What is Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)?
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a planning approach that calls for high-density, mixed-use business/neighborhood centers to be clustered around transit stations and corridors. TOD is considered a “smart growth” strategy, because it both tackles the issue of where growth should occur from a regional “sustainability” perspective; and it coordinates land use and transportation, such that both land and infrastructure are used efficiently.
TOD in the Capitol Region
The primary areas of focus on TOD in the Capitol Region center in the Knowledge Corridor, the area that spans from New Haven to Springfield which as seen more that $1.5 billion in constuction that is underway in three new transit and transportation investments. These investments include
- CTfastrak, a 9-mile 11 station bus rapid transit line that opened in 2015
- CTrail’s Hartford Line, a 13 station commuter rail service connecting New Haven to Springfield, scheduled to open in 2018
- The Vermonter Amtrak rail corridor connecting Washington DC to St. Albans Vermont through the Capitol Region
Making it Happen
The Capitol Region Council of Governments has worked recently to study the market around the stations on these three transit investments. In 2013, CRCOG published a market analysis entitled, Making it Happen: Opportunities and Strategies for Transit-Oriented Development in the Knowledge Corridor.
Station By Station
The section below presents information about each station area on the CTfastrak and CTrail corridors. This section will be updated as new information on station area development becomes available.