NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES Initial Findings from Regional Initiatives Planning Enhancement Fair Housing & Equity Assessment July 30, 2013 White Plains Library
Federal grant to improve regional planning to support sustainable communities The Partnership for Sustainable Communities works to coordinate federal housing, transportation, water, and other infrastructure investments to make neighborhoods more prosperous, allow people to live closer to jobs, save households time and money, and reduce pollution.
Federal partnership livability principles Provide more transportation choices Promote equitable, affordable housing Enhance economic competitiveness Support existing communities Coordinate policies and leverage investment Value communities and neighborhoods
Program builds on existing state, regional, county and city plans
Growing the economy, expanding choice Build mixed-income housing and jobs within walking distance of transit
Growing the economy, expanding choice: Bring opportunity to all communities and all communities to opportunity Number of affordable, energy-efficient homes built in our good school districts Number of good, accessible jobs in our urban areas Access to grocery stores, fresh foods, health care and other needs
Growing the economy, expanding choice: Develop climate resilient buildings and infrastructure
Growing the economy, expanding choice: Coordinate federal, state, regional, and local regulatory reforms Identify specific gaps in existing regional plans Analyze regulatory and program impediments to on-the-ground projects Recommend reforms Adopt an Execution Plan for Regional Sustainable Development
16 regional and place-specific projects REGIONAL PLANNING ENHANCEMENT AND INTEGRATION SPECIFIC PLACE-BASED AND AREA-WIDE PROJECTS Transportation Plans Northern Sector Place- Based Sustainability Projects New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, New Rochelle Bronx Stations I-287 and Cross County Parkway corridors Sustainability Plans Regional Plan for Sustainable Development Economic Development Plans East New York Nassau Centers Suffolk TDR Long Island Housing Strategy Master Plans Housing Plans Areawide Policy Projects NYC Climate Resilience Regional Fair Housing & Equity Assessment Transit-Oriented Housing Incentive Fund
TOD SMART GROWTH STUDY AROUND THE INTERMODAL HUB IN NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK
Recent Development Initiatives Completed a West End Needs Assessment Identified various sites for potential development Working on improving access to the waterfront (Echo Bay) Hospital Streetscape improvement to connect to transit hub
Coordinate Policies & Leverage Investment Development Plan Identify Opportunities Build-Out Analysis Creative Parcel Assembly Creative Deal Structures and Partnerships Pulling It All Together: Integrating the Pieces Creating a Place
Southern Westchester East-West Corridor Issues Scan 14
Existing Conditions Largest municipalities in Westchester Combined population of 340,330 (36% of county population) First suburbs Urban core around Metro-North Station Robust local bus system
Bee-Line Bus Service
Bee-Line Route 7 Ridership 350 Eastbound Weekdays P300 a s250 s e 200 n150 g e100 r 50 s 0 RIVERDALE AVE @ HUDSON ST GETTY SQUARE YONKERS AVE @ CENTRAL PARK AVE PETRILLO PLAZA NEW ROCHELLE TRANSIT CENTER Bus Stops Eastbound - Route 7 Total On Total Off
Conclusion make TOD more successful Existing bus service Street infrastructure Parking management strategies Form based zoning code Industrial and manufacturing sectors
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Supporting Local Sustainable Development: Regional Planning Enhancement 27
Regional planning review The gap analysis Identify specific gaps between the sustainability elements of existing plans and planning activities Analyze regulatory and program impediments to sustainability planning at the project level Integrate and enhance existing plans to address sustainability gaps Define a more coordinated planning process for sustainability Adopt an Execution Plan for Regional Sustainable Development
Regional Planning Enhancement Transportation plans Land use plans Sustainability plans Regional Plan for Sustainable Development Economic development plans Housing plans Comprehen sive plans
Scales of plans reviewed Statewide Regional New York City County Local municipal Corridor or subarea Individual projects
Impediments or barriers to individual development projects Funding and /or fund sources (all levels) Federal or state rules and/or regulations Federal or state program coordination Regional/local institutional collaboration Physical access and connections
#1: Uncoordinated federal and state regulations pose impediments to mixed-use, mixed-income TOD Federal regulations Restrictions on affordable housing near rail lines Caps on commercial share of mixed-use projects Categorical funding limits flexibility for integrated land use/transportation plans Multiple permits and applications State and regional Restrictive parking regulations Limited coordination of housing, transportation and economic development programs Multiple permits and applications WHAT REGULATORY CHANGES WILL HAVE THE MOST BENEFICIAL IMPACT? With impetus from Partnership for Sustainable Communities, CNU and others, FHA financing rules are being reformed to allow more mixed-use development 34
#2. More robust strategies needed to finance priority areas and improve access to opportunity Potential financing mechanisms Federal tax credits for energy conservation or economic resilience districts Regional TIF districts Location-efficient mortgages Access to Jobs Funding programs to improve transit access to jobs Federal and state incentives to integrate job access, workforce development and employment programs WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD FOR ADRESSING THESE FINANCING NEEDS? 35
#3. Regional and local plans can be better aligned Regional, county, & local plans lack consistency Transportation plans Comprehensive and master plans Housing and community development plans Economic development and sustainability plans Economic development and housing decisions often do not fully consider transportation access WHAT INTEGRATION MECHANISMS WOULD WORK? 36
#4. Regional energy and climate resilience plans can build on strong municipal plans PlaNYC, Bridgeport BGreen, New Rochelle GreeNR and other municipal strategies provide a foundation for stronger regional plans Regional energy efficiency plans are largely limited to transportation Hurricane Sandy recovery and rebuilding funds provide a unique opportunity to advance coordinated regional strategies HOW CAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE BE INTEGRATED INTO A REGIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK? 37
#5. Regional strategies to protect land and water quality would benefit from greater specificity Watershed plans vary in specificity for nonpoint source pollution Successful strategies are often not replicated in other parts of the region Transfer-ofdevelopment rights programs lack coordination and viable receiving sites WHO WOULD IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THESE REGIONAL STRATEGIES? 38
Addressing Equity & 0pportunity: The Regional Fair Housing and Equity Assessment (FHEA) 39
Fair Housing and Equity Assessment (FHEA) Component of all Sustainable Communities grants intended to: 1. Understand the historical, current and future context for equity and opportunity in the region 2. Engage regional leaders and stakeholders on findings and implications of analysis 3. Integrate knowledge developed through the Regional FHEA exercise into the strategy development process (e.g., priority setting and decision making)
What Does It Include? Analysis of Regional diversity Racially concentrated areas of poverty Access to opportunity Existing fair housing issues, services, and activities Regional investments in mobility and accessibility Findings from the assessment phases and recommendations to be implemented through regional planning Major takeaways from stakeholder engagement related to the findings of the FHEA 41
Outcomes FHEA will be incorporated in Regional Execution Plan for Sustainable Development. Analysis will be used to: Identify actions in place-based initiatives to support equity objectives Improve regional planning to support access to opportunity Help target Transit-Oriented Housing Incentive Fund Information in FHEA can also be used to: Help inform state, regional or local analyses of impediments Provide feedback to HUD and other federal agencies Assist others engaged in housing, transportation and land use planning non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments 42
Growing Diversity, Highly Segregated 100% 90% 80% 70% Racial Composition of NY-CT SCI Region, 1990-2010 5% 17% 19% 7% 10% 21% 24% 60% 50% 19% 18% Other Asian Hispanic 40% 30% 20% 59% 50% 46% Black White 10% 0% 1990 2000 2010 43
Segregation in the NY/NJ/CT Region Dissimilarity index measures how evenly two groups are distributed across an area. The New York-Northern New Jersey- Long Island Metropolitan Statistical Area has high black-white dissimilarity index, compared to its peer regions Washington, DC San Francisco Segregation (dissimiliarity) between White and Black in 2010 New York-No. NJ/LI MSA and Large-City Peers New York Chicago Philadelphia Los Angeles Baltimore Boston Atlanta Seattle All MSA Median 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 Source: Brown University, http://www.s4.brown.edu/us2010/data/download1.htm 44
STARTING POINT FOR OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS Areas of Poverty & Racial Concentration Racially-Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RCAP) HUD-provided definition: Majority non-white population (>50%) high poverty rate (percent of population in poverty>=40% or 3X area average) Intended to identify areas of most intense need Does not capture all areas of poverty or racial segregation 45
RCAPs using subregional poverty thresholds 46
How do planning decisions affect where poverty is concentrated? Share of Population Below Poverty Level 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Poverty Rate CT HV LI NYC Regional 47 All In RCAPs
How can transportation and land use decisions improve employment opportunities? Share of adult population employed 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Employment Rate among Population 16 years or older CT HV LI NYC Regional 48 All In RCAPs
How can housing and land use improve access to good schools and services? School proficiency by 8 th grade test scores 49
What are the transportation needs of racially concentrated areas of poverty? RCAPS within ½ mile of rail transit or ¼ mile of bus 50
Is there enough affordable housing in places with jobs, good schools and services? Subsidized housing in rcaps and areas scoring high in 3 of 4 opportunity indicators 40% Share of Subsidized Units 30% 20% 10% 0% CT HV LI NYC 51 NY-CT In RCAPs In Areas of Opportunities Region
Is there enough affordable housing in places with jobs, good schools and services? Subsidized housing in RCAPs and areas scoring high in 3 of 4 opportunity indicators 40% Share of Subsidized Units 30% 20% 10% 0% CT HV LI NYC 52 NY-CT In RCAPs In Areas of Opportunities Region
How extensive are impediments to fair housing? Information from 22 municipal Analyses of Impediments Impediments identified by States, Counties, and Cities Discrimination due to race & national origin income source disability familial status Limited Supply of Affordable Housing due to Local zoning & land use Lack of available land State & local policies that lead to pattern of segregation in housing and education Limited Accessible Units Unwillingness of landlords to make reasonable accommodations to dwellings for people with physical disabilities Building design standards that promote accessibility 53
Work in progress Improved indicators and analysis of causes and impacts Demographic detail and transportation analysis for RCAPs Applications for place-based projects and regional planning Criteria for Transit-Oriented Housing Incentive Fund (draft criteria posted for comment: www.sustainablenyct.org) Develop draft FHEA with engagement tailored to subregions Incorporate FHEA into final Execution Plan for Sustainable Development 54
Recap of key questions Planning Enhancement What regulatory changes will have the most beneficial impact? What are the best methods for addressing development financing needs? How can regional and local planning be better aligned? How can climate resilience be integrated into a regional planning framework? Who would implement and monitor these regional strategies? Fair Housing & Equity Assessment How do planning decisions affect where poverty is concentrated? How can transportation and land use decisions improve employment opportunities? How can housing and land use improve access to good schools and services? What are the transportation needs of racially concentrated areas of poverty? 55
Comments Email Chris Jones at chris@rpa.org 56