December 17, 2003
ROMNEY KICKS OFF TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
Wonderland & other MBTA sites to become magnets for housing and businesses
As part of his "Communities First" program, Governor Mitt Romney today announced a new initiative to use publicly owned land as a catalyst to create high-quality residential and commercial centers around transit stations.
Romney called the new initiative "the wave of the future," and arrived at today's news conference by taking the MBTA to the Wonderland Station, the site of the first planned development.
"Our program encourages development where it is needed, where it contributes new jobs, new housing and new amenities to the region and the local communities without eating up or creating the need for new infrastructure valuable open space," said Romney.
The new policy, nicknamed Take it to the T, will encourage the use of public transit, the development of residences and workplaces in proximity to transit and the creation of active pedestrian districts around transportation hubs. The MBTA, which is the second-largest landowner in the Commonwealth, will demonstrate these practices through development on its own property and by offering certain communities strategic assistance for this kind of development.
"One of the Commonwealth's strengths is its villages and towns - and a T station in town should be more than a place to park and grab the train. Our Take it to the T initiative jumpstarts our efforts to encourage vital development around T stations," said Doug Foy, Romney's Chief of Commonwealth Development.
Over the next several months, the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development will work with Revere officials to develop a Request for Proposal for land in the vicinity of the MBTA Wonderland Station. Along with three acres of land that the City of Revere is working to develop, the MBTA and the Department of Conservation and Recreation own approximately 10 acres in the area.
It is envisioned that an improvement to the quality of the parklands adjacent to the water, combined with the presence of efficient and reliable transit opportunities, will make the land more attractive to commercial, retail and residential development. Revere officials will approve zoning rules in the area that are consistent with Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and smart growth policies in exchange for development opportunities on the publicly owned parcels.
Several other communities have been identified as having strong potential for TOD activity, including Malden, Woburn and Belmont.
"The bottom line is that smart growth is good for Massachusetts," said Romney. "With smarter development, we can build more housing, create a better tax base, nurture active communities, create shorter commutes, and protect precious land resources."
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