Northwest Jacksonville Connects Green Line TOD Study
Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
Renaissance has been the prime consultant leading Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning along the 10-mile Green Line corridor in the northwest Jacksonville area, a historically underserved community. This area has a deep African American history, culture, and current population. Despite the significant growth in the city and region, the northwest neighborhoods have not seen the same levels of investment and reinvestment.
The purpose of the Northwest Jacksonville Connects Green Line TOD Study has been to identify how integrating transportation and land use investments along the Green Line corridor can foster sustainable growth through innovative TOD. With positive momentum, JTA is building partnerships for new investments and seeking new funding opportunities that will continue to move the needle toward improved housing, more jobs, business opportunities, and other mixed-use Transit Oriented Development solutions along the Green Line corridor. Funded by a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) TOD grant, this study focused on development strategies for community-building and reinvestment around each of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station areas along the Green Line.
The Green Line TOD Study entailed significant engagement and station area planning that resulted in recommendations to city policy changes, public private partnerships, economic development, and identification of additional infrastructure investments to reposition the corridor for more private sector action. Featuring the project’s public-facing website of jaxconnects.com, Renaissance delivered a strong engagement strategy with existing residents, small business owners, and other members of the community that have been traditionally underrepresented during the public process.
By listening to northwest Jacksonville’s goals and aspirations for their neighborhoods, it became clear that people wanted to continue to live and work in this area. JTA has made a significant investment in the Green Line corridor, and the agency continues to invest through service and station enhancements. Renaissance’s work is catalyzing new partnerships and investments that build on the infrastructure that is already in place with creative solutions for mixed-use development around the stations that includes additional infill housing and jobs at commercial businesses.
Some of the products and deliverables for the Northwest Jacksonville Connects Green Line TOD Study include:
Green Line TOD Interactive StoryMap: Renaissance developed an interactive arcGIS StoryMap site that allows users to review the TOD study’s key points within an on-line mapping format that includes the history, videos, TOD context, development opportunities, and the study’s implementation plan with corridor-wide strategies and details for each of the main TOD subareas.
Green Line TOD Data Dashboard: Renaissance drew on a wide variety of TOD and market-related data that highlights information about development potential, existing development, housing, jobs, and more. With highly visual charts, maps, and infographics, the Green Line Dashboard displays data that will be useful for public and private partners who may be interested in continuing JTA’s investment in the Green Line around the TOD station areas.
Green Line TOD Explainer Video: Renaissance filmed, scripted, created motion graphics, and developed in-house voiceovers for a graphically rich video that explains the history, context, and importance of TOD for the future of the Green Line Corridor. This TOD Explainer Video builds upon the first video produced for the project in phase one, The Northwest Jax Connects Engagement Video, that features interviews of residents sharing their hopes and visions for the project while also driving support for the early engagement efforts.
In addition to these technical deliverables, Renaissance produced project documents throughout the study, packaged into a Final Report with technical appendices which can be found at the bottom of the project website www.jaxconnects.com.