Consulting. (2013, September). “Duarte Station Specific Plan”.

RBF Consulting. (2013, April 11). “Duarte Station Specific Plan Initial Study/Environmental Checklist”.

Terry Miller. (n.d.) “Monrovia Memorial Hospital Opens”. Pasadena Independent. Feb 2014. <http://www.pasadenaindependent.com/community/around-town/monrovia-memorial-hosp ital-opens/>

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3.4.

TRANSPORTATION

The Gold Line Station in Duarte brings a powerful new mode of transportation to the city. The addition of light rail to the Duarte’s transportation network could drastically alter the local and regional transportation environment. Additionally, the realization of imagined transit-oriented development at the station site may also contribute to new traffic and transportation patterns. This section provides a comprehensive analysis of existing transportation conditions and an evaluation of how the transportation infrastructure and service may be affected by the new station and new station area development. The analysis is based on the Duarte Station Specific Plan proposed by the City of Duarte, which in general composes similar development patterns with our proposals, so the result of the below traffic impact analysis could be used as a reference to our recommended development scenarios.

3.4.1. TRAFFIC IMPACT & FORECAST The proposed Specific Plan for the station area requires up-zoning, mixed use development and densification.

To assess the effects of this new development plan, a traffic impact and forecast analyses were conducted as a part of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. Here we summarize findings from this report. Even though this analysis pertains to a very specific development plan for the station area, it is useful for understanding generally what the traffic impacts of station area up-zoning and mixed use would be.

A. Regulatory Setting Three regulatory agencies are involved in Duarte transportation – California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), and the City of Duarte (City). The following outlines the baseline transportation regulations for the proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan Area as related to each agency listed above.

1.

Caltrans strives to maintain a Level of Service (LOS) of C or better at all Caltrans facilities -- which include state-level highway or freeways (“Guide for the Preparation of Traffic Impact Studies”, Caltrans). While there are exceptions to this standard depending on facility-specific conditions and congestion level, an LOS of C is likely to the relevant standard for the Caltrans facilities in Duarte.

2.

Metro administers the Los Angeles County Congestion Management Program (CMP) and prepares the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). CMP, mandated by State of California law, requires that the traffic generated by individual development projects be analyzed for potential impacts to the regional roadway system, and that local jurisdictions must maintain CMP conformance by monitoring development activity, reporting the results annually to Metro, and adopting a CMP transportation demand management ordinance. In City of Duarte, there are only two CMP highways – the I-210 and I-605 freeways, while no CMP arterial roadways. The LRTP, a blueprint for implementing future transportation improvements in Los Angeles County, recommends a balanced transportation program with a strong emphasis on public transit to meet the region’s growing travel demands.

3.

In the City of Duarte General Plan, the Circulation Element is the City’s primary guide for transportation planning. Specifically, the Circulation Element focuses on providing a safe and efficient circulation system that improves traffic flow, enhances pedestrian and vehicular safety, promotes commerce, and provides alternative modes of transportation.

B. Environmental Setting Highland Avenue and Business Center Drive provide the primary access to the project site, while Interstate 210 (I-210) provides regional access for the project site as a six- to eight-lane freeway facility. The majority of the City hosts two-lane roadways, except for major corridors along Mountain Avenue, Buena Vista Street, Highland Avenue, Huntington Drive and Duarte Road, which are four-lane roadways. The figure below illustrates the study intersections of this analysis. Out of the 18 intersections, 4 of them are in Caltrans’ jurisdiction, leaving 14 in City of Duarte’s jurisdiction. :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

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Figure 3.4-1 Duarte Station Area Transportation

Source: Duarte Station Specific Plan Draft Environmentla Impact Report, Traffic Element

C. Analysis Methodology Overall, there are two LOS methodologies applied in this Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) –Intersection Capacity Utilization (ICU) and Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). They both use the letter-based system for LOS (A to F), with “A” describing free-flow conditions and “F” for severely congested conditions. But ICU determines LOS based on volume to capacity (V/C) ratios, while HCM based on stopped delay experienced per vehicle. Different jurisdictions apply different methods to their intersections: City of Duarte adopts ICU for signalized intersections and HCM for unsignalized intersections; Caltrans utilizes HCM for both its signalized and unsignalized intersections.

D. Existing Conditions 1. Existing Without Project According to the traffic count data collected in 2012, the existing land uses are generating 1,808 daily trips, making no significant impacts to the traffic – all LOS levels are in the range of A to C. 2. Existing With Project After accounting for pass-by trips (34% for retail PM), trip reduction for development near transit centers and light rail stations (15% for office, 10% for residential) and internal trips (1%), the total net trips generated by the project is 7,259 daily. This results in a significant impact to one of the 18 intersections – Village Road/Duarte Road, for both AM and PM peak hours.

E. Forecast Year Conditions 1. Forecast Year 2020 without Project After taking into consideration the approved improvements funded as part of this project, and other cumulative projects related to the development (generating 2,412 AM and 2,746 PM trips), this scenario also yields a significant impact at the Village Road/Duarte Road intersection for the PM peak hour traffic.

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2. Forecast Year 2020 with Project For the intersection belonging to City of Duarte, there are a total of 4 intersections under significant impact:

Buena Vista Street/Three Ranch Road (PM peak hour); Buena Vista Street/Duarte Road (PM peak hour); Village Road/Duarte Road (AM and PM peak hours); Highland Avenue/Evergreen Street (AM peak hour).

For the Caltrans’ intersections, the project yields no significant traffic impact to any of the intersection.

F. Proposed Mitigation Measures For the City’s intersections, 3 mitigation measures are proposed in this analysis, each of which specifically focuses on one of the impacted intersections:

Village Road/Duarte Road; Buena Vista Street/Duarte Road; Buena Vista Street/Three Ranch Road.

After mitigation, the analysis shows there are only two intersections left with significant and unavoidable impact -Buena Vista Street/Three Ranch Road and Highland Avenue/Evergreen Street. For Caltrans’ intersection, although there are no significant impacts identified, the City aims to ensure that future projects in this area will remain under the current significance level for the freeway ramps. So, the City established one mitigation measure acting as a guideline to the future projects. In conclusion, with implementation of the proposed project and associated mitigation measures, significant and unavoidable impacts would only occur at the following intersections:

Buena Vista Street/Three Ranch Road; Highland Avenue/Evergreen Street.

All other impacts associated with the project are either at less than significant levels or can be mitigated to less than significant levels.

G. Analysis Evaluation The Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) conducted by RBF consulting effectively examines the details of this project, and proposes reasonable mitigation measures and alternatives to the project. However, there is still some space for improvement that the analysis can reach, raising some issues that need to be identified and solved: 1. When looking at the Forecast Year scenario, the TIA does not elaborate on why year 2020 is chosen to be the forecast year. Conventionally, projects use 20 to 25 years after the project’s completion as a future baseline, although the exact time windows vary by city or county. However, this project is scheduled for completion in September 2015, so year 2020 will only be 5 years after the project’s completion. The consequences associated with this shortened forecasting period could be that the forecasted traffic impacts appear to be at far lower levels than they actually should be because they are accounted for in a shorter period of growth – 5 years instead of 20 years. This could result in unexpected severe impacts on the project area in the future, which could even cause a re-write of EIR or EIR addendum.

2. Although the intersection of Highland Ave/Evergreen St. is one of the 4 intersections with significant impacts, there are no mitigation measures proposed in this intersection. This does not seem reasonable because: 1) all 3 other intersections are provided with mitigation measures to diminish the impact levels; 2) this intersection will be one of the main entrances to the project site from the north and is a primary access point to the project.

3. Although mitigation measures are proposed for the intersection of Village Road/Duarte Road, they seem ineffective, which leaves the impact at a significant level. The analysis should look for more critical mitigation

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measures other than just installing a new traffic signal, such as adding a designated right-turn lane, or adding new lanes using the existing median space.

3.4.2. TRANSIT SERVICES Currently Foothill Transit, Metro, and Duarte Transit are the three transit providers in this area. Foothill Transit and Metro offer regional connectivity while Duarte Transit provides city-wide circlulator service on three separate routes -- Green, Blue and Commuter. These existing routes could be used to facilitate rail ridersip if they are rerouted to feed and receive passengers at the Gold Line station and circulate both inside the city and outbound to other regions. Currently, Metro Bus 264 is the only Metro provider connecting Duarte to the current Gold Line terminal, Sierra Madre Villa Station. Due to its overlapping route with the Gold Line, once Duarte Station opens, this line could be discontinued or re-routed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; most of its original passengers may be diverted to the Gold Line station in Darte. Integrating and rerouting current transportation systems to feed/receive passengers to/ from the Duarte Station will be a vital factor to the sucess of the Duarte Station. Below is a map of the current transportation services near Duarte Station area.

Figure 3.4-2 Current Transportation Services Near Duarte Station

Source: SCAG 2013 Transit Network Dataset

To fully understand how the local transit services are performing, we conducted a peak hour headway analysis.

Based on the transit network data we obtained, we used the peak hour headway data (by minutes) as our analysis parameter, and classified the existing transit lines into five categories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; less than 15 minutes, 16-30 minutes, 3145 minutes, 45-60 minutes, and 61-200 minutes. Lines are color-coded by service frequency and visualized in the maps below.

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Figure 3.4-3 Existing and Planned Transit Networks :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

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As the map above shows, none of the current bus lines in Duarte operate with a headway shorter than 15 minutes. However, the future Gold Line will. Once it starts opperating, the Gold Line may become the most frequent and convenient service in the community. The headway advantage the Gold Line holds over other local transit lines sugests it may offer a competitive service in terms of ridership and accessibility. However, this headway discrepeacny also puts the Duarte Station Gold Line at a disadvantage. The lack of equally frequent local feeder services means that passengers going to and from Gold Line station have longer wait times. This could limit the sucess of the Duarte Gold Line station. If people cannot be transported to and from the station as conveniently as they expect, they will be less inclined to choose transit. Inefficient local feeder service could decrease Gold Line ridership from the Duarte Station.

The map above also indicates an optimistic opportunity for the local feeders to improve. Although no lines run within the first class headway, some lines run at the second class headway, very close to 15 minutes. The Foothill Transit Line 690 on the I-210 runs at a 24 minute headway, and Foothill Transit Line 187 on Huntington Drive runs at a 20 minute headway. These two lines form the strongest network across the east-west corridor through I-210 and Huntington Drive, the two major corridors in this area. On the North-South direction, Foothill Transit Lines 494 and 272 run with 30 minute headways across the north-south corridor of Duarte, which also tie in well with the two horizontal lines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 690 and 187. Fortunately, all 4 lines run close to the station area, with 2 lines serving the immediate station vicinity. Therefore, if Foothill Transit can improve their current headways at a small scale, they could gain an increase in ridership flowing from the Gold Line station. Once again, this shows that Foothill Transit is the strongest player in the station area and in Duarte.

None of the Duarte City Transit lines are in the top 3 headway categories. The Duarte Green Line and Commuter line run with 180 minute headways, which reduce their competitiveness with other transit services. The Duarte Blue runs at a 60 minute interval, but this frequency may still not be favorable enough for Gold Line riders seeking local feeders. Nonetheless, only the Green line serves the station area while the other two lines operate far from the station area. To suport the Gold Line, Duarte City Transit should consider rerouting options and decreasing headways.

Figure 3.4-4 Duarte City Transit Lines

Source: City of Duarte General Plan 2005 - 2020: Chapter 9 - Circulation Element, pg. 14

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High Quality Transit Corridor Senate Bill 375 offeres development incentives in what are defined as High Quality Transit Corridors (HQTC) and High Quality Transit Areas (HQTA). HQTC and HQTA are either corridors served by major bus, rail, or ferrys with less than 15 minute headways during peak hours, or areas served by the intersection of two or more transit lines with less than 15 minute headways during peak hours. Based on this definition, the only HQTC applicable in the Duarte area is the future Gold Line corridor, and the only HQTA is the future Gold Line Duarte station. This result delivers a mixed message. While not many areas within Duarte qualify, knowing that the Gold Line and Duarte station fulfill the HQTC and HQTA criteria is good news and can create new opportunities for the city. As SB 375 describes, any affordable housing development located within the half-mile buffer zone of a HQTC or HQTA will undergo an expedited environmental review (CEQA/NEPA) process or even obtain an automatic waive of the review process.

The intention of this bill is to incentivize affordable Transit-Oriented Development in California to promote public health by encouraging the use of public transit. Therefore, if the City intends to develop any affordable housing project(s), a grand opportunity of developing those projects at reduced costs and with reduced risks along the Gold Line and around the station area exists. On the other hand, this message also reinforces the idea that all other areas or corridors in Duarte do not qualify as HQTC or HQTA, which constrains the opportunity of developing affordable housing projects in Duarte. The City could lose some very precious opportunity to promote public health and provide public housing to its residents, and at the same time affect the performance of the Gold Line in the city due to lost of potential ridership source. However, based on the analysis above, if Foothill Transit can increase their frequency on the 4 lines mentioned above (less than 15 minutes), then I-210, Huntington Drive, Highland Ave, and Buena Vista Street will automatically become HQTCs, and the intersection of Highland and Huntington Drive will become a new HQTA. This improvement on the Foothill Transit side could generate attractive development opportunities for the City and bring better and more housing choices to Duarte residents, thus, promoting public health and wellness.

3.4.3. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESSIBILITIES Based on investigations and analysis, the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Duarte can be improved. The current and planned bicycle facilities (see map below) do not serve the station area or the major Duarte city area. The only existing and planned bike ways are two horizontal Class 1 bike paths each on the north and south boundaries of the city, and only one Class 2 bike lane running along Highland Avenue that ends before the Gold Line right of way. However, the bike amenities around the city are better connected (as a system) than those inside the city. So, if additional bike links connecting the station are developed within the City of Duarte, then not only will bicycle riders be incentivized to take the Gold Line, as another target group of riders, the City of Duarte will also become an important node for the regional bike network, which could bring more activities to the city and simultaneously promote public health and wellness.

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Figure 3.4-5 Existing and Planned Bicycle Facilities

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In terms of pedestrian facilities, it is clear that the station area is in great need of supporting pedestrian facilities, including both sidewalks and crosswalks. Based on field surveys, the following map was produced to show the current sidewalk and crosswalk facilities and highlight the areas where these services are in great demand.

Although the city has been well covered by sidewalks and crosswalks, the station area is in poor service â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no existing sidewalks along the platform, missing crosswalks connecting two sides of the street from the platform entrance, etc. This could be rooted in the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history of industrial land uses, so pedestrian facilities may have been considered as unnecessary components in this area. With the new Gold Line station, it will be a good opportunity for the city to rethink of pedestrian facilities around the station and consider providing supporting facilities in this area where walking should become a major component of transportation to the Gold Line riders.

Figure 3.4-6 Existing vs. Missing Sidewalks/Crosswalks

3.4.4. PARKING Transit-oriented development (TOD) will be the primary determinant of how parking management will be carried out around the Duarte Gold Line Station area. The strong focus on shifting the current industrial and residentialdominated area into TOD by the City Council requires that the City of Duarte apply unique parking management policies and strategies to promote efficient parking practices that further promote TOD operations.

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Table 3.4-1 Future Land Use Plan Designations

Source: Duarte Station Specific Plan, RBF Consulting, pg. 6

3.4.4.1 Parking Projection and Future Provision The current parking need projected for the Duarte Station is 500 spaces generated by the Gold Line’s ridership and the station area’s transformation into a TOD. Currently, the provision of 250 parking spaces is already planned for by Metro. By 2015, there should be 125 spaces of parking in the surface parking structure north of of the station as part of the TOD structure. By 2025, The City of Duarte will provide another 125 parking spaces. The provision plan for the remaining 250 parking spaces is yet to be decided.

Figure 3.4-7 Propsed Land Uses for Duarte Station Area Mixed-Use Development

Source: Duarte Station Specific Plan, RBF Consulting, pg. 9

3.4.4.2 Currently Existing Parking Supply around Duarte Station City of Duarte Municipal Code - Parking Enforcement D.M.C. 11.04 specifies that any unlawfully parked vehicles may be cited or towed at the owner’s expenses. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and City officers are responsible for the enforcement of the code.

City of Duarte Municipal Code - Parking Enforcement D.M.C. 11.13 .010 specifies that there are overnight parking restriction on selective streets. There will be no parking on these “restricted streets” from 3 A.M to 6 A.M. on any given day. A detailed list of streets with overnight restricted parking can be accessed through the City's Public Safety Department online .

The City of Duarte Public Safety Department located at the Target shopping center on Huntington Drive (1.2 miles from the Duarte Station) also issues temporary overnight parking permits for residents to accommodate overnight parking needs.

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Parking Permit Information: The Public Safety Department 1042 Huntington Drive Mon.-Thurs. 7:30am-6:00pm Temporary Parking Permits cost $5.00 and are valid for up to 10 days.

Residents may still purchase permits at Duarte City Hall.

Currently, the streets immediately bordering the Duarte Station provide a sufficient amount of on-street parking.

On Duarte Road (the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main access street), there is unrestricted on-street parking along the eastbound direction, except for a red curb section. Duarte Road does not have any overnight parking restrictions.

On Central Avenue, there are no parking restrictions between 3 A.M. to 5 P.M. along the eastbound direction. Along the westbound direction, one hour-parking only between 7 A.M. to 6.P.M. on school days is enforced. Central Avenue does not have any overnight parking restrictions.

On Highland Avenue, there is unrestricted spotted on-street parking along the northbound and southbound directions, except for a red curb section. Highland Avenue does not have any overnight parking restrictions. There are several surface parking structures that belong to the existing business centers.

On Buena Vista Street, there are unrestricted house-front on-street parking spots along the northbound and southbound directions, except for red curb sections. Buena Vista Street does not have any overnight parking restrictions.

3.4.5. INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

Figure 3.4-8 Existing On-Street Parking

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City of Duarte General Plan 2005 - 2020: Chapter 9 - Circulation Element Circulation Goal 1: To provide a sustainable, convenient, efficient, and cost effective circulation system to serve the present and future transportation needs of the Duarte community.

Objective 1.1: Maintain the existing transportation infrastructure in Duarte and upgrade the system when appropriate to improve traffic conditions through enhanced traffic control measures, roadway improvements, and effective planning for new development.

Coupling the City’s circulation infrastructure goal and objective, infrastructure needs operate under three (3) general assumptions: 1) Duarte Gold Line Station’s generated ridership is as projected or exceeds the projection; 2) the TOD attracts large influx of residents and shoppers (utilizing the Gold Line as main transportation access), and facilitates robust urban street activities; and 3) 50 percent “park-and-ride” and 50 percent “kiss-and-ride.”

3.4.5.1 Automobile Infrastructure Needs The current traffic flow indicates that the station area’s transportation arterials are underutilized. Successful TOD operations assume that there will be reduction automobile trips. Thus, the current automobile infrastructure in the area station is adequate.

Parking infrastructure accommodation is contingent on automobile traffic flow, parking needs, and parking policies.

3.4.5.2 Transit Infrastructure Needs To accommodate future transit ridership projections, rerouting of the existing city-provided transit services is necessary to feed local riders to the Gold Line. Infrastructure upgrades will be necessary to accommodate increased transit services traffic.

3.4.5.3 Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructures Needs According to the Metro Gold Line Light Rail Service: Foothill Extension Report in 2013, the City of Duarte lacks accessible pedestrian and bike access in the station area and its immediate surrounding areas. In order to promote robust TOD activities, the City of Duarte will need to effectively upgrade pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to facilitate and acommodate active transportation programs.

The City of Duarte can improve its pedestrian and bicycle infrastructures through various local initiatives. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has various funding programs to support county cities to improve its infrastructures. The recent Complete Streets initiative is a great tool and funding source for City of Duarte to actively transform its lacking pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure condition into a friendly environment that encourages active, multi-modal movement of people. As of this time, new sidewalk installations are planned for the north side of Duarte Road extending to the Huntington/Mountain area.

With new additions to its current pedestrian and bicyle infrastructures, the City of Duarte will need to consider modifications for the existing street traffic and traffic signages. Traffic signals will need rearrangement. Street striping will need to re-coordinated and repainted in order to accommodate the new pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure setting.

3.4.5.3 Funding Sources Via the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the City of Duarte has had two available types of design-build funding to utilize for parking, pedestrian, and bike improvements in the station area. They are as followed:

DB2: Alignment Contract: Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture - $486 million

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DB3: Parking Facilities Contract: Webcor Builders - $48.7 million

3.4.6 OVERALL EVALUATION 1.

Traffic Impact: The impacts and mitigation measures area satisfactory overall, but additional attention should be given to the intersection of Highland Ave and Evergreen St, and Village Road and Duarte Road. The intersection of Highland Ave and Evergreen St. needs more attention because it will become the major north entrance/exit of the project. Otherwise any congestion or other traffic issues occuring in this intersection will greatly affect the succesfulness of the station.

2.

Transit Service: The city and the station are in great need of local feeder services. Foothill Transit is the major player in the area, but their services will probably not meet the potential/future demand generated by the Gold Line station. The Duarte City buses and Metro buses are even less frequent than Foothill Transit buses. However, if Foothill Transit could improve their frequency to the 15 minute headway category, then the station will be well served and connected by the local feeder. This, at the same time, promotes the HQTC/ HQTA opportunities, which could bring afforable housing opportunities to the city and even enhance Gold Line ridership.

3.

Bike and Pedestrian Facilities: The majority of the existing infrastrcutures are in less than satisfactory levels. Additional, inner links of bike facilities are needed in the city to connect the regional bike network and bring more activities and opportunities to the city while promoting public health. Sidewalks and crosswalks are in great need around the station area. Otherwise, the lack of infrastructure will have an adverse effect on the Gold Line station.

4.

Parking Management: The station area has sufficient parking in its current condition. The current parking management may need expansion as the station area grows economically, and the rate of ridership increases. If Gold Line riders decide to “park-and-ride” and the ridership grows significantly, the 125 planned spaces that will be constructed by Metro will not suffice. Additional parking spaces will be necessary to meet the demand. Thus, the City should work together with Metro to better situate the station’s 125 parking spaces with anticipated increase. With the goal of making the station area into a vibrant TOD, City of Duarte should carefully re-evaluate the current parking spaces and management around the station for its own residents and future users of the TOD to optimally support future usage of the station area. People participating in station area’s new economic activities, which generate additional parked cars, will increase the demand for parking even if not specifically tied to the use of the Gold Line.

3.4.7 RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Further investigate the Highland/Evergreen and Village/Duarte intersections, in order to ensure free flow of traffic in and out the station area.

2. Improve local feeder services, especially Foothill Transit lines, in order to better link with the Gold Line and promote HQTC and HQTA opportunities 3. Re-examine the bike and pedestrian facilities in the city and especially in the station area; consider large-scale enhancement of the existing bike and pedestrian services.

4. Implement resident preferential parking management to ease the stress on surrounding residential areas.

Also, work with Metro to better manage the current 125-space lot. Refer to City of Pasadena for example for residential parking management:: http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/Transportation/Preferential_Parking_Districts/ 5. Identify workable funding sources to aid the City with developing the station area into a successful TOD. 6. Evaluate future traffic potentially generated from TOD-oriented economic activities to readily mitigate the

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effects and support the future growth more accordingly.

7. If possible, the San Gabriel River Trail should be extended to connect the northwest section of the dam, thereby, connecting the station area to the trail.

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REFERENCES City of Duarte (n.d.). “Frequently Asked Questions,” Retrieved February 10, 2014 from <http://www.accessduarte. com/?option=com_content&id=7&Itemid=67#ps8> City of Duarte (2007). General Plan 2005 - 2020. “Chapter 9 - Circulation Element.”

Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Contruction Authority. (2013, March 26). “Project Update.” Retrieved Mar 10, 2014 from http://thetransitcoalition.us/LargePDFfiles/2013-03-26-GLFECAPresentation.pdf RBF Consulting (2013). Duart Station Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report.

PPD531L Transportation Studio (2013). “Metro Gold Line Light Rail Service: Foothill Extension.”

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Chapter 4--- Recommendations

Transit-Oriented Development

it's not just your stop, it's your destination

Recommendations 4.1.

OVERVIEW

The following recommendations are based on independent research, analysis of the proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan by RBF, numerous supporting documents and studies, and stakeholder interviews with the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, City of Duarte staff, Southern California Coalition of Governments staff, the City of Hope, economic analysts and related professional planning firms. The recommendations that follow affirm some of the Specific Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings and strategies, but also offer nuanced methods and implementation policies related to land use, transportation and economic development that encourage the greatest investment, usage, and long-term return for the Duarte Gold Line Station. They include general recommendations for the station area and the City followed by an analysis of four development scenarios for the three parcels north of the station. General recommendations are compatible with all four of the analyzed station-area development scenarios.

4.2. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS The Duarte Station Specific Plan site consists of 19 acres, spanning three parcels with two property owners. One major obstacle to development has been parcel acquisition. The two land-owners in the specific plan area have not expressed interest in selling or redeveloping. However, given the Station's size, location, and relatively few number of parcel owners, there is potential for finding an acquisition or development plan which can benefit both the land owners and the City of Duarte.

The Duarte Station site is surrounded by a diverse set of land uses including: low density houses to the west, a high school and intermediate school to the north, the Duarte/Lewis Business Center to the east, and City of Hope to the south. Because of its centrality to these uses, the Station has the potential through redevelopment to serve as a central node connecting a diverse population and set of stakeholders. Under current land use conditions, the number of people who travel to this site is relatively low and oriented towards the industrial uses on site; therefore, the future success of the station will be based on the Specific Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability create a mixed-use site with amenities that serve the entire surrounding community and the City of Duarte as a whole. The station can achieve its potential as a transportation node and economic development generator though up-zoning of the land near the site.

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One of the greatest strengths of the proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan is its promotion of mixed-use development for the future of the site. The Specific Plan’s unifying vision states, “The Duarte Station Area will become a vibrant, mixed-use transit village that has a focus on residential uses, office, hospitality, and urban green space,” (Specific Plan, 1-1). In addition, the proposed Specific Plan defines the following four categories of new land use designations to achieve such mixed uses:

Station Plaza Mixed Use (SP) allowing for local serving retail shops, service uses, cafes, and an outdoor plaza;

Mixed Use (MU) allowing for high density residential, office, hotel, and other commercial uses;

High-Density Residential (HDR) allowing for flexibility and responsiveness to growing market demands

through the implementation of condominiums and apartment units; and,

Open Space (OS)Station allowingSpecific up 0.80 acres Duarte Planof passive green space to serve as a buffer between the Station

Site and the single-family homes and other uses (1-1).

Based on the designations above, the proposed Specific Plan uses a “Maximum Development Scenario” in which the land uses are allocated as shown in Table 4.2-1 below.

Table 2-2The Specific Plan mentions that the, “ultimate mix of uses may differ,” based on the findings ofDevelopment the Environmental Impact Report and the needs of the community (2Scenario 10).

Table 4.2-1 Maximum Development Scenario Land Use Designation

Density/ Intensity

Acreage

Maximum Permitted Development

Planning Area

Ac.

A

1.59

B

1.1

C

1.84

Mixed Use General Mixed Use  Office  Hotel  High Density Residential Station Plaza Mixed Use

2.0 FAR -Max 70 du/ac --

0.81

400,000 sf 250 rooms 297 units 12,000 sf

High Density Residential

Max 70 du/ac

2.55

178 units

Open Space

--

0.80

--

D

1.89

Roads

--

2.87 19.09

---

E

0.81

F

1.19

G

2.35

H

1.36

Total Acreage

12.06

Note: A minimum 178 high density residential units must be located along the western Specific Plan boundary within the High Density Residential land use designation shown in Figure 2-1. The remainder of the units may be located within the Mixed Use land use designation.

Source: RBF. (2013). Duarte Station Specific Plan, p 2-12.

4.2.1.

Developme

LAND USE RECOMMENDATIONS

The following findings both confirm some of the Duarte Station Specific Plan land use recommendations Iand 3.29 offer changes and considerations to be made that promote the greatest balance between economic and social OS 0.80 uses of the site.

Road 2.87 Mixed Use Remains the Priority In alignment with the Specific Plan, our team confirms the key to success at the Duarte Station rests Total in the 19.09 appropriate mix of land uses including but not limited to commercial, retail, hospital, residential and open space that reflect the needs of the surrounding community and stakeholders. In terms of framing the need forNote: mixedA minimum 178 high densi boundary within the High Density R use spaces and amenities, two criteria were identified for the City to consider:

of the units may be located within t

Do the land uses promote the Duarte Station as both a destination and point of departure? In other words, the City should work with developers to determine the land uses, amenities, and attractions that will draw people to the site and encourage them to access the Gold Line and other forms of public transit to travel to other

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parts of the Los Angeles area.

Secondly, land uses should encourage usage throughout the day. By mixing housing, hotel, open space, commercial, and retail uses such as restaurants and shopping, the site will likely be occupied by visitors at all times of the day increasing public safety, transit ridership, and the overall economic value of the site.

Explore Opportunties for Housing: High-Quality Transit Corridor/Area During consultation with SCAG, it was determined that the Duarte Station site could be eligible for subsidized affordable housing, under California’s High-Quality Transit Corridor/Area (HQTC/HQTA) designation. A highquality transit corridor means a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours. California Prc. Code § 21155 (b) defines a HQTC/HQTA eligible project as: “… (1) contain at least 50 percent residential use, based on total building square footage and, if the project contains between 26 percent and 50 percent nonresidential uses, a floor area ratio of not less than 0.75; (2) provide a minimum net density of at least 20 dwelling units per acre; and (3) be within one-half mile of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor included in a regional transportation plan” While the Duarte Station Specific Plan meets some of the HQTC/HQTA guidelines, the station falls short in three categories, as detailed in Table 4.2-2 below. It is recommended that the City consider converting some of the Specific Plan non-residential uses, such as commercial or office space, into residential properties. Under the Specific Plan, this conversion is permissible without having to rezone the site.

Table 4.2-2 Eligibility Requirements for HQTA/HQTC

*Indicates HQTC/HQTA requirements not met.

1CAL. PRC. CODE § 21155 (b).

2RBF. (2013). Duarte Station Specific Plan, p 2-12.

Develop Village-style Housing Units It is recommended that the City consider village-style homes for on-site residential units to match the character of the surrounding neighborhoods and offer buffers from the commercial and retail uses of the site. Through a mix of low-density and mid-rise residential designs, units will vary in price based on size, design, and proximity to other amenities including the Gold Line station. Village-style homes may also allow for greater density with design features such as separate entrances and courtyards that provide more open space and privacy.

Increase Open Space Allocation Currently, the proposed Specific Plan allows for 0.8 acres of open space, primarily through a 30-foot wide strip of “landscaping” between the station site and the single-family homes to the east. While City officials acknowledge the need for this buffer, our team recommends that the buffer can be augmented to host a plaza or community park at the southwest corner of the Duarte Station site. Doing so will create a greater entrance to the site, a stronger link between Pioneer Park at the City of Hope and Duarte Sports Park to the north. The recommended open space will also enhance the buffer between the station and single-family homes, encourage regular usage throughout the day, increase public safety by having more “eyes on the street,” and serve as a strong amenity for local residents to have a formal and informal gathering space.

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Recommended Anchor Tenants & Locations Considering the diverse land uses immediately bordering the station: residential to the west, schools to the north, business/industrial park to the east, and City of Hope to the south, our team has the following recommendations for anchor tenants and businesses on the station site.

Extended-Stay Hotel and Conferencing Space - The proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan indicates the need for an on-site hotel. This finding is confirmed by the Economic & Planning Systems report, calling for a 125 to 250-room hotel with conferencing space. During interviews with the City and City of Hope, an estimated 76 percent occupancy rate could be guaranteed today. Hotel guests would include COH visiting families, COH patients who are well enough to stay on their own, visiting physicians, educators, speakers, vendors and hospital contractors.

Affordable and/or Senior Housing - Considering the close proximity to the Duarte Gold Line platform and regional access to Pasadena, Downtown Los Angeles, Ontario and the cities in-between, the Duarte Station presents a very attractive option for affordable housing and seniors. As indicated in Table 4.2-2, residential uses currently comprise 13.8 percent of the Duarte Station Specific Plan. This allocation should be re-evaluated and increased (if not now, then over time) to allow for greater residential uses.

Public Park or Open Space - As previously mentioned, a larger public park or open space on the southwest side of the station will enhance the buffer between the existing single-family homes and the station site. It will also increase public saftey, walkability, mitigate environmental impacts, serve as a link between the surrounding parks, and create a stronger entance to Duarte Station.

Commerical and Retail Land Use - Finally, if the above land use allocations are addressed, the commercial and retail uses should reflect the daily needs of the site, as confirmed in meetings with the City and City of Hope.

Examples of compatible commercial and retails tenants include:

Restaurants, coffee shops, bistros and small eateries;

Small markets and/or convenience stores;

Service-oriented businesses such as dry-cleaners, banks, and daycares; and,

Rcreational businesses such as a dine-in movie theatre or bowling alley.

Emphasize Transit-Oriented Development Physical Designs As a major node and connection in the City, design and transit-oriented development principles will be critical for integrating the Duarte Station into the community. The following recommendations re-emphasize many of the design principles in the proposed Duarte Station Specific Plan and offer some nuanced approaches to adjust the current plan.

Re-evaluate Pedestrian-oriented Design Features - The Duarte Station Specific Plan aims to promote uses that generate stable foot-traffic around the station throughout the day. One of the criteria for the success of this TOD site will be based on pedestrian-oriented development and amenities. Reduced vehicular circulation is more inviting to pedestrians as it provides greater walkability, a sense of place, increased public safety and lighting, and often encourages retail, commerical and open space geared towards pedestrian integration. In comparison to a single large building on each parcel under current conditions, small scaled low-rise buildings, along with small scaled streets, and street-oriented frontages render slower traffic conditions and a pleasant pedestrian environment. Since the heights of buildings in the surrounding neighborhood are 2-3 floors, designing a TOD with the form mentioned before is recommended.

In communication with the City, some funds are currently available through the DB-3 program for pedestrian and bicycle-related street improvements. Further funding will need to be saught by the City to subsidize the recommended improvements.

Provide Greater Amenities and Connections to Local and Regional Transit Modes To increase local and regional ridership at Duarte Station, transit amenities such as bus pads, shaded waiting

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areas and clear signage should be evaluated and placed at critical locations.

Encourage Greater Connections and Amenities for Local Schools Considering Duarte High School and Northview Intermediate School are located directly north of the station, further amenities and businesses to serve students, teachers, and parents should be prioritized. Pedestrianoriented design features should meet California Complete Streets standards (AB 1358) and provide Safe Routes to School. Secondly, programming at the Duarte Station site should be cognizant of the schools and incorporate them when appropriate. Examples could include approving businesses and commercial spaces that provide gathering spaces, study spaces, recreational and entertainment facilities, and family-friendly businesses.

Together, these combined efforts focus land use and growth patterns that will not only support the use of the Metro Gold Line, but they will also serve the greater community and its constituents as a whole.

4.2.2. TRANSPORTATION Parking

Parking for park-n-ride

Assess future parking options and needs Improve Bike Infrastructure for the city area and station area

Priority 1: Bike Lane along Duarte Road and along Buena Vista to Huntington Road

Priority 2: Connect to Dam trail

Priority 3: Connections inside the city with horizontal and vertical links though the city Improve Pedestrian Infrastructure

Traffic signals with ped buttons

Crosswalks near station (intersections: Highland & railroad, platform to City of Hope, etc. )

Sidewalk along Duarte Road and near station area

Re-connect the neighborhood over the retaining walls

Street lighting

Sidewalks connecting site and business park Bus Transit

Facilities improvements at Metro Bus Stop

Re-route Green line and Commuter line to come as close as possible to station

Increase Headways for Foothill lines 4.2.3.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Negotiate with the current parcel landowners to participate in the development of the transit village.

Land contribution or leasing of the land will be difficult to achieve but can lower development costs.

Partner with the City of Hope to invest and expand into the transit village, serving as a catalyst for further development.

Allocate funding for infrastructure improvements around the Duarte Station to create a pedestrian- friendly environment, attract development, and reduce development costs.

Designate land for affordable housing near the transit station.

Include a Hotel as one component of new station area development.

Consider phasing development and contracting with a master developer for development.

4.2.4. FINANCING 1. Financing Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs) offer a range of benefits, which can include reduced driving within households and provision of affordable transportation options to improvements in community health by increasing walkability or lowering regional greenhouse gas emissions. However, TODs face challenges in implementation. Many of these challenges are funding related. There is a great need for public and private funding for planning, land acquisition, infrastructure, construction and maintenance of transit-oriented

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development projects.

Some of these challenges include the high cost of land around transit areas as well as high costs of building affordable units. Many of the benefits of TOD are difficult to monetize and rarely generate sufficient revenue for developers to obtain sufficient return on investment.

The primary public agencies that fund and finance TODs include: Local governments: Cities, towns, counties, and other local government entities responsible for building and maintaining basic local infrastructure like sewer, water, other utilities, roads, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and public parking.

Transit agencies: These agencies are in charge of building, owning, and operating transit facilities, including rail lines, buses, transit stations, and station parking lots or structures. Their programs and projects are often funded with their own revenue stream in the form of a local sales tax or other levy.

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs): MPOs are federally mandated organizations in charge of planning for transportation improvements and distributing federal transportation dollars in urbanized areas.

State government: State governments play a significant role in distributing federal funding for infrastructure, particularly in rural regions that do not have MPOs. Many states use tax revenue and bonds to establish their own funding and financing programs for infrastructure.

Federal government: The federal government plays a critical role in funding transportation, water and sewer systems, green space, and other types of infrastructure, as well as environmental protection and cleanup, housing, community and economic development, and other related activities. Federal agencies also provide technical assistance, conduct research, and help share knowledge across the country.

Traditional financing tools used to finance TOD projects are: Direct fees: These are fees for using public infrastructure or goods. They include user fees and transportation utility fees as well as congestion pricing.

Debt: Debt tools are mechanisms for borrowing money to finance infrastructure. They include loans and bond financing Equity: This allows private entities to invest in infrastructure in an expectation of a return. This is done through public-private partnerships or infrastructure investment funds.

Grants: These are funds that do not need to be paid back and are typically provided by a higher level of government to a lower level of government (e.g., from the federal government to states or localities, or from states to local governments) or by a philanthropic entity. Examples of federal grants include Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality improvement (CMAQ) program, Transport Alternative Program and urbanized area formula funding program.

Innovative funding models that may be applicable to the Duarte Station: Anchor institution partnerships: Funding through nonprofit or private entities such as universities, hospitals, or corporations that are tied to their locations due to real estate holdings, capital investment, history, or mission.

Corridor-level parking management: A corridor-level parking management model would set parking prices and manage parking demand across a transit corridor or system, including both transit station parking and surrounding on-and off-street spaces. The revenue from parking fees throughout the system would then be pooled to finance structured parking or other improvements in strategic locations, generating more revenue

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than a station-by-station approach and reducing the incentive for commuters to drive to a station or a neighborhood street where they can park for free.

2.

Potential Transportation-focused Funding Sources for City of Duarte

4.3.

DESCRIPTION OF FOUR STATION-AREA DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES

Office-Centric Scenario Under the office-centric scenario, the primary goal is to foster local job creation with a focus on increasing ridership to and from the Duarte Gold Line Station. This land use recommendation is a blend of residential and commercial uses but primarily office use. The location of the City of Duarte between Pasadena and Ontario makes the area attractive for the creation of regional offices that will serve the surrounding jurisdictions. Additionally, this scenario targets the administrative needs of the City of Hope (COH) medical facility through the creation of conferencing center space, hotel facility, educational center space and supporting businesses for COH staff. This development will reduce distances between the station, housing, workplaces, and retail businesses.

As stated earlier in the Land Use conditions, the Mixed Use designation is intended to offer flexibility to adapt to the changing market with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 70 units per acre of residential density, a maximum of 2.0 FAR of Office and a maximum of 250 rooms for hotels. A key attribute needed for this type of development to be successful includes ensuring that the city rezone the area to provide little space for mixeduse areas. The local feeder transit services also have to be improved to accommodate and cater to the workers commuting to and from the Gold line Station.

Benefits Benefits generated by this type of mixed-use development will create greater revenues from property tax, sales tax, utility tax, business license and franchise taxes. The City will also benefit from infrastructure improvements in the form of road repaving and enhanced streetscapes. In the years following the development, mixed-use designation will allow the site and its uses to remain flexible for maximum job growth and market changes.

Challenges Critical factors in the development of the mixed used office-centric scenario are funding options and the attribution of compatible tenants. Some suggest the potential for a biotech corridor to serve as anchor for the project site. However, this means that the City of Duarte will likely have to invest in recruitment agencies to identify and approach potential biotech firms. However, the City currently lacks the funding to invest in such a

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targeting effort for the biotech industry.

Under the office-centric scenario, a balance between mixed office, retail, and residential uses is a challenge the City will face. Parking policies and requirements for the mixed use development will need to be flexible in order to adjust to the land use makeup and market trends of the site at any given time. An option to solve this is to implement a shared parking system in which parking will be continually allocated, evaluated and reassigned as needed for an agreed period of time.

Conclusion It is recommended that the City of Duarte consider the office-centric scenario in hopes that it will achieve greater employment, job creation, economic value, and demand for greater Gold Line ridership. If properly structured and incentivized, an office-centric development will increase density and will increase land-use efficiency while reducing energy consumption and transportation costs.

Commercial/Entertainment -Centric Scenario The station site also has potential to be developed into a commercial/entertainment destination. By rezoning the district to accommodate commercial land uses, the site can develop businesses that will attract both local and regional visitors. The development mix would ideally comprise of a large entertainment anchor with smaller commercial developments. Examples of large entertainment anchors the area currently lacks are: a dine-in movie theater, a bowling alley, or music and other entertainment venues. Smaller commercial developments that would most likely support a large entertainment anchor include boutique shops, convenience stores, and restaurants.

The existing site lacks amenities to service the local employment centers such as the City of Hope and the Business Park to the east, which this development scenario would attempt to address. In addition, these uses would also complement a hotel development (if built). However, in order to maximize site usage and potential, a large entertainment anchor would be needed to attract local and regional users during off-hours.

To create a commercial/entertainment center, the City of Duarte will need to consider the following steps as part of the implementation process:

Create a public-private partnership with current owners to direct development towards commercial/

retail expansion.

Develop relationships with businesses and market the site as an expansion opportunity.

Rezone to increase the intensity of commercial uses to establish roots for the future development of the site.

Benefits Creating a commercial/entertainment center will present both positive and negative externalities for the City of Duarte. In terms of positive improvements, if the station area is developed as a commercial/entertainment center, it can attract visitors from neighboring cities, draw visitors or employees from the City of Hope, bring employees from the surrounding industrial warehouses, and even entice Duarte residents (including students from the nearby schools) to visit the station area. By providing local options for shopping, entertainment, and daily needs, this would increase local support of businesses. The space would also be used during various hours of the day, increase property and sales tax revenue, and create more activity in a location that is underutilized.

Additionally, the commercial/entertainment center can create uses that are otherwise not readily available to Duarte residents. For example, outdoor dining or bowling alleys are uses currently not offered within Duarte; neighboring cities like Azusa or Monrovia provide these uses, but if Duarte were to offer such uses then not only could it keep its residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tax dollars within city boundaries, it could also attract new tax dollars from other San Gabriel residents.

Challenges However, a commercial/entertainment center at the station area will also present some challenges for the City of Duarte. A commercial/entertainment center is almost guaranteed to create more vehicular traffic compared

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to other development alternatives. Furthermore, additional on-site parking will be required to accommodate visitors of the station area. With the increase of traffic and noise, there will likely be objection to such a project by local residents. An inherent challenge with the development of a commercial/entertainment center in the station area could be that the current market-potential of neighboring cities (Monrovia, Arcadia, Azusa, etc.) may be too established or difficult to change by development in Duarte.

Conclusion An entertainment/commercial center would be an investment with both a local and a regional focus. The City would need to consider potential private partnerships as well as market conditions for commercial development.

By creating an entertainment/commercial district, the City will provide economic growth and development for the local employees and residents.

Residential-Centric Mixed-Use Scenario The third development scenario proposes a concentration of residential housing mixed with new commercial office and retail uses. The goal of this development proposal is to increase the residential population in the City of Duarte around the Gold Line station, promote development that is economically and environmentally sustainable, and generate sufficient activity that is attractive to Duarte residents and outsiders. Key components include high density housing, ground floor retail and restaurants, office space, a hotel, and open space. However, land use designations will be mainly be oriented towards high density residential.

This development scenario resembles the transit village concept in the Duarte Station Specific Plan, albeit with a greater intensity of residential uses. The Specific Plan seeks the provision of multiple land uses that are complementary to one another. Land uses consist of residential, office, hospitality, and commercial/retail spaces.

The mixture of land uses results in the availability of a variety of goods, services, and amenities for residents, employees, or visitors to the area.

Benefits Benefits generated by high density residential and mixed use development include higher transit ridership, improved safety, and stronger support for local businesses. By increasing the critical mass of residents and employees, local businesses that offer goods and services are more successful and sustainable due to an expanded customer base. As a result, the city is able to generate higher revenue from sales tax. In addition, the area becomes more attractive for businesses to locate in the area, which stimulates more activity and produces jobs for the City.

The proposed mixed use development is also environmentally sustainable. The ability to both take transit to work and walk to nearby shops and restaurants reduces automobile dependence. Thus, the city is able to seek growth while limiting environmental impact from carbon emissions.

Finally, safety and the perception of safety will be improved. A residential population will ensure that pedestrian improvements are integrated into the site, including wider sidewalks and lighting. Additionally the mixture of a residential and employee population ensures constant day and night activity that puts â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyes on the street,â&#x20AC;? a self-policing mechanism. These safety improvements encourage ridership and make the City of Duarte and the Duarte Station more attractive to outsiders.

Challenges The initial challenge for the residential mixed use development scenario is attracting development and prospective residents. There is a lack of demand to live in Duarte, and without significant infrastructure improvements to the Duarte Station area, demand will remain low. An increase in traffic is expected due to new businesses, office, and residents; however, a portion will be offset by an increase in transit use and new commercial uses that service the population.

Conclusion The residential mixed use scenario will provide the City of Duarte with a balanced approach to development

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that is economically and environmentally sustainable in the long-term. The end result is a diverse mix of uses that complement one another, increase pedestrian safety, increase amenities for nearby employees, and boost demand for transit use in-and-out of the City of Duarte.

No-build Scenario The no-build alternative leaves the existing site as-is. This option provides context to understand the expected changes from the other proposed alternatives. For this option, the site uses will remain the same and no changes are made to zoning. Therefore no incentives for development are offered to the landowners. The Gold Line ridership and vehicular traffic would be generated mainly by City of Hope to the southwest of the station and the Industrial Park to the east of the station. The users usually come to the site at AM peak traffic time, and leave the site at PM peak traffic time. Since there are no land use changes for this site, the Gold Line is not likely to expect high ridership. Also, there wouldn't be additional revenue yield for the city through the various tax structures.

As a result of inaction, there is high likelihood that the Duarte Station will become a “dead station” with minimal riders that outweigh stable returns. Furthermore, the community will see little benefit from the Gold Line expansion. However, compared with the other three alternatives, this option is the least costly, and there is little to no risk of losing funds or assets that are already guaranteed for the site.

4.4.

EVALUATION OF FOUR STATION-AREA DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES Alternative 1

No-Build

Alternative 2

Office- Centric Mixed Use

Alternative 3

Alternative 4

Commercial/EntertainmentCentric Mixed-Use

Residential-Centric Mixed Use (Market Rate & Affordable)

Analysis Parameters Net New: Sales tax - low

Net New: Sales tax - low-medium

Net New: Sales tax - high

Net New: Sales tax - medium

Property tax - low

Property tax - medium-high

Property tax - medium

Property tax - medium-high

Business license tax - low

Business license tax - high

Business license tax - high

Franchise tax - low

Franchise tax - high

Franchise tax - low-medium

Tax Revenue Tax Evaluation Criteria: Yield for City 1. Transient Occupancy Tax - 10%

Business license tax - lowmedium Franchise tax - low

(100% to the city) 2. Sales Tax - 9% ( ⅛ to the city) 3. Business License Fee (100% to city) 4. Franchise - $35/new daytime resident service population.

5. Property Tax - (10% of 1% of new property tax).

1. MONETARY - Minimal

2. TIME - Minimal

Cost to develop 3. COMMUNITY - Minimal

1. MONETARY - Medium/high in order to buy out current 1. MONETARY - High landowners or offer incentives to change uses/develop the land 2. TIME - Medium/high for landowner agreements, relocation, and construction 3. COMMUNITY - Low because land features job-related uses.

4. OPERATIONAL - Medium cost for transit providers to improve headways.

4. OPERATIONAL - Minimal

2. TIME - High for landowner agreements, relocation, and construction

2. High likelihood of having a “ 2. Could be high if current dead station” with ongoing tenants delay/overprice the sale maintenance and operation costs and redevelopment of the land that outweigh stable returns

2. TIME - High for landowner agreements, relocation, and construction

3. COMMUNITY - Medium for new 3.COMMUNITY - Low visitors, offset by benefits 4. OPERATIONAL - Medium/high cost for transit providers to improve headways.

1. No/little risk of losing funds or 1. Medium/low long-term 1. Medium to high political risk assets already guaranteed for the financial risk. Office space has very low vacancy rates in the SGV site.

Return on Investment

1. MONETARY - High

2. Medium to high community agreement risk. COH and residential neighborhoods may not like this.

3. Medium to high developmental risk

4. OPERATIONAL - Medium/high cost for transit providers to improve headways.

1. High financial risk.

2. It is unclear if residental can charge rents high enough to create profit for the developer.

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develop 3. COMMUNITY - Minimal

3. COMMUNITY - Low because land features job-related uses.

4. OPERATIONAL - Medium cost for transit providers to improve headways.

3. COMMUNITY - Medium for new 3.COMMUNITY - Low visitors, offset by benefits Chapter 4--- Recommendations 4. OPERATIONAL - Medium/high cost for transit providers to improve headways.

4. OPERATIONAL - Minimal

1. No/little risk of losing funds or 1. Medium/low long-term 1. Medium to high political risk assets already guaranteed for the financial risk. Office space has very low vacancy rates in the SGV site.

Return on Investment

2. Medium to high community agreement risk. COH and residential neighborhoods may not like this.

3. Medium to high developmental risk 1. Very low upon opening 1. Medium 1. Medium 2. Unclear if the ridership will actually increase when people 2. Insignificant increases in future 2. Dependent on density of office can drive to work easily especially years space and demand people coming from the west who will be driving against traffic 2. High likelihood of having a “ 2. Could be high if current dead station” with ongoing tenants delay/overprice the sale maintenance and operation costs and redevelopment of the land that outweigh stable returns

Gold Line Ridership Generation

3. If there is high office vacancy rates, ridership may remain low.

4. This is an auto-centric center so people may choose to drive.

There are studies done on park and rides, development, and TODs and the connection of them.

None.

Community Benefits Maintain current status.

Increase in number of local jobs for long term (office jobs).

However, IT/ Admin positions are typically low density uses.

4. OPERATIONAL - Medium/high cost for transit providers to improve headways.

1. High financial risk.

2. It is unclear if residental can charge rents high enough to create profit for the developer.

1. High 2. Creating solid local ridership base of people who can walk to the station.

3. If residential is targeted to middle-income there is increased likelihood of increase ridership as 3. Despite the development for compared to high-income and night-time use, the lower income. Lower income are entertainment center will less likely to relocate to more probably not attract riderships for expensive for the exclusive late night visits. Most people will reason of being closer to transit. probably drive.

Affordable housing may help provide options for lower income.

High income are vehicle dependent.

Local commercial and entertainment center which will be accessible to Duarte residents via walking, biking, car and bus.

Increasing tax revenue for the city.

Increase housing and affordable housing options.

Create housing options within walking distance of station.

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4.5 CONCLUSION The recommendations herein recognize that the Duarte Station presents many opportunities to be a vital local link and regional connection along the Gold Line Foothill Extension. Based on all of our recommendations from different perspectives, four development scenarios were proposed -- office-centric, commercial/entertainmentcentric, residential-centric and no-build. Each of these scenarios represents a development alternative with a different policy emphasis, and different costs and returns. Thorough analysis was conducted on each development scenarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feasibility and potential outcome, which is shown in the chart above.

Based on the current market forces and partnership opportunities, the current recommendation is a two-phased development plan blending the office-centric and residential-centric alternatives. Because of the immediate needs of the City of Hope and the current lack of institutional office space, the recommendation is to focus on office-centric development within the next three years. As this space is already zoned for industrial, the transition to office space would be most readily feasible. In addition, the entitlement period would be minimal in comparison to other alternatives. Following this office development, the site would be successful if the station area phased into a residential-centric area. A residential-centric development would still have other forms of retail, office, and commercial, but it would providing adequate housing for this site. This second phase of development has a long-term vision for the station site. A residential-centric development would be most selfsustainable economically, socially, and environmentally. Having residents would encourage economic vitality on this site as well as provide opportunities for more eyes on the street increasing public safety. In addition, residents are more likely to develop strong civic pride for their community and protect their homes when they are invested through housing. This two-phased development plan incorporates current market forces to provide a feasible and realistic development approach for the station site.

Ultimately, the Duarte Station can be an asset to the future of the City of Duarte with proper action. By establishing a city-specific vision and goal for this area before the station is fully constructed, the City stands to benefit by being prepared to take advantage of potential opportunities. The primary purpose of this analysis is to provide City of Duarte with enough information to consider a variety of development alternatives that best suit the needs of the City, residents, employees, and local businesses.

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Appendix

Appendix A

INTERVIEW SUMMARIES

Interview with Marissa Aho, Senior Associate PlaceWorks February 11, 2014

Ms. Aho provided our team with initial guidance and themes to consider as we determined the scope of our research. She reviewed our overall research, outreach strategies, and provided practical mentorship to our team as we explored alternative development strategies for the site.

Interview with Jason Golding, Senior Planner City of Duarte February 13, 2014

On behalf of the City of Duarte, Mr. Golding met with two members of our research team and discussed the current status of the Duarte Station Specific Plan, proposed by RBF. He highlighted the City’s top priorities and a general timeline for the review and approval process. Mr. Golding discussed the City’s relationship and communications with key stakeholders including City of Hope, local residents, schools, businesses, and property owners with vested interested in the development of the Duarte Station site. In addition to an interview, Mr. Golding served as the primary contact and liaison between our research team and the City of Duarte staff and City commissions.

Interview with Steve Fox, Senior Regional Planner

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) February 26, 2014 During our team’s interview with Mr. Fox, he highlighted the potential importance of the Gold Line for City of Hope employees, who will likely be the primary riders of the Metro system. Mr. Fox also advised our team to consider the local and regional transit connections that should be rerouted to provide stops directly at the

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Duarte Gold Line Station. Finally, Mr. Fox shared his insights on High Quality Transit Corridor/Area (HQTC or HQTA) funding that may be applied to the Station Area in rder to encourage subsidized housing developments and increase the feasibility of the Station site.

Interview with Gary Schultz, Director of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management City of Hope March 7, 2014

Representing City of Hope, Mr. Schultz articulated the history of City of Hope and shared the anticipated growth and program aspirations of the hospital over the next several decades. He indicated general demographics of COH employees, staff commute patterns, and the growing facility needs for its patients, staff, visiting families, vendors, contractors and other individuals. The needs include a hotel, conferencing space, IT and admin offices, possible educational facilities, and supporting businesses such as restaurants and light retail. Lastly, Mr. Schultz indicated that COH is currently revising its Master Plan, and he indicated the hospital will work closely with the City of Duarte and Metro to encourage the greatest use of the station as possible.

Interview with Andrew Kaplan, Vice President Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. March 7, 2014

Mr. Kaplan met with two members of our team to discuss the feasibility of the Duarte Station Area, sharing the Implementation Strategy Duarte Gold Line Station Transit Village Area Plan, a financial analysis commissioned by his firm released in August 2013. Our team discussed numerous topics from site acquisition costs, projected income and revenue based on land use and density rates, and the station's overall integration in the local real estate market.

Interview with Liz Reilly, Mayor City of Duarte March 31, 2014

Representing the residents of Duarte, Mrs. Reilly shared her opinion on the potential of the Duarte Gold Line Station and the most consistent comments residents of Duarte shared with her regarding the station. During the phone interview with two members of our team, Mrs. Reilly also discussed what she thought were the major challenges with creating a successful Station Area and changes the City of Duarte is currently working on to support the rail station. In short, the City of Duarte is excited about the new Gold Line station and would like to eventually see the Station Area become some form of entertainment destination with housing and retail.

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Appendix

B. B.1.

CASE STUDIES POLICY & PLANNING IDEAS: CASE STUDIES

This section presents various case studies where transit-oriented development (TOD) was considered or implemented in predominantly industrial neighborhoods. The most applicable policies and design decisions from each case study are pulled to guide the potential development of a TOD in the City of Duarte. TODs in redeveloped industrial areas are the focus of this section since the Duarte Station is immediately surrounded by industrial uses.

The second part of this section discusses the Santa Fe Dam located adjacent to the Duarte Station. If the City of Duarte deems it appropriate, the Santa Fe Dam could provide additional opportunity to connect the station to its surroundings. The Santa Fe Dam is compared to similar dams in Los Angeles County in terms of size, location, and alternative uses.

Figure B.1-1 KEARNY, NEW JERSEY

Figure B.1-2 KEARNY, NEW JERSEY

Source: http://njcooperator.com/articles/1090/1/Kearny-New-Jersey/Page1. html

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

B.1.1 KEARNY, NEW JERSEY Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey with a population of 40,700 residents (Kearny 2014). This suburban community town is located minutes away from downtown Newark and less than ten miles west of Manhattan. Three bus routes operated by NJ Transit serve Kearny. The town was set to receive a new commuter rail station as part of New Jersey’s Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project but was ultimately cancelled during construction (Kearny 2014). However, the planning process involved in creating the 2009 Kearny TOD Vision Plan offers many valuable lessons for aspiring TODs. Similar to City of Duarte, Kearny is a suburban community with limited transit options and with industrial areas surrounding the station area. However, in Kearny’s case, many of the industrial areas were either vacant or underutilized, which encouraged a plan to convert to new land uses.

The commuter rail station was proposed for land between industrial warehouses and the Kearny Marsh (see Figure B.1-3). Existing residential uses are 0.25 miles from the station, but are not directly next to the station area.

Like Kearny, the 0.25-mile radius around the Duarte Station includes industrial warehouses, an undeveloped natural area (the Santa Fe Dam), and few residential parcels.

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Figure B.1-3 Business Types surrounding the proposed Kearny Commuter Rail Station

Source: Kearny TOD Vision Plan pg. 7

Lessons learned While the Kearny Station was cancelled, the planning and design process for the intended station are useful to consider for the development of the Duarte Station.

Community members of Kearny participated in the design process of the TOD (via the Vision Plan) to determine what changes they wanted to see in their community.

Two Consensus Schemes were developed in the visioning workshops; the first consensus scheme was an incremental approach while the second consensus scheme was a transformational approach (see Figure B.1-2).

Residents approved replacing many of the industrial uses next to the station because they understood that industrial uses were not as conducive to TODs, which mostly generate automobile/truck trips (Kearny 2009, p. 7). Residents viewed vacant warehouses as â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyesoresâ&#x20AC;? to the area.

Mixed-use developments would consist of residential, retail, and industrial park uses. This diverse range of uses helps generate transit patrons. Office uses were not emphasized due to lack of demand.

All groups in the workshops attempted to create an open space network link. They also aimed to increase overall connectivity of the station area by extending streets through the industrial areas (Kearny 2009, p. 22).

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Appendix

Figure B.1-4 Consensus Schemes developed in the TOD visioning workshop Incremental Scheme Transformational Scheme

Source: Kearny TOD Vision Plan pg. 27, 29

B.1.2. HARRISON, NEW JERSEY Figure B.1-5 Harrison, New Jersey

Source: forum.skyscraperpage.com

Figure B.1-6 Harrison, New Jersey

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey as well, located south of Kearny. The town, a suburban community of Newark, has a population of 13,620 residents (Chester 2013). Harrison has four bus routes, operated by NJ Transit. The town also has one commuter rail station operated by the Port Authority of NY & NJ (PATH). Harrison was home to many large manufacturers during the 20th century, however, many of these industrial locations became vacant and, in many places, contaminated (New Jersey Future 2012). A waterfront redevelopment plan (approved in 2003) has allowed brownfield redevelopment to create a more mixed-use area.

Similar to Duarte, Harrison is a suburb with industrial pockets. In comparison to Kearny, Harrison is more transit accessible than its northern neighbor. Nevertheless, its transit connectivity remains limited. Since many of the industrial areas in Harrison are vacant, brownfield redevelopment is easier to complete. While this may not be the case in Duarte, the type of mixed-use developments that have been implemented in Harrison can serve as lessons for Duarte since the Duarte Station Specific Plan in visions redevelopment of surrounding industrial warehouses into mixed-uses. :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

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Lessons Learned After environmental remediation of contaminated land (may or may not be required in Duarte) in older industrial areas, a 275-unit residential building with 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail was developed (Harrison Commons) see Figure B.1-3 Much of the interior of Harrison Commons is made of recycled materials; this can lead to cost savings as Duarte may be able to recycle materials if it redevelops the industrial warehouses Harrison Commons has restaurants and a market as part of its tenants in the commercial section; both restaurants and markets could potentially attract more people into the Duarte Station area. More importantly, there is no immediate market near the Duarte Station or the City of Hope, so demand for a market may exist A 140-room Hotel is expected to open near Harrison Commons in Spring 2014. Given that Harrison is home to the New York Red Bulls soccer team, there may be sufficient demand for a hotel. In Duarteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, developing a hotel (as mentioned in the specific plan) should be carefully thought out. The hotel may capitalize on yearly events held at the Santa Fe Dam or from City of Hope visitors.

Figure B.1-7 Harrison Commons mixed-use development near the Harrison PATH rail station

Source: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/2013/03/21/what-the-build-act-could-build-harrison-commons-in-new-jersey/

B.1.3. STATION SQUARE in PENNBROOK STATION, PENNSYLVANIA Station Square is a TOD located adjacent to Pennbrook Station. The project is located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the Upper Gwynedd Township. The township has a population of 15,550 residents and is home to many industrial sites (Pennsylvania 2014). Upper Gwynedd Township is serviced by Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) with one regional rail station and one bus route.

The Station Square TOD was developed on what used to be an old industrial site that now features a mix of office, residential, and commercial spaces. Also included in the 35-acre TOD are public green spaces (See Figure B.1-9). The residences offered are suburban apartment homes, meaning that while residents feel like they live in the suburbs, they are in fact living in a denser space than typical suburbs. This project shows that TOD does not have to be the generic dense apartment complex with retail in the first floor. In essence, creating a denser environment for transit usage does not always imply vertical development; if space allows, horizontal densification is also an option.

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Appendix

Figure B.1-8 Station Square in Pennbrook Station,

Figure B.1-8 Station Square in Pennbrook Station, Pennsylvania

Source: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/16638835/155Pennbrook-Parkway-Lansdale-PA/

Source: http://www.livestationsquare.com/ directions.htmdirections.htm

Lessons Leanred

Before the project was proposed, a TOD overlay district was implemented to build mixed-uses; Duarte may need to pass such a zone as well, if it has not been implemented and as a way to convert the industrial areas into other uses.

The project contains 346 apartments and 49,000 square feet of commercial space (Pennsylvania 2014); while Duarte may want to build something similar, it probably does not have enough space to build such a massive TOD

This TOD is less about density than others, showing that there is not a single typology to follow when designing TODs

Station Square TOD received private funding from the Ford Motor Company and Dewey Commercial Investors. Duarte should explore potential relationships with private firms. Private partnerships may help reduce development costs for the city or provide the land, as the Ford Motor Company did in this case. The previous industrial use was a Ford Electrics Plant (Pennsylvania 2014).

Figure B.1-9 Station Square TOD

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B.1.4. SANTA FE DAM The Santa Fe Dam is located on the southeast corner of the future Duarte Station. Unfortunately, the dam currently presents a challenge to the Gold Line station and the future riders. There is no current connection between the station area and the dam or its recreation trail. Furthermore, the dam infrastructure and topology create barriers to station area connections (see Figure B.1-10).

Despite connection and barrier issues, the Santa Fe Dam is a multifunctional space. The dam area includes the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Center, the Santa Fe Dam Nature Center, an RC Airplane Airport, and the San Gabriel River Trail. The dam is also the site of yearly events such as the Renaissance Pleasure Faire and That Dam Mud Run. In the 1990s, the Santa Fe Dam was also a popular site for music concerts. However, the resulting traffic congestion led to resident outrage and concerts at the dam were eventually eliminated (Pan 1993).

Although Duarte Station will be located next to the Santa Fe Dam, pedestrians or bicyclists would have to travel more than a mile from the station to reach the Recreation Center, the Nature Center, or the trail. Moreover, the best path connecting these locations is blocked by fences, walls, or the 605 freeway. Two potential solutions that offer better use of the dam area would be to: 1) Connect the San Gabriel River Trail from the dam to the station area and/or 2) Develop new spaces or uses on the northwest corner of the dam area (the area adjacent to the City of Hope). Currently, the northwest corner is used as a parking lot, though much more can be done to increase the connectivity and attraction of the station area.

That being said, it is useful to note that any changes proposed for the dam are likely to require collaboration between the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. All three agencies own, operate, or maintain certain sections of the dam, and are thus stakeholders.

Figure B.1-10 Santa Fe Dam

Source: Google Maps

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Appendix

B.1.5. COMPARABLE DAMS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY There are 23 damns in Los Angeles County. Of these 23 dams, six are comparable to the Santa Fe Dam based on their location, surrounding areas, and offered uses. These six dams are: 1) Eaton Wash Dam in Pasadena, 2) Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace, 3) Silver Lake (Ivanhoe) Dam in Silver Lake, 4) Puddingstone Dam in San Dimas, 5) Sepulveda Dam in Encino and 6) Whittier Narrows Dam in Whittier. All six dams are located adjacent or near residential areas and some industrial areas. Santa Fe Dam, which includes four square miles of land, is about the same size as Hansen Dam, Puddingstone Dam, Sepulveda Dam, and Whittier Narrows. Eaton Dam and Silver Lake Dam are about half the size of the Santa Fe Dam. Four of the six dams are bounded by at least one freeway while five of the six are near freeways. All six have some form of green space on at least one edge and a recreation center (or park). Additionally, all six dams possess trails or paths accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. The paths are primarily bike trails, but people also use them for walking, jogging, or skateboarding. Five of the six dams are either located next to or provide a golf course within the dam area. Four of the six dams allow people to interact with the reservoir or lake water while the other two (Eaton Wash Dam and Silver Lake Dam) maintain fenced reservoirs.

Santa Fe Dam, like most of these dams, provides a recreation area, allows people to use the lake water, and offers the San Gabriel River Trail. However, the Santa Fe Dam does not provide a golf course on site, nor is there a golf site adjacent to the dam. According to the Los Angeles Times, during the 1990s a golf course was proposed for land east of the 605 freeway (Hudson 1990). The plan ultimately failed as public officials asserted the empty area was needed for water capture during flooding times. In comparison to the other dams, the Santa Fe Recreation Area is average in size.

Key differences between the other dams and the Santa Fe Dam are: The other dams tend to have their uses spread out within the dam area while the Santa Fe’s main uses are concentrated on the southeast side.

Other dams are accessible to pedestrians or bicyclists from nearly all sides while the Santa Fe Dam is mostly accessible on its south side.

Land uses around other dams tend to be residential or industrial, but the land uses near the most accessible parts of the Santa Fe Dam are predominantly industrial.

While dams in Los Angeles County each have specific uses and/or contexts that make them unique, they are necessarily similar due to the fact that they primarily function as dams. Their spatial coverage is large, yet dams must be ready (and sometimes that means being empty) for floods and/or water collection. Furthermore, it is difficult to change the uses in a dam area due to geographic conditions, water capture requirements and floodprotective layouts. In conclusion, dams are difficult spaces to “redevelop” given their protective nature, yet piecemeal modifications can be proposed as long as they do not interfere with water capture or expose people to unnecessary harm.

B.2. LOCAL CASE STUDIES/LESSONS FOR DUARTE B.2.1. EL MONTE GATEWAY The City of El Monte is located in the central San Gabriel Valley and is the tenth largest city in Los Angeles County with a population of approximately 114,000. The city is in a suburban area of Los Angeles with a low job density. The city is in the process of developing a Transit-Oriented Gateway Project in an effort to revitalize the commercial areas in the City. The TOD will be a 14-acre development with 477 residential units, of which 127 will be affordable, and 25,000 square feet of retail (City of El Monte). The Gateway project will be connected to the El Monte Bus Station and the historic Downtown El Monte area. The project is envisioned to include three separate parcels of housing and mixed-use development, and significant infrastructure improvements to the surrounding and interior streets.

The goal of the El Monte Gateway Project is to create a “regionally significant, mixed use community that

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integrates public transit, residential, retail, commercial, recreational, and entertainment uses.” Additionally, the project will serve as a location that provides open space (both passive and recreational) for local residents.

Although the gateway project is still incomplete, there are lessons that are applicable to the Duarte Station.

Figure B.2-1 Rendering of El Monte Gateway from Santa Anita Ave. perspective

Source: El Monte Gateway Master Plan

Positive Lessons:

Cooperation between different agencies and the City was encouraged throughout the planning process.

During the design process, upfront community outreach was encouraged. This helped create a plan that met the existing community’s goals.

A TOD will be developed in a location that already acts as a hub for a larger transit network

Intermodal connections are extremely important for both bus and rail hubs, and may lead to a more successful TOD.

Retail shops and restaurants will create new opportunities (and jobs) for businesses in the city Negative Lessons:

One of the main challenges of such projects is maintaining an affordable cost of living for local residents as new development projects rise and revitalize the City’s commercial areas; such projects may lead to gentrification.

The initial plans for the Gateway were overtly expensive and unfeasible; when creating TODs, planners need to make sure the proposals are both beneficial and practical for the surrounding community.

Relocating the existing public uses and/or open space should not be granted without a guarantee that the same amount (or more) space will be provided as quickly as possible.

B.2.2. ROSEDALE IN AZUSA Rosedale is a 518-acre master-planned community north of the future Azusa/Citrus Gold Line Station (see Figure B.2-2); the development will offer 1,250 homes, either as single-family homes or as townhomes, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (Rosedale 2014). Within the development are eight communities that offer varying home designs and prices. Home prices range from the mid $300,000s to $700,000 and are based on five designs (Rosedale 2014). The development also includes a private clubhouse, recreation center, ten neighborhood parks, and other pockets of open space within the community.

This ambitious planned community provides both positive and negative lessons that can be applied to the Duarte Station Area. These lessons are applicable with the assumption that the Duarte Station Area would be developed as village-type residential area with commercial and/or office uses. :: CAPTURING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN DUARTE

Appendix

Figure B.2-2 Rosedale Development in Azusa

Source: http://rosedaleazusa.com/community/interactive-siteplan/ Positive lessons: Rosedale offers homes of varying prices. Size, design, and location within the development affect home price. This scale not only provides broad options for potential residents, but also creates a mixed-income community.

Rosedale emphasizes open/green space to support outdoor activities for its residents.

Rosedale provides amenities for its residents including a fitness center, a clubhouse, a community meeting room, offices, and pools.

Negative lessons: Most homes offered in Rosedale will not be located near the Azusa/Citrus Gold Line Station; most residents will have to walk more than a Âź mile to reach the station.

While there is a price range for homes, prices are relatively high for low-income buyers. Prices may exclude core transit riders in the area from purchasing a home here.

Each home model comes with at least a 2-car garage. This facilitates car usage and encourages residents to continue driving even though the development promotes its proximity of the Gold Line as an amenity.

Rosedale is laid out like a typical suburb with curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs; not only does this further the distance between residents and the rail station, it also reduces the connectivity of the community as a whole.

The street network favors vehicular traffic over pedestrian traffic. Some streets do not have any sidewalks and other only have sidewalks on one side.

Rosedale does not offer any apartments or condominiums, which could increase density closer to the Gold Line Station.

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In summary, the Duarte Station Area could offer housing units designed like the homes offered in Rosedale and price units based on design, size, and location within the station area. Given the much smaller size of the Duarte Station Area, the units would probably be apartment units, but they could still look like single-family homes or townhomes from the outside. This goes to show that the Duarte Station could accommodate housing even if the projects are not dense, vertical apartment towers. Additionally, commercial, office, or retail space could be intermixed between the housing units or located apart yet near residents. However, characteristics the Duarte Station Area should avoid are: a concentration of luxury housing units, neglect of pedestrian or bicyclist spaces for circulation, excessive provision of parking for residents, and locating housing units too far from the station.

B.3. CASE STUDY EVALUATION Based on the analyzed case studies in this section, the Duarte Station Area (the proposed three lots to be redeveloped) is not large enough to create projects of a similar size to those of most case studies. However, the main ideas and concepts of these case studies can be translated to match Duarte’s context. For instance, all case studies have added or plan to add housing near the rail station even if the previous land uses were predominantly industrial. In fact, most of the case studies have housing units near a rail station, but not in the typical high rise apartment complex with ground-floor retail. Harrison, New Jersey was the only case study to develop housing units in that form, but even its Harrison Commons is only four stories tall.

The case studies show that it is possible for Duarte to transform an industrial area into a housing community.

Adding office, retail, or commercial space would benefit the residents, and at a minimum, may induce such residents to drive less. Regardless of what specific mix of uses is developed in the station area, parking will be required. That being said, an oversupply of parking should be carefully avoided. Parking maximums should be formulated for the entire development so as to reduce the drive-as-usual mentality and to conserve space.

Direct and efficient pedestrian paths to the transit station, not curvilinear roads designed for automobiles.

The Santa Fe Dam, despite its various uses, acts as a wall for the station area. Transit riders have no reason to walk towards the northwest corner of the dam area. The only use currently there is an unpaved parking lot – “dead space” for Gold Line users. Ideally, some other function could replace this lot. Connecting the San Gabriel River Trail to the station area would be ideal as well.

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REFERENCES Chester, Craig (2013, March 21). What the BUILD Act Could Build: Harrison Commons in New Jersey. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/2013/03/21/what-the- build-act-could-buildharrison-commons-in-new-jersey/> City of El Monte, Jamboree Housing, Grapevine Advisors LLC. El Monte Gateway Master Plan. N.p.: City of El Monte, Jamboree Housing, Grapevine Advisors LLC, n.d.

Hudson, Berkley. "Move for Santa Fe Dam Golf Course Has Some Water Officials Teed Off." Los Angeles Times 1 Mar. 1990: n. pag. Los Angeles Times - California, National and World News - Latimes.com. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-01/news/hd-2104_1_santa-fe-dam-recreation-area>.

Kearny, New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kearny,_New_Jersey Kearny, New Jersey (2009). Kearny TOD Vision Plan. Regional Planning Association.

New Jersey Future (2012). From Brownfield to Transit-Oriented Development in Harrison. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.njfuture.org/smart-growth-101/stories/ 2012-smart-growth-award-winner/2012-sgaharrison-commons/> New Jersey Transit (n.d.). Maps. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.njtransit.com/hp/ hp_servlet. srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo Pan, Philip P. "Concerts Could Help Raise Funds for Parks : Budget: Rock Event at Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area Called a Success, but Some Residents Decry Traffic Jams." Los Angeles Times 12 Aug. 1993: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://articles.latimes.com/1993-08-12/news/ga-22945_1_santa-fe-dam>.

Pennsylvania Transit Oriented Development - Case Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www. ppta.net/todtoolkit/casestudies.html Reconnecting America, “A National Review of State, Regional and Local Programs that Fund Transit-Oriented Development Plans and Projects”, n.d, Web. 11 Feb 2014. <http://reconnectingamerica.org/inventory/index.php> "Rosedale, a Master-planned Community with New Homes in Azusa, California."Rosedale. Rosedale Land Partners, LLC., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://rosedaleazusa.com/>.

United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Infrastructure Financing options for TODs”, January 2013. Web. 11 Feb 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/dced/pdf/2013-0122-TOD- infrastructure- financing-report.pdf>

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C

TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Gabriel Barreras Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles gabriel.barreras@gmail.com (213) 703-1667

Gabriel Barreras is pursuing his Masters of Planning degree, with a concentration in Design and Preservation of the Built Environment, at the University of Southern California (USC). He will be graduating in May of 2014. Mr. Barreras is keen to pursue a career in international development, through the implementation of design and transportation in some of the most marginalized communities in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Barreras received his Bachelor’s degree in International Relations in 2006. After his graduation, he received an opportunity to intern for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, working on a project to identify investment opportunities in the city’s infrastructure and emerging business sector. He also researched low-cost solutions to help small businesses cope with the city’s aging services and developed English and Vietnamese presentations to train business leaders in the regulations and processes needed to obtain operating licenses. Approved businesses could then apply for international financing, subsidized upgrades, and flood insurance.

Following his time in Vietnam, Mr. Barreras had the pleasure to work with numerous international organizations such as Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations. His passion is to apply the theory and technical skills in planning with his passion for rights-based development.

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Sabrina Fung Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles sabrinwf@usc.edu (562) 455-6618

Sabrina Fung is pursuing her Masters of Planning at the University of Southern California concentrating in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning expected to graduate in May 2014. She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging. She is a Long Range Planning & Corridor Studies Intern at the Orange County Transportation Authority and provides assistance in environmental reviews, corridor study preparation, and data collection. She is also a Planning Intern for the County of Orange Public Works assisting with public inquiries, site plan reviews, staff reports, CEQA process, and environmental documentation.

Ms. Fungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term interests lie in the nexus of land use planning, transportation planning, and aging communities. With the increase in the number of aging individuals, cities have not been designed to accommodate the large increase in residents of 65 and older to allow them to age successfully. After working at an assisted living senior facility, she saw how seniors lost independence because of physical, mental, and environmental changes. Although some changes are inevitable, there are many different mobility and land use opportunities able to encourage greater independence by providing dignity with age through urban planning.

Ms. Fung desires to use her education to make communities more aging friendly by providing quality alternative mobility options and adaptive land uses.

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Jesus Herrera Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles herrera1@usc.edu (310) 743-4335

Jesus Herrera is a Masters of Planning student at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy and will graduate in May 2014. With a concentration in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Mr. Herrera plans to improve the existing public transportation systems in the Los Angeles (LA) region. He is interested in expanding and enhancing alternative forms of transportation in LA as ways to address issues of environmental sustainability and economic justice either as a public servant or as a private consultant.

Mr. Herrera currently works for the USC Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise as a research assistant for professors Raphael Bostic and Elizabeth Graddy. His research focuses on the results of contracting-out or franchising publicly delivered services such as job training provision, waste management services, or infrastructure construction and maintenance.

In 2012, Mr. Herrera interned for the non-profit, Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), where he developed interactive maps that showed existing bike, rail, and bus rapid transit routes/lanes in South LA. While an undergraduate student at USC, Mr. Herrera researched for California legislation that prohibited or limited housing construction within proximity of freeways in the City of Los Angeles and co-authored an article, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Living in the Buffer,â&#x20AC;? published in the community development magazine Shelterforce.

Mr. Herrera graduated magna cum laude from USC in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning and Development, and a minor in Architecture.

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Jan-Michael Medina Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles janmichm@usc.edu (909) 455-6722

Jan-Michael Medina is pursuing his Masters of Planning at the University of Southern California with a concentration in Economic Development and certificate in Real Estate Development. He is expected to graduate in May of 2014. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2008.

Mr. Medina’s long-term career interest is in the intersection of housing, jobs, and transportation policy. While working three years in the non-profit and public sector for the City of Los Angeles’ Workforce Development delivery system, he saw how the cost of housing, inadequate transportation, and poor skills, all acted as barriers to employment and a decent quality of life. He desires to use his education and experience to expand affordable housing and foster a collaborative network of services for individuals and families pursuing a better quality of life.

Mr. Medina is currently an intern at Union Bank’s Community Development Finance Group where he provides market and financial analysis for the Bank’s investments in affordable housing projects in Southern California through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Previously, he interned at the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office under the Villaraigosa administration, where he was a Policy Analyst for Finance and Performance Management.

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Damiola Olubanwo Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles olubanwo@usc.edu (919) 961-1405

Damiola Olubanwo is a second-year Masters of Planning candidate at the University of Southern California, concentrating in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning. Her passion for the transportation sector stems from early exposure to the importance of infrastructure in developing countries. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria.

She obtained her Bachelors of Science degree in both Accounting and Finance from North Carolina State University in 2007.

It disheartened her that despite being in a country that is abundantly rich in oil and other natural resources, Lagos continued to dive deeper in a trench of lack of infrastructure. She made it her goal to gain both theoretical and practical experience incorporate good substantive economic analysis into public planning.

Ms. Olubanwo is currently an intern in one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest traffic management centers - ATSAC Center of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation where she assists team members with preparing and updating signal timing traffic plans and ensuring that real-time traffic is properly managed.

Prior to attending the University of Southern California, Ms. Olubanwo worked for almost two years as an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions team at Stanbic IBTC Bank in Lagos, Nigeria (subsidiary of Standard Bank, South Africa). Specifically, she worked on the execution of buy and sell side advisory mandates including transaction structuring, coordinating due diligence, preparing financial models and valuation, documentation and project management for implementing mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and minority buy-outs.

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Renata Ooms Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles rooms@usc.edu (310) 220-9684

Renata Ooms is pursuing her Masters of Planning at the University of Southern California concentrating in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning and expected to graduate in May 2014. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2008 with a degree in cognitive science, she joined the Psychiatry Department at the UC Davis School of Medicine as a neuro-imaging research assistant. Working with individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia introduced her to the challenges faced by members of this underserved population, including restrictions in physically accessing social services, medical care, and even groceries.

As a Masters of Planning student at USC, Ms. Ooms has prepared and presented proposals and reports from a variety of professional perspectives addressing current issues in planning and transportation. Some of these include: an economic development & land use strategy for the Arts District in Los Angeles; a design proposal for a public policy magnet high school for the Los Angeles Civic Center; and a report on best practices for delivering a street car project in Washington D.C. She has also interned with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and Bringing Back Broadway.

Ms. Ooms hopes to address urgent issues of social justice, sustainable transportation, and sustainable land use in her career as a planner. She is particularly interested in transportation policy, last-mile solutions, layered multimodal transit system that can compete with private car ownership, user-friendly transit systems, innovative private sector transportation solutions (such as car share and megabus), and photography as a tool to document and plan.

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Vy Phan-Hoang Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles phanhoan@usc.edu (626) 203-2691

Vy Phan-Hoang is a Masters of Planning student at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy and will graduate in May 2015. Her professional goal is to improve the current public mass transit systems and other modes of transportation to provide better access and mobility to all. Ms. Phan-Hoang is also interested in how transportation policies and infrastructures interact with local and global economies to facilitate economic growth and build resiliency.

Ms. Phan-Hoang is currently working at the City of Los Angeles Emergency Department as an emergency management intern. The bulk of her projects focus on strategic planning, communications platform enhancement, and mass education to better prepare the City of Los Angeles and its residents in all emergency events.

Prior to attending USC, Ms. Phan-Hoang received her Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 2011. As part of her undergraduate curriculum, she spent a semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea. There, she had the opportunity to experience first-hand the power and convenience of public transit and realized its unlimited potential in providing mobility.

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Shuang Tian Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles stian@usc.edu (213) 806-0135

Shuang Tian is a second-year Masters of Planning candidate at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy, concentrating in Sustainable Land Use Planning. She is expected to graduate in May 2014. She received her bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Resource, Environment, and Urban & Rural Planning Management.

Ms. Tian is interested in sustainable city development, especially on how to make cities sustainable from the perspective of the intersection of land use and transportation.

During her undergraduate study, Ms. Tian worked at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences for several months as a research assistant. She participated in projects that examined policy-making on social service for urban elderly population in China and urban risk management.

In 2013, Ms. Tian interned at the Department of Regional Planning in Los Angeles County. Via the internship, she had opportunity to work on several projects including Airport Land Use Compatible Plan, Renewable Energy Ordinance, Green Building Program, General Plan Update, and East Los Angeles 3rd Street Specific Plan.

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Tingting Xu Masters of Planning and Masters of Architecture University of Southern California, Los Angeles xutingti@usc.edu (626) 566-5986

Tingting Xu is pursuing graduate degrees in both the programs of Urban Planning and Architecture at the University of Southern California (USC) and will graduate in May 2015. Her concentration in the planning program is Transportation and Infrastructure Planning. Ms. Xu’s professional interests include transportation modeling, transit-oriented development (TOD), urban design, real estate and city branding. She is currently interning at Gensler in Los Angeles assisting with hotels architecture design projects.

Before attending USC, Ms. Xu received her bachelor’s degree in Architecture in China from Dalian University of Technology. During her undergraduate period, she worked at Aedas in Beijing, at Danniu Business Premises in Dalian, and at China Architecture Design & Research Group – through which she acquired valuable professional knowledge and working experiences. The duty of these works included designing, building models, preparing presentation and detailed drawings.

Under the influence of city research and regional planning professors, Ms. Xu received the chance to familiarize theory with practice and develop fieldwork skills. For her graduate career, she has decided to choose urban planning as another major. After graduation, she plans to work in the field of architecture design or urban design.

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Boyang Zhang Masters of Planning University of Southern California, Los Angeles boyangzh@usc.edu (312) 945-8364

Boyang Zhang is a current Masters of Planning student concentrating in Transportation and Infrastructure Planning at Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California (USC). He earned his bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information System (GIS) and a minor degree in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mr. Zhang is currently working at Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) as a Regional Planner, focusing on the Land Use Update for all 197 SCAG member cities and unincorporated areas, in preparation for the 2016 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). He has worked on the Expo Line Evaluation Project in Marlon Boarnet’s research team on the collection of travel survey data in 240 households along the Expo Line Phase I corridor. He also interned at the Local Government Relations department of USC, dealing with relationships between USC and other governmental agencies in Los Angeles region. During these working experiences, Mr. Zhang gained real-world knowledge and experiences of how to apply what he learned in school to solving real issues in the city.

Mr. Zhang is very interested in working with project-based, “on-the-ground” planning process in transportation, especially in public transportation. He plans to serve in the private sector to gain hands-on experience on project-based transportation planning process. After that, he plans to serve in the public sector to apply his onthe-ground knowledge to design better transportation policies and regulations, thus creating a solid connection between high-level planning decisions and project-based practical planning knowledge.

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