MetroFuture sees tremendous opportunities for increased density of use in many suburban employment centers.  Many suburban office parks and industrial parks are built with individual buildings separated by large areas of parking and landscaping.  Like suburban residential neighborhoods, these low density developments are difficult to serve with transit because large numbers of employees are dispersed across many buildings and many acres.  Floor area ratios of 0.25 or even 0.1 prevent the creation of additional density.  

If managed correctly, more intensive development within existing office and industrial parks could yield positive benefits: municipalities can support more economic growth with less loss of open space; a higher density of employment will make new transit service more feasible; new investments can be leveraged to upgrade existing infrastructure; and landowners will be able to realize higher returns on their property.  

Such increases in density may also bring challenges which can be addressed through innovative zoning tools.  Traffic impacts can be addressed by requiring transportation management programs that mitigate increases in trip generation.  Landowners who add new development should be expected to invest considerable resources in first-class transportation management programs, especially if they are granted relief from parking requirements.  For example, Stanford University has added millions of square feet of new buildings over recent decades without increasing the amount of parking—the University provides transit passes and comprehensive shuttle services, and is assessed significant fines when auto traffic onto the campus exceeds permitted levels.  New development can also be leveraged to make improvements to transportation and stormwater infrastructure, using financing tools such as District Improvement Financing or Impact Fees (described in Strategies 9 and 2, respectively).  

In order to make a strategy of economic “densification” effective, municipalities must also take steps to reduce the supply of buildable land outside of existing developed areas.  A commercial/industrial Transfer of Development Rights program can be established to help mitigate the concerns of landowners in areas outside of designated districts.  Because the design of economic development areas is important to community character, the use of visualization tools and design best practices will be critical to ensuring that new development is well received and complementary to the surrounding community. 

2.a    MAPC should partner with interested municipalities to pilot innovative tools in industrial/office park redevelopment

Add Comment