brisbane transit-oriented master plan

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master PlanFigure 6.1: Master Plan

0 700’350’

Seth ParkerUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Master of Urban Planning & Policy ProjectAdvisor, Professor Kheir Al-Kodmany

6 April 2007

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plani

This plan was created to meet the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Master of Urban Planning and Policy project or thesis requirement. The contents of the plan are soley of the author. All photos and graphics are by the author unless otherwise noted.

AcknowledgementsA

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Planiii

TSection 1: Introduction............................................................ 1.1

Section 2: Project Background............................................... 2.1New Lenox 2.1I-355 2.2 The STAR LINE 2.2

Section 3: Site Analysis........................................................... 3.1Location 3.1Topography 3.1 Existing Land Use 3.2Infrastructure 3.4

Section 4: Urban Design Goals.............................................. 4.1Current Theories 4.1Benefits & Constraints 4.3Examples of TOD 4.5Guilding Principles 4.6

Section 5: Design Process...................................................... 5.1Process Steps 5.1

Table of Contents


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Table of ContentsT

Section 6: Master Plan............................................................ 6.1Transport Network 6.1Train Station Area 6.5Town Center 6.5The Neighborhoods 6.7The Town Belt 6.9

Section 7: Conclusion............................................................. 7.1Strategies 7.1Implementation 7.2

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Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan1.1

New Lenox, Illinois, is a community at a transition point. Due to continued suburban growth and infrastructural improvements at the edge of the Chicago metropolitan region, including an exten-sion of I-355 and the proposed Metra Suburban Transit Access Line (STAR) line, the Village is poised to move from a quiet, small town to a residential, commercial, office, and transportation growth magnet. Brisbane, a largely undeveloped community sub-area, will be the site of much of this growth.

Although Brisbane is mostly rural at present, Brisbane is more suit-ed for future development that most other suburban locations as a result of the proposed STAR line junction station within the site. Furthermore, the area is already surrounded by large swathes of low-density suburban-style development.

This project presents a more “sustainable” and “liveable” scenario for the development of the Brisbane Study Area than traditional suburban sprawl. Although greenfield development should not be encouraged, this project will apply New Urbanist, Smart Growth and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) philosophies and strate-gies to create a community that invokes walkability, mixed-use, transit access and quality public places and green spaces.

In order to create a new town master plan that incorporates these theories, the project scope will undertake the following steps:

Introduction

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan1.�

Section 1: Introduction

11

• Provide a background for the development of the site due to historical and more recent infrastructural changes to the region.

• Analyze existing site conditions, including location, topog-raphy, existing land use and infrastructure.

• Examine the theories and practices of New Urbanism, Smart Growth and Transit-Oriented Development, list the benefits and constraints of TOD, review best practice ex-amples, and develop a framework of design best practice culled from the theories and examples.

• Based on these theories and practices, develop a set of design goals and principles to be used when planning the new town.

• Illustrate the design process as a function of the site’s back-ground, existing conditions, theories and design goals.

• Provide an understanding of the achieved Master Plan.

• Briefly describe a set of implementation strategies and steps to make the Brisbane New Town a reality.


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Traditionally, Brisbane has been a mostly rural and lightly residen-tial district in the southern part of the Village of New Lenox. Al-though suburban-style commercial and residential developments have been changing the character of the area gradually for several decades, the Study Area, approximately 1.5 square miles around the intersection of Cedar and Laraway Roads, has remained mostly rural, with a few underutilized industrial, recreational and residen-tial uses. However, Brisbane is poised for rapid growth due to the impact of population and commercial growth in New Lenox, the extension of I-355, and, most importantly, the development of the proposed S.T.A.R. Line.

NEW LENOXWith reference to Figures 2.1 and 2.2, New Lenox is a community of approximately 23,000 residents located in northern Will County on the south-southwestern fringe of metropolitan Chicago.

New Lenox is located 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois, and 5 miles east of Joliet, Illinois, the nearest major urban center. Joliet is a traditionally industrial- and transport-oriented community on the Illinois River of approximately 135,000 people.

Although the community lies on the periphery of the Chicago met-ropolitan region, intensive suburban development has reached New Lenox and is resulting in significant population growth. Along with population, suburban sprawl has emerged in the form of sin-

Project Background

1Section 2: Project Background

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan�.�

2gle-use subdivisions, strip commercial developments, new roads and traffic congestion.

New Lenox is connected to the surrounding metropolitan regions by a highly-developed transportation network. Interstate 80, a major east-west limited access highway that connects San Fran-cisco to New York, curves northward around the Village. An I-80 interchange at Lincoln Highway (US-30) is located approximately one mile northwest of the Village Downtown. Lincoln Highway is a principal arterial highway linking many southwest suburban com-munities, including Aurora, Joliet, Frankfurt and Chicago Heights.

The Village is already served by the Metra Rock District Line, a commuter rail corridor connecting downtown Chicago with the City of Joliet. There is currently one station at Church Street in Downtown New Lenox.

I-355Interstate 355 currently serves as an expressway linking northwest-ern and western suburbs in the Chicago metropolitan region. Also known as the North-South Tollway, It stretches for approximately 20 miles from Itasca, Illinois, to Bolingbroke, Illinois. Completed in 1989, I-355 is a major route for commuters and freight through the western suburbs.

By late 2007, the Interstate will have been extended south from Bolingbroke to connect with I-80 just to the north of New Lenox. This extension will increase the level of growth within the com-munity by greatly increasing area accessibility to the region. In addition, as a new “Interstate Hub,” it will be extremely attractive for large-scale, auto-oriented commercial and residential growth, similar to existing centers at Schaumburg, Oak Brook or Boling-broke. Even more growth will occur if plans to extend I-355 to I-57 and I-65 are completed.

THE STAR LINEMetra, the principal provider of commuter rail services to suburban Chicago, has proposed and studied the creation of a circumfer-ential rail corridor over the past several years that would connect suburban Chicago communities in an arc from Waukegan in the


Section �: Project Background �.�

2north to Sauk Village in the south, as well as provide a western rail connection to O’Hare International Airport. In its circular path, the STAR line would pass through major suburban communities of Barrington, Elgin, Naperville and Joliet. The primary purpose is to provide alternative transportation for fast growing intrasuburban transportation trips. This contrasts to the suburb to Downtown Chicago commuter rail connections that now exist.

Much of the land surrounding the proposed station locations are already fully- or partially-developed, particularly in the north and west suburbs. The south and southwest suburbs present a num-ber of opportunities where proposed stations are located pre-dominantly in “greenfield” sites. These undeveloped sites provide enormous opportunity for quality planning and will be extremely attractive to both retail and residential developers.

In the New Lenox area, the STAR Line would utilize the existing east-west Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (EJ&E) rail corridor in the southern part of the community. Although New Lenox is currently served by a Downtown Metra Rock Island District station, the STAR line would bisect another Metra route, the Southwestern Service, near the intersection of Cedar and Laraway Roads in the southern part of the Village. Metra has proposed the construction of a junc-tion station for this location that would allow passengers to easily transfer between the two lines. A station here would make a natu-ral point to funnel commuters from suburban communities to the east and west onto a downtown-bound rail line.

CHICAGO

JOLIET NEW LENOX

NAPERVILLE

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Midway Airport

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Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan Figure 2.1: Regional Context

0 4 mi.

Legend88 interstate highway airport

study area sitemajor rail

NEW LENOX

Proposed Star Line

Metra Rock Island

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NEW LENOXNEW LENOX

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Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan Figure 2.2: Area Context

Legend

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developed area

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Fieldwork was completed in the Study Area to assess important physical aspects, including the location of the site in reference to Downtown New Lenox; the general topography, including features that make development difficult; existing land uses within and ad-jacent to the Study Area; and a brief overview of infrastructure con-ditions. These analyses will allow the application of design goals in Section 5: Design Process.

LOCATIONThe New Town site is located entirely within the boundaries of the Village of New Lenox, Illinois. The Study Area is approximately 1.4 miles south of Downtown New Lenox, although built-up residential and commercial areas extend south to the EJ&E corridor and to the west of the Study Area.

The Study Area surrounds lies to the south of the junction of the Metra Southwest Service and the EJ&E Line. The boundaries of the project are generally the EJ&E line on the north, Spencer Road to the east, Delaney Road to the south, and Reiter Road to the west. The project will take into account development that is al-ready present within these boundaries as of the Summer of 2006.

TOPOGRAPHYMuch of the site’s topography is predominantly flat or gently-slop-ing. In particular, the land generally slopes up toward Laraway Road from both the north and south. There are no major gradient

Site Analysis

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Section 3: Site Analysis

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3changes or other features that impose major obstacles to develop-ment.

The site does contain several depressions and wetland areas. The most significant of these is a stream and agricultural drain that flows west along the EJ&E tracks, starting at the site’s eastern boundary. After flowing under Cedar Road, the stream takes a more southwest-course, and there are several small wetlands and detention ponds in this area. In addition, there are several small depressions and wetland areas located within various farm fields.

EXISTING LAND USE With referecence to Figure 3.1, most of the land within the project boundaries is agricultural. However, a significant portion appears to be fallow, and several properties had for-sale signs posted. A few functioning farms appear to be operating along the southern boundary of the project.

Both isolated residential houses and subdivisions are located throughout and adjacent to the Study Area. The largest exist-ing subdivision is located northeast of the intersection of Cedar and Laraway Roads and contains 66 single-family homes on large lots.

Particularly along the western boundary of the Study Area, there has been significant residential development. For example, located at the northeast corner of Nelson and Laraway Roads is the Winter Park subdivision, a large development consisting of a mixture of single-family homes, duplexes and attached villas.

Comprising most of the west and southwest sections of the area bounded by Laraway, Reiter, Cedar and Delaney Roads, a large, new single-family subdivision is being developed. Although the northern half of this development is already developed, streets, homes, utilities and detention ponds are currently being construct-ed on the southern part of the site. There are also existing, smaller-scale single-family home subdivisions to the east of the Study Area along Laraway Road.

Retail and commercial uses are limited within the Study Area. As part of a larger industrial site, there is small, strip development

A typical roadway in northern sec-tion of Study Area.

Intersection of Cedar and Laraway Roads at the center of site.

A residential neighborhood in the Study Area.


Section �: Site Analysis �.�

3

located at the corner of Cedar Road and Ford Road. More signifi-cant modern retail development has occurred to the west of the Study Area at Laraway and Reiter Roads, including a large grocery store and strip retail development.

There are two predominantly light industrial areas. Both are located adjacent to the EJ&E corridor between Nelson and Cedar Roads. The buildings on these site are mostly low-quality construction, such as pole barns, and are in fair to poor conditon. There is little landscaping, the buildings are densely sited, and the infrastructure is underdeveloped.

A recreational site is located at the northwest corner of Laraway and Cedar Roads. This facility is comprised of two large baseball

Much of the Study Area is distinctly rural and agricultural in character.

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Section 3: Site Analysis

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3diamonds, two smaller practice fields and a driving range. The site is basic with little landscaping, one low-quality construction building, and a mixture of gravel and asphalt parking lots that lack curbing and screening.

INFRASTRUCTUREThe site is currently served by major ordinance roads. The princi-pal east-west roads are the two-lane Delaney and Laraway Roads. The principal north-south roads are Reiter and Cedar Roads. Ce-dar Road connects directly to Downtown New Lenox, approxi-mately 1.4 miles north of the site.

Branching off these arterials are isolated networks of feeder streets. Typical of recent suburban development, most of these systems are loosely-curvilinear and cul-de-sacs are present in several loca-tions.

The single-tracked EJ&E Railroad, running east-west, forms the northern boundary of the site and is located 2/3 mile north of Lar-away Road. The Metra Southwest Service, a double-track, lies 1/3 mile east of Cedar Road.

Significant upgrades in water, sewer, natural gas and electricity capacity will be required to transition this area from mostly agri-cultural land uses to a transit-oriented development of moderate-density.

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master PlanFigure 3.1: Existing Conditions

0 700’350’

LARAWAY ROAD

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WETLANDS

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single-family

multi-family

retail

institutional

industrial

agricultural

recreational

study area boundary

Legend


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New Urbanism, Smart Growth and Transit-Oriented Development ideas and strategies have become influential in the pursuit of the creation of sustainable and liveable communities. This section will (1) provide a brief definition and general characteristics of each theory, (2) list recognized benefits and constraints of TOD, (3) pro-vide a brief list of best practice examples, and (4) develop a set of guiding principles.

CURRENT THEORIESNew UrbanismDeveloped in the 1980s, New Urbanism was created as a design movement to reform and integrate traditional urban patterns with modern real estate development. Due to the smaller-scale, pedes-trian-oriented communities that are often the result, New Urban-ism is often referred to a Traditional Neighborhood Design or New Pedestrianism.

Common elements of New Urbanism include:

• Walkable community design.

• Diverse range of housing and employment.

• Regional planning for open space.

• Appropriate architecture and planning.

• Modified street grid with “T” intersections.

Urban Design Goals


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4• Accommodation of modern development demands, includ-

ing parking in less conspicuous places.

Examples of New Urbanist new towns are Seaside, Florida; Kent-lands, Maryland; and Prairie Crossing, Illinois.

Smart GrowthSmart Growth is a collection of policies, developed to encourage cohesive neighborhood development and protect the natural envi-ronment. There are 10 Smart Growth principles:

• Create range of housing opportunities and choices.

• Create walkable neighborhoods.

• Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration.

• Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.

• Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost ef-fective.

• Mix land uses.

• Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas.

• Provide a variety of transportation choices.

• Strengthen and direct development towards existing com-munities.

• Take advantage of compact building design.

Smart Growth principles have been applied in Arlington, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Denver, Colo-rado.

Transit-Oriented DevelopmentTransit-oriented development seeks to maximize access to public transportation. Neighborhood design typically centers around a central transit stop, such as a train station. In order to allow the greatest access to transit, density is the highest in the areas imme-diately adjacent to the transit stop. Density decreases in relation to distance from the transit stop. In addition to residential density, the neighborhood center also includes the major proportion or re-tail, office and mixed-uses.


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TODs are generally located within ¼ to ½ mile of a transit stop, a level of distance that is considered compatible with a pedestrian journey.

BENEFITS & CONSTRAINTSThe following are recognized benefits and constraints of transit-oriented development.

Benefits• TOD has resulted in the revitalization of declining urban ar-

eas. Transit facilities are linked with increased land and business profit. Such areas are attractive to young profes-sionals and retiree “empty nesters.”

• TOD is more likely to result in the creation of affordable and mixed-income housing than typical residential devel-opment. Higher-density residential development provides developers with greater returns and allows them more flex-ibility in housing design and delivery.

• TOD relieves traffic congestion in crowded urban areas by giving residents and visitors additional travel choices. Res-idents within walking distance of a transit station are more likely to commute via transit than those farther away.

• TOD increases physical activity by promoting walkability over auto-usage. Residents are more likely to walk to work, to school, to shop or simply as a leisure activity.

• TOD reduces infrastructure costs. With transit, less fund-ing is required to build or widen roads, and, with less traf-fic, roads deteriorate less rapidly and require less mainte-nance.

• TOD increase social capital and public involvement. With a focus on walkability, neighborhoood shopping destina-tions, and active open space features, TOD residents are more likely to actively interact with their neighbors and take an interest in their community.

• TOD reduces sprawl and conserves open space. Higher-intensity usage of land can reduces the need for outward urban expansion into undeveloped rural areas.


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4• TOD reduces air pollution and fuel consumption. Higher-in-

tensity development and transit usage is more sustainable, requires less energy and produces less pollution than typi-cal suburban development.

• TOD increases sales and property tax revenue. High-inten-sity retail and residential uses produce significantly more tax revenue per acre than low-density suburban develop-ment that often incurs higher per capita costs.

• TOD increases pedestrian and cyclist safety. Transit vil-lages are developed to facilitate walking and cycling to work, to school or to shops. Streetscapes are developed with features such as bump-outs to make walking pleasant and safe. With fewer car trips, streets can be slower and narrower than in typical suburban areas.

Constraints• TODs take time. Communities must be committed to a long

planning and implementation process. Agencies must be willing to accept short-term funding and revenue shortfalls. Developers must look at long-term benefits rather than short-term profits.

• TODs need density. The ultimate success of the TOD will depend on ensuring enough people to make regular, effec-tive transit possible and ensure the vitality of pedestrian-oriented businesses and spaces.

• TODs require political leadership. Leaders must step for-ward to inspire vision, build coalitions, solve problems and marshall resources.

• TODs require public outreach. The public is often wary of higher density, and strong outreach and marketing is often required to promote the many benefits of TOD projects to residents.

• TODs require strong cooperation. A successful, well-planned and well-designed TOD requires strong communi-cation between local governments, transit and road agen-cies, the community and developers. Special arrangements will need to be created to reduce red tape, streamline the process and to create a unified set of goals and strategies.

• TODs need “carrots.” Development rewards need to be



4created to encouraged developers to attempt creative, ef-fective designs and to set long-term goals.

• TODs require strong design. Transit retail, housing and of-fice developments must be different from typical suburban models and create attractive, memorable environments. Civic and open space must be incorporated to increase the range of activity and quality of life.

• TODs must be balanced. TODs act as both “places” and “nodes,” which sometimes result in conflicts between ac-tivities. Design must balance neighborhood and traffic uses without creating barriers.

• TODs require flexibility. Communities must revise land use policies and typical building/parking standards. Lenders must step outside “traditional” lending policies.

EXAMPLES OF TODThe following case studies represent a range of transit-oriented developments in both urban, suburban and rural environments.

Arlington County, VirginiaStrong transit-oriented planning since the 1970s has resulted in succesful mixed-use and mixed-income developments around Washington Metro stations in suburban Arlington County, Virginia. TOD development surrounding stations on the Rosslyn-Ballston and Jefferson Davis Metro lines has resulted in 24.4 million square feet of office space, 3.8 million square feet of retail space, 24,000 mixed-income dwelling units, and 6,300 hotel rooms. Success has largely been a result of explosive economic and residential growth in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and long-term and de-tailed station area plans by the Arlington County Planning Depart-ment.

Oakland, CaliforniaThe City of Oakland has created policies for the development of transit villages around its 8 BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) sta-tions that link the City to nearby San Francisco. One of the most successful TODs thus far is at the Fruitvale station and has trans-formed a deteriorated, dangerous neighborhood into an attractive urban retail and community center. The City partnered with a non-profit developer, Unity Council, to ensure a community voice. As a


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4result, the development has incorporated 68 units of HUD housing, 220 mixed-income dwelling units, a 15,000 square foot library, a 55,000 square foot child care facility, and a 54,000 square foot non-profit medical clinic.

Portland, OregonLocated 15 miles west of Downtown Portland near the edge of the “Silicon Forest,” Orenco Station is a new retail and residential development situated near a new light rail station. The 260-acre development, begun in 1997, now has 2,600 residents and a fully-developed retail “Town Center.” A four-block walk to the light rail station, small lots, and a large, formal open space encourage walk-ability and community formation.

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QuebecPrompted by the extension of a commuter rail service from Mon-treal, the Town of Mont-Saint-Hilaire decided to promote TOD around its new station near its UNESCO world heritage-designat-ed mountain. Constructed on a rehabilitated industrial site, Village de la Gare will have over 1,000 dwellings designed to reflect the rural character of the surrounding community, while encouraging significantly higher densities near the station. The transit station is easily accessible by walking and cycling paths, while the grid street network reduces automobile shortcuts. The Town has modified its comprehensive plans and created zoning bylaws to encouraged transit-oriented development as well.

Grayslake, IllinoisPrairie Crossing, a mostly residential 667-acre development north-west of Chicago, embraced 10 principles of sustainable develop-ment in the first phase of home building. The second phase will implement a transit-oriented development at a proposed station on a Metra commuter rail line. Retail and housing development near the station will encourage commuter transit use.

GUIDING PRINCIPLESThe following section outline New Urbanist, Smart Growth and Transit-Oriented Development on urban design and planning, as well as design details culled from plans and real life transit-ori-ented and new urbanist examples. Benefits and constraints of TOD creation, as well as present day examples, were also taken into

Orenco Station, near Portland, Or-egon. Source: Aslaoregon.org.



4account when crafting principles.

Street DesignWalkable StreetsAn important element of all theories is the encouragement of walk-ability. Community design should focus on determining proper sidewalk and street designs to make walking comfortable and se-cure.

In addition to narrow streets and traffic calming measures, appro-priate sidewalk configuration should be present along both sides of every street. In residential areas, the minimum sidewalk width should be five feet. In the town center and neighborhood retail locations, sidewalk widths should be at minimum 10-12 feet, al-though this should ideally be wider to also accommodate a variety of users, street furniture, planters, and outdoor dining opportuni-ties.

To encourage safe pedestrian crossing, traffic calming measures should be incorporated, including sidewalk bump-outs to limit street crossing widths, raised crosswalks to limit vehicle speeds, and clearly, marked crosswalks to ensure visibility.

Street ConnectivityStreet design should in no way hinder pedestrian movements. In contrast to conventional suburban street design that often contain cul-de-sacs, long blocks, and barriers between uses, street design should allow a pedestrian quick, multi-directional travel within and between as many parts of the community as possible.

To achieve this goal, a conventional or modified grid network of street should be employed. Grid networks generally allow access in four directions. To be most effective, blocks should be a small as possible, and block lengths should not be more than 300 feet.

Diagonal streets should also be used to allow for direct pedestrian access as well. The streets should be situated between communi-ty landmarks, such as the town center and a neighborhood center. In addition to improving access, diagonal streets provide important vistas and visual connectivity within a community, as well as define locations for important buildings and monuments.


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4Alleys should be utilized as they add an additional level of connec-tivity within a community. They allow for rear loading and service of properties and reduce the need for street curb cuts.

Trails and pedestrian pathways should be utilized to encourage pedestrian access where street construction is not viable or de-sirable, including mid-block connections, parks and open space areas.

Roadway ConfigurationStreets should be designed to allow for a balance of transportation modes. In contrast to conventional suburban development that focuses on car travel, streets should encourage sharing right-of-way by automobiles, pedestrians, cyclists and public transit. To achieve this goal, the ability of automobiles to travel at continuous and rapid speeds through a community must be hindered.

Street widths should be as narrow as possible to allow comfort-able usage by multiple transportation modes and to slow auto-mobile speeds. Travel lanes should be at maximum 10 feet wide, and, in residential neighborhoods, should be 8 to 9 feet in width for effective traffic calming.

Two-way traffic configurations should be utilized, especially in residential neighborhoods. The presence of on-coming traffic pro-vides a psychological effect to slow traffic, whereas drivers tend to go faster on one-way streets.

On-street parking should be utilized. It provides traffic-calming as automobiles must slow for vehicles that pulling into parking space or watch for people exiting parked cars. It also provides a buffer between the street and front yards, adding an extra level of safety. Parking lanes should be no more than 7 feet in width.

The composite neighborhood street should have two traveling lanes and two parking lanes. With traveling lanes of 7 feet and parking lanes of 6 feet, a neighborhood street would have a width of 26 feet. The City of Portland, Oregon, recommends developing neighborhood streets of 20 feet with two traveling lanes and one parking lane.

Gateway and Connector StreetsDiagonal streets should be utilized to provide vistas within and be-tween neighborhoods. When placed between two or more com-



4munity landmarks, parks, or retail centers, they provide aesthetic enhancement, visual connectivity and improved pedestrian-con-nectivity. The 5- and 6-legged intersections that diagonal streets often produce are less of a concern in pedestrian-oriented com-munities and provide interesting focal points, although turning sight-lines should be enforced for safety reasons.

Neighborhood StreetsAlthough functional, grid street patterns may become monotonous. Grid networks should be approached playfully, although pedes-trian connectivity should not be lost. Designing grid patterns with gentle curves encourages interesting design. The use of square or circles at intersections also provides interest points and traffic calming. The occasional use of “T” intersections also allows new focal points.

AlleysAlleys provide other aesthetic benefits. When alleys are present, the street frontage may be kept clear of garbage receptacles, curb cuts and parked automobiles, providing a cleaner streetscape. Houses may also be situated more closely allowing for a tight-knit and consistent streetscape.

Street WallsFor urban communities, it is important to emphasize a consistent street wall to “frame” the street and to provide a feeling of enclo-sure. To achieve this effect, the width of the street should never be more than six times the height of abutting building facades. This ratio may be too wide for many communities, and, as a result, a 1:1 ratio between street width and building height is often recom-mended.

Only when noxious, high-speed traffic is inevitable on a cor-ridor should buildings not face a street frontage.

Neighborhood DesignPedestrian ConnectivityTo allow for pedestrian- rather than an automobile-oriented community, neighborhood amenities should be placed no more than a fifteen-minute walk from any dwelling. A five minute walk (approximately one-quarter mile) is the maxi-mum distance that a typical person will walk rather than drive.


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4

Neighborhood amenities that should be placed at the center of a neighborhood pedestrian shed, include:

• An elementary school

• A neighborhood park

• A community center

• A corner store

• A church

• A transit stop

A typical neighborhood should be one-quarter mile from center to periphery to ensure walkability. Density, community amenities and a park should be located concentrated near the center.


�.11 Section �: Urban Design Goals

4• A library

• Other local neighborhood local institutions

Mixed-Use In order to create vibrant, liveable neighborhoods, while encourag-ing walkability and local employment options, a mix of uses should be encouraged. Depending upon the density of the neighborhood, differing intensities of land use mixtures should be encouraged. High-density neighborhoods can comfortably contain a greater in-tensity of different land uses, but all neighborhoods should have at least some mixture of uses. Depending upon density and charac-ter, each neighborhood should include:

• A mix of residential products, including single-family homes, rowhomes and townhomes, condominiums, apartments, mixed-use residential.

• A mix of retail components, including corner stores, medi-cal and personal services, restaurants, cafes, basic retail establishments.

• Neighborhood employment options, including retail, ser-vice, small office, institutional, municipal employment, home-occupations.

• A mix of institutional uses, including schools, churches, clubs, community centers, libraries and civic buildings.

• A mix of open space and recreational opportunities, includ-ing formal parkland, playgrounds, seating areas, plazas, gardens.

Varied DensitySince the center of the neighborhood is more accessible and has more amenities than the periphery, density should generally be higher at the center. This provides direct access to services to the greatest number of residents, particularly the elderly and people with physical handicaps. Likewise, density should be lowest at the periphery where certain amenities are less accessible.

Town Center DesignA town center should be at the center of a group of neighborhoods and provide a greater range and higher-intensity of uses in a loca-tion quickly accessible throughout the community.


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Section 4: Urban Design Goals4

A town center should fulfill a number of important community roles such as:

• Provide a wider range of retail and specialty store options than found in the neighborhood center.

• Provide a location for central civic and governmental func-tions, including a town hall, post office, central library or high school.

• Provide a space for important community gatherings and celebrations, including parades and festivals.

• Provide a location for large-scale office and retail spaces and employment centers.

• Provide entertainment functions, including restaurants, night clubs, and performing arts venues.

• Provide high-density residential options near retail and of-fice locations.

• Serve as a major hub for transit between the neighbor-hoods, as well as other urban centers.

Whereas neighborhood mixed-use will more often be horizontally-diverse, a town center will have a greater proportion of buildings that are mixed-use vertically. Most buildings will have retail and service uses on the ground floor and office, condominiums and apartments on upper stories.

Right-of-way configuration and design reflect the need to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly streetscape in a town center. Travel lanes should be slightly wider than neighborhood streets to ac-commodate higher volumes of traffic and public transit but not so wide as to encourage faster traffic speeds. Sidewalks should be wide enough to accommodate higher-volumes of pedestrian traf-fic, as well as mix of street furniture, planters and tree grates, seat-ing areas, and outdoor dining.

Town center open space should be more formalized due to greater usage. Plazas should be used to allow for larger congregations of people at lunchtime or for special events. Greens may be used to soften the urban environment or to provide locations for monu-ments and important civic buildings.


�.1� Section �: Urban Design Goals

4

Open Space DesignOpen space is an important quality-of-life component. Open space should be provided in the form of parkland, formal space, and natural space.

Parkland should be provided at different scales and sizes:

• No home should be located more than ¼ mile from a play lot for small children.

• No home should be located more than ½ mile from a neigh-borhood park with a greater variety of amenities and active space.

• No home should be more than 1 mile from a large com-munity parks with large range of active recreation spaces, facilities and amenities.

In less residential areas and along key avenues, formal open space should be used to beautify the environment and act as a setting for community landmarks. Formal open space may be provided in the form of paved plazas, common greens, or a combination of the two. This may also include traffic circles, boulevard medians and other non-accessible spaces.

Major environmental features, such as wetlands or rivers, should be preserved either as parkland or natural open space. To ensure common access, natural open space should be easily accessible, and buildable lots should not be sited between it and a street.

To encourage outdoor activities, open space should as intercon-nected as possible. This may include a connected network of park-land between a river, a finger of parkland between neighborhoods, or a series of bicycle trails or pathways. In Australia, town centers are often surrounded by a ring of parkland called a townbelt. This is an extremely aesthetic way of providing open space.


5

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Design of a Transit-Oriented New Town should be based on ra-tional decisions. With refernce to Figure 5.1,a series of steps was created to guide the layout and design of the built form of the Bris-bane New Town. The design process occurred as followed:

• Determine Open Space Reserves

• Identify Neighborhood Unit Placement

• Locate Town Center

• Layout Principal Streets

• Identify Neighborhood Squares/Parkland locations

• Layout Neighborhood Streets

• Layout Building Lots

• Create of Design Guidelines

The final outcome of the Design Process will be the Master Plan, which will be discussed in Section 6.

PROCESS STEPSThe process steps include the following:

1. Open Space ReservesLarge environmentally- or aesthetically-sensitive areas should be mapped with a reasonable buffer. These areas may be used for natural or parkland open space, and, whenever possible, these ar-

Design Process


1

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Section 5: Design Process5eas should be connected by an open space corridor to provide for wildlife and ecological circulation.

For the Brisbane New Town, a belt of parkland will be reserved around the neighborhood units to protect important environmental and aesthetic features, including the stream in the northwestern part of the Study Area, as well allow for a connected trail system.

2. Neighborhood Unit PlacementThe Study Area allows for the placement of five neighborhood units. Three neighborhood units will be placed west of the Metra Southwest Service corridor, and two will be placed to its east.

The placement of the neighborhood units will determine the char-acter of the community. If neighborhood units are spaced more widely, fingers of parkland may be inserted between them. If neighborhood units are spaced so that they are overlapping, they may be able to share more amenities, such as schools, churches or libraries. Neighborhood units closer to the train station should be developed at a higher-intensity than units further away.

3. Town Center PlacementNext, the Town Center should be placed with regard to several factors, including:

• It should be as central to as many neighborhoods as pos-sible

• It should situated along a major transit route (such as com-muter railroad) if one does already exist.

• It should be sited so that there is enough room to have a wide variety of uses

• It should be sited so that there is enough room for formal open space

• It should be sited so that it will be of a size to meet the needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Town Center will be located along and predominantly to the west of the Metra Southwest Service corridor.


�.� Section �: Design Process

5

4. Principal Street LayoutThese streets serve two functions: (1) connect the Town Center to external roads and (2) connect the Town Center to neighborhood centers.

Principal streets should allow automobiles and transit to travel quickly to the Town Center, but they should also be comfortable enough for pedestrian and cyclists. Houses should be able to front them without excessive noise or safety concerns. Appropriate street designs may include leafy, landscaped medians and wider setbacks.

Gateway streets should also slow traffic by providing community landmarks and notable features. The use of traffic circles, monu-ments or stylized signage should be encouraged.

Connector streets should be developed to allow for direct access between the Town Center and neighborhood centers, as well as neighborhood centers. They should not differ considerably from the form and width of neighborhood streets so as not to create barriers within neighborhoods. Connector streets may end at the neighborhood center or they may continue through to the next neighborhood center. See Figure 5.1 for principal street layout de-sign.

5. Park PlacementUsing the major streets as guidelines, parkland should next be placed in the following locations:

• In the Town Center, formal parkland may be placed at the vertices of the major street as the focus of a vista.

• In neighborhoods, a park should be placed at or near the center of each neighborhood.

• If major natural areas have not already been determined, a large community park should be site in an appropriate loca-tion.

• Other parkland or trails should be located as appropri-ate between major parks or natural areas and/or between neighborhoods.


1

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Section 5: Design Process5

6. Neighborhood Street PlacementAs mentioned previously, neighborhood streets should accomplish a number of goals. They should create walkable and connected neighborhoods. They should at interest into the built environment.

Neighborhood streets should be designed along a modified grid street network pattern to promote connectivity and walkability. They may be curvilinear grids or possess some “T” intersections, but they should encourage multi-directional and ease of naviga-tion. In plans with tighter neighborhood units, the street network should flow between the neighborhood without disconnection. More isolated neighborhood units may have a more individual or adaptive street network.

As discussed previously, the width of neighborhood streets should be 14, 20 or 26 feet, respective of having no parking lanes, one parking lane, or two parking lanes.

The blocks formed by street networks should be kept small to promote walkability. A common dimension used by other New Urbanist developments is 240 feet deep by 300 feet wide. This allows for a typical lot size of 100 feet deep, an alley of 16 feet and right of way widths of 12 feet on either side of the block.

7. Town Center LayoutTown Center should be laid out in a more straight-forward grid network than neighborhood streets in order to promote a more consistent and visible “street wall,” while providing linkages to ma-jor streets.

Town Center blocks may be larger than neighborhood blocks to accommodate larger building configuration and commercial de-mands but should still be of a size that promotes accessibility and walkability.

8. Principal Building ReservesMany types of civic buildings should be sited to provide optimal accessibility and prominent locations. For instance, an elementary school should be placed at the center of each neighborhood unit to ensure that the longest a child has to walk to school is fifteen min-utes. A prominent site in the Town Center should be selected for the placement of a town hall or post office, due to the importance


�.� Section �: Design Process

5of such buildings. Irregular, small or alley-less blocks also make prime candidates for civic and institutional uses. Civic buildings that may be sited:

• Each neighborhood unit should have a site reserved for an elementary school.

• Each town center should have sites reserved for a town hall, post office, community center, museum.

• A central location should be reserved for a secondary school.

• Prime locations may be reserved for monuments.

9. Lot LayoutAlthough this step will not be undertaken as part of the scope of the project, the size and placement of lots is a major deter-minant of the appearance and density of the future communi-ty. Lot width should be narrow to reflect the need to encour-age an intact and diverse streetscape. Lot widths may be larger in areas with mixed-use developments, but these lots should be no larger than 25% of the block to avoid monolithic buildings.

10. Design Guidelines This step will not be undertaken as part of the scope of the project but is important in realizing key urban design goals.

For example, a form-based code should be used to guide develop-ment in the New Town rather than traditional land regulations such as zoning. Form-based codes are better suited for influencing the building and parking footprints, building massing, allowed building elements, level of fenestration, access points, and building type definitions than a system based predominantly on land use. If so desired, a palette of architectural style(s) may be chosen to create a cohesive urban form, although creativity and diversity of design should still be encouraged.

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master PlanFigure 5.1: The Planning Process

0 700’350’

REALIGNED LARAWAY ROAD

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Legend


6

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With reference to Figure 6.1, the following Master Plan has been created for the Brisbane New Town transit-oriented development based on principles and process steps developed in previous sec-tions. The following parts of the Plan will be discussed in detail:

• The Transport Network

• The Train Station/Special-Use Area

• The Town Core

• The Neighborhoods

• The Town Belt

TRANSPORT NETWORKRail Station/Rail CorridorsThe prominent feature of the New Town will be the integration of a new commuter train station at the junction of the EJ&E and Metra Southwest Service rail corridors. The station will allow passengers to transfer directly between the two lines.

The EJ&E route will form the northern boundary of the New Town and will require only minimal changes to its current form. The main improvements will be landscaping, screening and buffering as the line will abut the northern section of new Town Belt open space.

The Southwest Service route will require significant change. Since the north-south line will cut directly through the center of the New

Master Plan


1Section 6: Master Plan

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6Town, the line will have to modified to reduce its effect as a physical and psychological barrier between eastern and western neighbor-hoods. Beginning at the junction station, excavations will be un-dertaken to place the line at below-grade. In addition, overbridges will be built to connect all streets over the line, and a portion of the line will be capped for open space at Town Square East.

In the future, the placement of an additional station should be studied on the Southwest Service line at the southern edge of the New Town.

BoulevardsThe boulevards will provide direct access between the Town Cen-ter and areas outside of the New Town. There are three principal boulevards that will provide an aesthetically pleasing and green entry rather than functioning as high-speed, high-volume traffic arteries. Although setbacks will be larger on the boulevards than on other streets. They will be fronted by both mixed-use and resi-dential buildings, have highly-landscaped parkways and medians, and act as important vista corridors and settings for monuments. The boulevards will be also function as transit corridors, especially between the Town Center/Station Area and areas outside the New Town boundaries.

Boulevards will have a right of way of 80 feet. This will consist of a median of 20 feet, a travel lane in each direction of 9 feet, two parking lanes of 6 feet, and two streetscape/sidewalk zones • of fifteen feet each.

The boulevard running north-south will provide a primary access point between the older, developed part of New Lenox. Partial-ly formed from Cedar Road right-of-way, the new boulevard will curve to the east shortly after passing under the EJ&E railroad. It will proceed southeast for approximately ¼ mile during which there will be two roundabouts that will provide access to the train station. The boulevard will then curve south forming the spine of the Main Street district and pass through the Civic Core. After entering the southern portion of the Town Belt, the boulevard will curve west and rejoin the Cedar Road right-of-way.

The boulevard running east-west will be formed from a reconfig-ured Laraway Road right-of-way. After entering the New Town, the boulevard will leave the existing Laraway Road right-of-way


Section �: Master Plan �.�

6and gently curve northward before curving back to the east. After proceeding in a gentle southeast direction, the boulevard will end at Town Square West, forming an important vista. Traffic will be funneled onto the ring road surrounding the Town Hall site, before the boulevard recontinues on the east side of Town Square East. The boulevard will curve gently southeast as it returns to the Lar-away Road right-of-way.

The third principal boulevard provides an east-west connection between the Train Station Area and external areas to the west. It will connect with the north-south boulevard at the roundabout and then proceed west between the Town Belt and the Northwest and Central Neighborhoods.

AvenuesThe function of the avenues is to provide more immediate con-nections between the Town Square and neighborhood centers, as well as between adjacent neighborhood centers. In addition, av-enues will allow connections between the neighborhood centers, the Town Belt, and, ultimately, outside areas. The avenues will be designed to foster street life, pedestrian walkability and transit use, rather than automobile traffic. Avenues will generally have a right of way of 50 feet. This will in-clude a travel lane in each direction of 9 feet, two parking lanes of 6 feet, and ten feet on each side for a streetscape/sidewalk zone.

The avenues will be generally fronted by larger, mixed-use build-ings and rowhomes, especially between the Town Center and the neighborhood centers. Avenues in peripheral parts of the New Town will mainly lined with smaller rowhomes and single-family homes.

Local StreetsLocal streets will be developed to encourage pedestrian walkabili-ty. Layouts will generally be modified curvilinear grid networks with variations imposed due to specific location, to create unique and interesting patterns, and to create vistas. Smaller, easily walkable blocks have been created whenever possible, and there are no cul-de-sacs or other features that might discourage walkability or through-usage.



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6Local street widths are 24 feet. This will allow one travel lanes of 9 feet in each direction and one parking lane of 6 feet. In addition, most streets will have streetscape/sidewalk zones of a minimum of 10 feet on either side.

AlleysAlmost every developable block within the New Town will have rear alley access. Alleys provide important functions by eliminating the need for street-frontage curb cuts, segregating service and waste usage from visible locations, and providing additional access to properties for owners and public service entities, including fire and police departments. Alleys will be eighteen feet in width, although additional setbacks will be required for waste storage, and ser-vice/parking access. Permeable pavers will be required to allow stormwater drainage.

For existing residential blocks that will be incorporated into the New Town, land will be required to be dedicated for alleyways, as part of the general redevelopment process of incorporating these blocks into a transit-oriented development.

In a few situations, small and oddly-shaped blocks will not have al-ley access. These blocks should be used primarily for single insti-tutions, such as schools or churches, in order to reduce the need for more than one curb cut and retain the aesthetic integrity of these special spaces.

TransitIn addition to a major train station, local transit usage within the New Town will also be a high-priority. Especially in outlying areas, the existence of transit will further connect the neighborhoods with the Town Center/Station Area and will make the community more accessible and equitable for young children, senior citizens and the handicapped. In addition, transit lines should also be extended beyond the New Town to encourage other New Lenox residents to shop, work, and relax in the New Town.

Generally, transit corridors will be incorporated into the travel lanes of the boulevards and alleys (e.g. streetcars or trams). Most stops will be placed in short duration, and short-timed streetlights will be used to allow for quicker transit movements. Comfortable transit stops and shelters will be developed on the street side or in the



6center of boulevard medians. There will most likely be two major transit exchanges where users can switch between routes, most likely at the Station Area and at the Civic Core.

TRAIN STATION AREAAn important centerpiece of the New Town will be the Train Station and associated Special-Use Area.

The Train StationLocated a ten-minute walk from the Town Center’s Civic Core and a 20-minute walk from the farthest developed point of the New Town, the Train Station will be easily accessible to all residents, especially when transit connections to each neighborhood are im-plemented.

Special-Use AreaSince a new junction station connecting the EJ&E and Metra South-western Service is required to be in a location that is unsuitable for a central Town Center, the Special-Use Area has been designated to allow for high-intensity, regional-scale use that will be utilized by both residents of the region, as well as outside commuters.

Possible uses could be a major medical center, a university or col-lege, a research facility, corporate headquarters, or a general busi-ness park. Due to its important location between the Town Center to the Train Station, the Special-Use Area should be developed as an urban campus with a mixture of uses, human-scale, pedestri-an-oriented, and ground floor retail/service activities. Open space should be provided in the form of small plazas, landscaped inner courtyards, and a trail along the creek.

TOWN CENTERThe Town Center lies in the center of the Master Plan, mainly to the west of the Metra Southwest Service rail corridor, although part of the Town Center will extend east of the railway as a transition to the two eastern neighborhoods.

There are two principal sub-areas of the Town Center: (1) the Civic Core and (2) the “Main Street” district.



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6

The Civic CoreThe Civic Core is a mixed-use area, dominated by large open space, municipal features and mixed-use retail/residential build-ings. The dominant physical feature is a set of concentric extend-ed oval streets. At the center of the first oval ring are Town Square West, Town Square East and the town hall site. The town squares will function as formal open space and vista termination areas, as well as provide a central location for community-wide festivals and processions. The town squares may also act in the future as a transit exchange, where street car routes will converge from the train station before branching out into four of the five neighbor-hoods.

Town Square East will extend over the depressed rail grade, re-moving a visual and psychological barrier between the two sides of the community. Between the Town Squares, a central location fronting the main north-south axis will be reserved for the Town Hall. The town hall will be at the center of highly-visible vista ter-mination and should be designed in a manner to reflect its physical and hierarchical importance.

The second outer ring of the Civic Core allows for the development of mixed-use retail/office space. The third outer ring will allow for mixed-use retail/residential buildings. Buildings should be con-structed to form a continuous street wall of four-five stories. The effect should be similar to that of a Parisian boulevard, and will cre-ate an urbane residential and office district. In the outer ring, two of the longer blocks will have landscaped pedestrian cut-throughs and open space.

The last major feature of the Civic Core is the high school reserve. South of the town hall site and spanning the rail corridor, the high school reserve is a large site that will allow for an urban second-ary educational campus. Facility buildings should be built in an urban fashion, and the sporting fields and stadium will be accom-modated on the site. The central location of the high school to the Civic Core will allow most students and faculty to either walk or take transit. In addition, the location will allow the high school campus to be an important starting point for parades, community pep rallies or capping processions. Pedestrian bridges across the rail corridor should be constructed wherever necessary to encour-age connectivity.



6

The “Main Street”Proceeding north from the Civic Core to the Train Space/Special-Use Area, the Main Street district will be an important retail and office center along the main north-south axis street.

The blocks immediately adjacent to the north-south axis route will be dominated by mixed-use retail/office buildings. The buildings will have an urban character, including a consistent street wall of 4-5 stories, although larger structures will be allowed in visually important locations and along the rail corridor to the east.

In addition to large corporate offices on the upper stories, the Main Street district will be a Downtown-style retail node for the entire New Town. As such, higher-level retail will be encouraged along the strip, such as fashion boutiques, electronics stores, restaurant uses, and nightclubs. Large department stores will be encouraged in this area, and, in such cases, retail will be allowed. Performing arts centers will also be encouraged as major activity generators on evenings and weekends.

Due to its location between the train station to the north and the Civic Core to the south, the north-south axis through Main Street will be the main transit corridor in the new town. Most, if not all, transit routes will converge at the Civic Core and travel along the boulevard to the train station exchange. As such, boulevard and traffic management will be designed to allow for most efficient transit through-movements, as well as accommodating the large number of shoppers and office workers who will embark and de-bark street cars at various points along the boulevard.

Secondary blocks in the Main Street district will be dominated by mixed-use residential/retail uses. These blocks should also be developed in an urban fashion. A large residential population will ensure that the Main Street district is active both night and day.

THE NEIGHBORHOODSThe New Town will consist of five neighborhoods. Due to their lo-cations within the Plan, they have been designated as (1) Central, (2) Northwest, (3) Southwest, (4) Northeast, and (5) Southeast.

Per the established design goals, each neighborhood was de-signed to be approximately one-quarter mile in radius and have a



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6central open space, an elementary school, neighborhood-oriented retail, and a hierarchical density based-upon distance from the Town Center and its own neighborhood center.

Central NeighborhoodLocated directly adjacent to the train station, the Town Center and The Civic Core, Central Neighborhood will be the most densely-developed, and mixed-use neighborhood. Most residents will live within a very short walking distance of the train station, Main Street district shops and offices. As a result, most of the eastern half of the neighborhood should be developed as rowhomes/townhomes and mixed-use residential along the principal avenues. The west-ern half should be developed at a lower density with primarily sin-gle-family homes and rowhomes/townhomes. Due to its higher residential density, the Central Neighborhood includes more open space and institutional reserves than other neighborhoods.

Northwest NeighborhoodThis center of the Northwest Neighborhood is located approxi-mately 0.8 miles west of the train station and 0.7 miles northwest of the town hall site, making it the farthest neighborhood from both of these important features. As a result, this neighborhood should be developed at a moderate-density with a greater proportion of single-family homes and rowhomes/townhomes than mixed-use residential, especially in the western part of the neighborhood. As the only neighborhood without a direct connection to the Civic Core, transit connections along and from adjacent boulevards will be important.

Southwest NeighborhoodThis center of this neighborhood is located approximately 0.79 miles south-southwest of the train station and 0.38 miles southwest of the Town Hall. Higher-density residential and mixed-use is located in its northeast section, along principal avenues, and around the town center. The character of the neighborhood will have more of a small town character with a large proportion of single-family homes and larger setbacks than in other neighborhoods.

Northeast NeighborhoodThe center of the Northeast Neighborhood is located approximate-ly 0.3 miles southeast of the train station and 0.3 miles northeast



6of the town hall site. Higher-density and mixed-use residential is located in its western and southwest sections, along principal av-enues, and around the neighborhood center. The character of this neighborhood will transition from highly-urban in the west to larg-er-lot single-family homes in the east, largely due to amalgamation of an existing single-family development into the Master Plan. The existing neighborhood will become more transit-oriented through the implementation of alleys, new streets, and the division of lots.

Southeast NeighborhoodThe center of the Southeast Neighborhood is located approxi-mately 0.8 miles south-southeast of the train station and 0.4 miles southeast of the town hall site. Higher-density and mixed-use resi-dential is located in its northwest section, along principal avenues, and around the town center. The character of the neighborhood will also be more small town in feel with a large proportion of single-family homes and larger setbacks than in other neighborhoods. A number of irregular blocks will allow for a number of institutional uses as well.

THE TOWN BELTThe Town Belt is a large ring of open space, forest preserve and recreational fields that encircles the entire New Town. It provides an important space for large-scale recreational activities, including sporting fields, trails, public gardens, a public farm, a zoological garden, an aviary and wildlife sanctuaries. Other functions include stormwater storage and additional space for municipal activities. The Town Belt will provide identity to the New Town by clearly de-fining gateway locations and providing a green transition between outside developed areas.

Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master PlanFigure 6.1: Master Plan

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The implementation of the Brisbane Transit-Oriented Master Plan will require a significant commitment of time, energy, and resourc-es by Village staff, elected officials, developers and others, but the final TOD that results will yield enormous aesthetic, quality-of-life, and financial benefits. By utilizing New Urbanist, Smart Growth and TOD ideals, the Brisbane New Town will provide a greater tax base, a more attractive suburban setting, mixed-income housing opportunities, and a range of civic and recreational amenities than can be obtained through traditional suburban development pat-terns.

New Lenox will gain a walkable, human-scale housing, retail and employment center in the south part of the Village that will be a unique asset in a region of often monotonous urban sprawl. In do-ing so, New Lenox will become a model of enlightened planning to other communities.

In order to accomplish a Plan of this size and scope, the Village will have to adopt “outside the box” strategies and well-developed phases to guide the implementation process.

STRATEGIESIn order to implement the Master Plan, Village elected official and staff will need to utilize certain strategies, including:

• Revise the Village's zoning ordinance to encourage transit-oriented development in the study area.

Conclusion


1Section 7: Conclusion

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7• Adopt land use codes and standards that can better im-

plement transit-oriented and high-quality design, such as form-based codes.

• Recruit a developer or a team of developers that have the long-term vision and finances to fulfill the Master Plan.

• Develop a toolbox of developer “rewards” that will encour-age developer’s to build high-quality, creative products.

• Work with lending agencies to instill the importance of the project, educate on the financial benefits of non-traditional development, and construct long-term financial packages for developers.

• Work with local land owners to instill the importance of the Master Plan and to assemble the necessary properties.

• Coordinate and cooperate with local agencies, including Will County, Metra and IDOT, the streamline the develop-ment process and minimize red tape.

• Explore grant and funding sources for transit-oriented de-velopment.

• Create more detailed neighborhood and Town Center plans to further

• Encourage public outreach and participation to both instill the importance and benefit of a transit-oriented community and to gain valuable local feedback and insight in the plan-ning and development process.

• Create a development timeframe to provide a step-by-step development task list and to guage project completion.

PROJECT PHASESInitial phase projects will require significant public and private in-vestment. However, later stage projects may be funded more eas-ily by tax income generated by the New Town or fully covered by private developers.

The envisioned implementation steps are as follows:

PHASE 1 PROJECTS (1 to 2 years)• Recruit a Master Developer or a team of developers


Section �: Conclusion �.�

7• Conversion of EJ&E to a commuter route

• Construction of junction train station

• Lowering existing Metra Southwest Service tracks below-grade

• Land Assembly

• Realignment of existing roads and the construction of new access boulevards.

PHASE 2 PROJECTS (1 year)• Survey and construct infrastructure and streets in Central

Neighborhood

• Reserve land for institutional uses

• Plat Central Neighborhood for building type lots

• Begin construction of buildings

PHASE 3 PROJECTS (3 to 10 years)• Survey and construct infrastructure and streets in other

four neighborhoods

• Reserve land for institutional uses

• Plat other neighborhoods for building type lots

• Begin construction of buildings

PHASE 4 PROJECTS (5 to 10 years)• Survey and construct infrastructure for New Town

• Recruit retail, office and special uses

PHASE 5 PROJECTS (10 to 20 years)• Construct neighborhood schools and high school

• Construct public institutions, including a post office, a li-brary, etc.

• Construct a Town Hall and ancillary municipal buildings

• Encourage the construction of private institutions, including religious institutions, community centers, private schools.


1Section 7: Conclusion

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7

PHASE 6 PROJECTS (5 to 25 years)• Design and implement Town Square East and West

• Design and implement neighborhood parks

• Design and implement the Town Belt, including trails, rec-reational fields and other features.

brisbane transit-oriented master plan

Documents

master plan0

new town master plan

suburban growth

brisbane study area

future development

greenfield development

project background

suburban locations