Click to access the study PDF (450MB)
From The City of Sanford
Communities along the S-Line rail corridor in central North Carolina now have plans and strategies to prepare for Transit Oriented Development, or TOD, thanks to a study released this week by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
TOD creates compact development with a mix of housing, office space, retail, civic spaces and neighborhood amenities near a mobility hub that brings together in one location public transit, ride-sharing services and other modes of travel.
The study explores the development along the S-Line rail corridor, described as a missing link between Raleigh and Richmond, Va. The S-Line, the study states, will better connect the Southeast to Washington D.C. and places further north.
Access the study at https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/integrated-mobility/innovation/s-line-study/Pages/default.aspx.
“The study is the result of a close partnership between NCDOT and the S-Line communities to understand how passenger rail can help each community achieve their goals,” said Julie White, NCDOT deputy secretary for Multimodal Transportation. “From more affordable housing to more walkable vibrant town centers, the study provides guidance to the towns for how to make the most of the future passenger rail opportunity.”
Through the TOD study, communities along the S-Line would leverage the future benefits of rail to plan for “improved mobility and access, increased housing, downtown vibrancy, higher quality of life and economic vitality.”
The S-Line TOD study evaluated market conditions, affordable housing considerations, multimodal transportation opportunities and regulatory conditions in several central North Carolina communities. The study proposes transportation improvements that would meet a vision responsive to each communities’ needs.
Two NCDOT divisions – Integrated Mobility and Rail – partnered with seven N.C. communities – Sanford, Apex, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Youngsville, Franklinton, Henderson and Norlina – to complete the study. The process evaluated previous transportation planning efforts, the potential for real estate market demand, and affordable housing considerations. Other planning factors included economic development, multimodal connectivity, environmental sustainability, and quality of life.
Each participating community received a “playbook” with recommendations to continue planning and development efforts. The “playbook” included sites to consider for transportation-focused development, a timeline for executing goals, and projects needed to complete multimodal transportation initiatives.
The next step of the plan involves mobility hub site assessments and design, made possible by a RAISE grant the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded in August 2022. Mobility hubs serve as a focal point for connectivity and development in each community — bringing together rail service with local transportation modes, private development, and other public land uses.
The outcomes of the TOD study underscore NCDOT’s goal to develop a robust multimodal system that provides safe and efficient access and mobility for all North Carolinians.
To learn more about the Integrated Mobility Division and Transit-Oriented Development, visit the IMD page at ncdot.gov.
It’s good work to get on the State’s radar for a project like this. Back in the stone age I was blessed/cursed to work on the Triangle Transit Authority’s first light rail plan from Raleigh to CH/Durham and what I discovered then hold true now.
It is very difficult to sell the density needed to make light rail or even heavy rail stops practical. In Sanford’s case you need to control the entire Little Buffalo Creek corridor from Weatherspoon street back to the old City Hall. You then need to build up both sides of the corridor and I do mean up and with designs that take into account Little Buffalo’s occasional floods.
You probably need 5K housing units between Third Street and Hawkins and the current low density stuff doesn’t scratch the surface. The public housing in front of City Hall will have to be replaced. Then you have to bring First or Third Street through to Hawkins north of Hill Avenue.
That also means gentrification of East Sanford from Little Buffalo out to at least 7th Street. It’s a 40-50 year project. But that would make your Sanford node work.
The Moncure/Haywood/Deep River node, not mentioned and not shown on any map yet, might be a quicker project give the east of working with vacant land instead of small urban parcels.
The S-line will really have a major impact on our downtown area. The plans I saw when those folks came out to promote the S-line looked great. The infrastructure will definitely change in the next 10 years. It is going to take this project a while to fully mature, but this is a positive economic growth engine that will be transformational for Sanford.