June 2010

TPR is pleased to present the following remarks by Renata Simril, senior vice president of development for Forest City in Los Angeles, to the ULI TOD Conference held this month in Hollywood. In her remarks, Ms. Simril argues from the developer’s perspective about the need for more clarity in the planning process, shared financing mechanisms from the federal and local levels, and collaborative planning efforts between developers and municipalities so that they can deliver the at-scale transit-oriented development projects that the region wants and needs.

Transportation networks are fundamental to how we grow, develop, and prosper. We, being here today, are the converted. We are a key demographic in driving TOD development. For about 50 years, our national, state, and local funding programs have driven decentralization of settlement patterns and, ultimately, suburban sprawl. That pattern of growth is no longer sustainable. We know that congestion, long commutes, and gas prices are driving more infill, urban, and TOD development.

Statistics explain the impact of the demand for TOD development. According to a Reconnecting America report from 2008, almost a quarter of all renters and buyers will want TOD housing in 2030. L.A. is expected to have a 544 percent increase in demand for TOD housing, or approximately 1.4 million households, by 2030. That compares to 261,000 households in 2000. That’s tremendous growth. The other top cities for TOD demand are major U.S. cities that are the economic engines of their regions: New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Dallas, and D.C.

The concept of livability and sustainability—the notion that growth and development should enhance the human and natural environments in the present and also protect them over the long term—has taken root across the United States, introducing new frameworks for local, regional, and federal partnerships, planning, and funding. We have to change the way we think; we have to look into the new frameworks for global, regional, and local partnerships. I am encouraged that we are moving toward a new direction at the state level, the federal level, and with initiative such as Measure R at the local level.

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Source: The Planning Report