Comprehensive Plan Joint CommitteeFeb. 21, 2024

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20 B AUSTIN paletas Typologies Background Policies and investments that help Austin achieve its ETOD goals will look different in different station areas given the range of existing conditions, needs, and trends across the diverse communities along the Project Connect system. Typologies help group each station according to shared characteristics, allowing policymakers to tailor policy tools to address the needs of each station area and ensure that every station contributes to improved outcomes for existing and future residents across the system. CapMetro’s 2016 TOD Priority Tool provided a foundation for planning and investment strategies around transit stations. Based on a wide range of metrics, each station that the tool included was given a TOD Place Typology and a TOD Readiness Score. The two scores provided an overall profile for the current state of a station area relative to its transit-supportive density within the larger urban network. The new approach to ETOD typologies differs from the existing TOD typologies due to its focus. The 2016 typologies primarily focused on the built environment, with categories such as location, connectivity, land use, urban form, and intensity. While the built environment is also considered in the new iteration, the new ETOD Typologies focus on the closing the racial health and wealth gap by increasing economic opportunities within a station area. The ETOD Typologies embed indicators related to equitable outcomes like displacement risk as well as population and job growth to characterize a station area in relation to achieving equitable outcomes for the neighborhood. Extensive data for all the station areas in Project Connect were collected through the ETOD Study, including a systemwide existing conditions analysis that can be accessed online. ETOD Policy Plan Unlike the 2016 TOD Priority Tool, ETOD acknowledges that the communities near each station are dynamic places that may require different policy interventions as they evolve. ETOD also shifts the focus of policy recommendations to focus less on place-specific outcomes and focus more on outcomes for people – especially the people that already live near future transit stations. The typologies use indicators from readily available and constantly updated data from the US Census Bureau, allowing us to reevaluate typologies every five years and adjust policy recommendations to respond to community needs in a timely way. People ETOD typologies The differentiate station areas primarily based on outcomes for the first two community- identified goals for ETOD: Goal 1: Enable all residents to benefit from safe, sustainable, and accessible transportation Goal 2: Help to close racial health and wealth gaps These Typology Indicators tie closely to land use policy recommendations within the station areas. The ETOD Priority Tool also identifies priorities for meeting the community’s other four ETOD goals by eight Complete including Indicators that Community identify to expand affordable housing, high quality job opportunities, community services, infrastructure improvements, and opportunities to maintain cultural preservation within each station area. opportunities Population Displacement Risk Jobs & Businesses Places Urban Fabric Real Estate Market Mobility 21 City of Austin Elements of the ETOD Station Typologies We use three typology indicators to differentiate between station areas. Station areas are defined as the area within a ½ mile radius of each station, which is roughly equal to the average distance a person can walk or roll within 10 minutes. Indicator 1: Existing Population The first indicator represents ETOD Goal #1, which seeks to maximize the number of Austin residents that benefit from the transformational mobility investment made by Project Connect. Measuring the existing population within each station area helps identify which stations already serve a high number of Austinites and which stations should accommodate more residents in order to see the full transit system succeed. This Indicator measures existing population density in the station areas and compares that to the Federal Transit Administration’s capital improvement grant program rating criteria to determine whether existing population density is meeting certain scoring thresholds Indicator 2: Displacement Risk The second indicator represents ETOD Goal #2, which seeks to address historic racial inequities that have led to health and wealth gaps across the community. We use the City of Austin’s Displacement Risk Index to identify stations where there are higher concentrations of vulnerable populations that are either experiencing active displacement or are vulnerable to displacement due to both demographic characteristics and market pressure. Understanding a station area population’s displacement risk allows policymakers to build in sensitivity for policy recommendations to make sure that the burden of growth does not fall disproportionately on communities that have already faced the brunt of displacement that has occurred across the city. It also helps prioritize policies aimed to mitigate and reverse displacement and expand access to affordable housing in the station areas where it is most urgently needed. The City of Austin’s Displacement Risk Index classifies Census tracts within the City of Austin into four categories of displacement risk: • Active: Vulnerable populations present, active demographic change, accelerating or appreciating housing market. • Vulnerable: Vulnerable populations present, no significant demographic change, some tracts are near or contain high-value and high-appreciation areas. • Chronic: Vulnerable populations have been displaced, significant demographic change has occurred, the housing market is high-value and appreciated. • Historical Exclusion: These areas have historically excluded vulnerable populations and are not subject to gentrification and displacement in the same ways. 22 ETOD Policy Plan Active and vulnerable displacement areas have the highest risk of displacement for BIPOC and low-income communities, while chronic and historically exclusive areas represent lower risk of displacement and are reflective of discrimination against these marginalized populations. We therefore use the percent of the total population within each station area that live within Active and Vulnerable displacement risk tracts to determine the station area’s overall displacement risk indicator. Indicator 3: Recent Population/Job Growth The final indicator represents a combination of ETOD Goals #1 and #2 and reflects the recent growth trends for both population and jobs within a station area in the previous 10 years. This indicator provides policymakers with a sense of which station areas have seen the market respond to both development pressure and availability of land use entitlements in recent years. This indicator provides CapMetro, ATP, and the City of Austin with a sense of where development is most active currently to help prioritize real estate actions related to building public assets – including public investments in community priorities such as affordable housing. The ETOD Priority Tool compares individual station-level growth in both population and jobs to the growth rate of all station areas over the same time period to determine which stations grew faster or slower than the study area overall. Additional Considerations In addition to the three indicators that determine Austin’s ETOD typologies, CapMetro has also identified two other considerations for tailoring policy recommendations to specific station areas. • Transit hubs: the ETOD Priority Tool acknowledges that some stations will play an outsized role in connecting many elements of the Project Connect system together. The tool identifies stations where more than one Project Connect service meet OR where major local bus connections are made as Transit Hubs. Transit hubs are integral in building connectivity for multimodal transportation networks and policy interventions are needed to help meet the needs of these important destinations. • Special stations: the ETOD Typologies are determined by indicators based almost entirely on demographic information from the US Census. Stations such as the Austin airport station (AUS) are special in that there are no households within a ½ mile buffer of the station area. These stations serve a unique function in the regional transportation system and are therefore not classified into any of the eight typologies developed for the ETOD Priority Tool. Policy tools in these station areas are tailored to the specific needs of the destination served (in the case of AUS, policy tools related to employment opportunities or first/last mile connective services are proposed to ensure connectivity to and from light rail). 23 City of Austin Austin’s ETOD Typologies If a station has... ...and is... ...and has experienced... ...its ETOD Typology is: More Residents Today More Residents Today Fewer Residents Today Fewer Residents Today Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement Rapid Change Slow Change Include low-income households and communities of color as development occurs Extend benefits from new development to low-income households and communities of color Rapid Change Encourage affordability as development occurs Slow Change Initiate development to expand affordability More Residents Today Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement Rapid Change More Residents Today Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement Slow Change Enhance protection for low-income households and communities of color while ensuring affordability through sensitive development Support sensitive development while protecting low-income households and communities of color Fewer Residents Today Fewer Residents Today Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement Rapid Change Align policies to provide affordability as development occurs Slow Change Secure affordability with sensitive development 24 ETOD Policy Plan ETOD TYPOLOGIES ETOD STUDY AREA September 2021 November 2022 To Leander Parmer Ln U S - 1 8 3 H w y B u r n e t R d y w s H a x e pital of T a N C N L a m a r B l v d D e s s a u R d I - 3 5 0 9 y 2 w E H City of Austin Travis County M o p a c E x p y G u a d a l u p e S t a n o r E x p y M E M L K Jr Blvd Air p o rt Blv d E Riverside Dr E Riverside Dr d e B l v n W h it e E B Mode Rail Bus Include low-income households and communities of color as development occurs Extend benefits from new development to low-income households and communities of color Encourage affordability as development occurs Initiate development to expand affordability Enhance protection for low-income households and communities of color while ensuring affordability through sensitive development Support sensitive development while protecting low-income households and communities of color Align policies to provide affordability as development occurs Secure affordability with sensitive development 0 0.75 1.5 3 Miles 25 City of Austin Include low-income households and communities of color as development occurs More Residents Today / Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement / Rapid Change These station areas already are home to many people, have high population/job growth compared to other station areas, and a low percentage of populations vulnerable to displacement. ETOD efforts should take advantage of the change occurring today to enable even more community members, especially low-income households and communities of color, to access existing services and opportunities while incrementally growing with more housing units for all income levels. Example Stations: Berkman/Mueller (Expo Line), Bennett (Gold Line), Broadmoor (Red Line), Congress Ave (Blue Line) Extend benefits from new development to low-income households and communities of color More Residents Today / Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement / Slow Change These station areas already are home to many people, have low population/job growth compared to other station areas, and a low percentage of populations vulnerable to displacement. ETOD efforts should initiate change that enables even more community members, especially low-income households and communities of color, to access existing services and opportunities while incrementally growing with more housing units for all income levels. Example Stations: Wheless (Expo Line), Cherry Creek (Burnet/Menchaca Line), Texas Memorial Stadium (Gold Line), UT Mall (Orange Line) Encourage affordability as development occurs Fewer Residents Today / Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement / Rapid Change These station areas are not home to as many people today, have high population/job growth compared to other station areas, and a low percentage of populations vulnerable to displacement. ETOD efforts should take advantage of the change occurring today to maximize community benefits in redevelopment and infill opportunities and increase the number of people who can afford to live here, especially low- income households and communities of color. Example Stations: Goodnight Ranch (Pleasant Valley Line), Brodie (Oak Hill Line), MLK Jr (Red Line), Rainey (Blue Line) Initiate development to expand affordability Fewer Residents Today / Historically Exclusionary or Less Vulnerable to Displacement / Slow Change These station areas are not home to as many people today, have low population/job growth compared to other station areas, and a low percentage of populations vulnerable to displacement. ETOD efforts should initiate redevelopment and infill opportunities that maximize community benefits and increases the number of people who can afford to live here, especially low-income households and communities of color. Example Stations: Jones/Jentch (Burnet/Menchaca Line), Robert Dedman/UT East (Gold Line), Howard (Red Line), SoCo (Orange Line) 26 ETOD Policy Plan Enhance protection for low-income households and communities of color while ensuring affordability through sensitive development More Residents Today / Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement / Rapid Change These station areas are already home to many people and have high population/job growth compared to other station areas, and pressures exist that could displace low-income households and communities of color if we are not careful. ETOD efforts should take advantage of the change occurring today to protect existing residents at risk of displacement, preserve existing affordable housing units, and increase access as needed to services, and opportunities that enable community members to thrive. Example Stations: Elmont (Pleasant Valley Line), Crossroads (Burnet/Menchaca Line), Lakeshore (Blue Line), North Lamar Transit Center (Orange Line) Support sensitive development while protecting low-income households and communities of color More Residents Today / Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement / Slow Change These station areas are already home to many people, have low population/job growth compared to other station areas, and pressures exist that could displace low-income households and communities of color if we are not careful. As growth occurs, ETOD efforts should protect existing residents at risk of displacement, preserve existing affordable housing units, and increase access as needed to services, and opportunities that enable community members to thrive. Any development taking place in these areas should be limited and in-line with supporting stabilization efforts (e.g., housing developments within CLTs and/or long affordability periods). Example Stations: Northeast (Expo Line), Sheringham (Pleasant Valley Line), Faro (Blue Line), Rundberg (Orange Line) Align policies to provide affordability as development occurs Fewer Residents Today / Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement / Rapid Change These station areas are not home to as many people today, have high population/job growth compared to other station areas, and pressures exist that could displace low-income households and communities of color if we are not careful. ETOD efforts should take advantage of the change occurring today to maximize community benefits in redevelopment and infill opportunities to increase the number of people who can afford to live here, while protecting existing residents at risk of displacement. Example Stations: Expo Center (Expo Line), North Ops (Burnet/Menchaca Line), Oltorf (Orange Line), Springdale (Green Line) Secure affordability with sensitive development Fewer Residents Today / Vulnerable to or Experiencing Displacement / Slow Change These station areas are not home to as many people today, have low population/job growth compared to other station areas, and pressures exist that could displace low-income households and communities of color if we are not careful. ETOD efforts should prioritize protecting existing residents at risk of displacement, and on identifying redevelopment and infill opportunities to increase the number of people who can afford to live here. Example Stations: Uray (Expo Line), ACC Eastview (Pleasant Valley Line), Colony Park (Green Line), Loyola (Green Line) 27 City of Austin