The Wall Street Journal and CBS Evening News Feature Del Mar Station
06/17/08
The decline of the conventional suburb as the preferred place of residence, a longtime theme of New Urbanism, is focusing ever-greater interest on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), The Wall Street Journal reported this week. In a recent article, “Suburbs a Mile Too Far for Some,” Pasadena’s Del Mar Station was featured as a leading example of a successful TOD. The project, situated within a walkable Neighborhood adjacent to a major Metro Gold Line station, incorporates a mix of uses and offers an alternative to the region’s auto-centric lifestyle. As Los Angeles’s first TOD, the project’s occupancy rates confirm its appeal. According to Archstone, the project’s owner, 95% of the 347 units are rented, the highest occupancy rate since the building opened. The article notes, “families who sought the suburbs or were priced out of cities now have an economic imperative to find their way back closer to town.” Other proximate amenities, such as the City’s vibrant Old Town district, restaurants, the Pasadena Civic Center and its resident symphony, a large natural foods supermarket, movie theaters and Pasadena’s largest urban park space all contribute to the project’s appeal.
On June 23 the “CBS Evening News” also offered a report on the impact of rising fuel costs, featuring consumer interviews and noting the many ways that high fuel prices are causing people to question where they live and how they work. Del Mar Station’s transit-adjacent model was again shown as one of the solutions that offers significant fuel and cost savings. The report also included consumer interviews on the growth of alternatives such as car pools, hybrid car use and the four-day work week. As part of the story, it was anticipated that 2008 would be the first time in 17 years that fuel consumption would actually decline.
View the CBS Evening News story, “Americans Change Travel Habits”
