Carrollton’s New Vitality 2

Garland Redevelops its Downtown 3

Where Richardson and Plano Meet 4

Catalyzing Growth in Rowlett 4

NOVEMBER 2015 DART.ORG

8 Continued Page 2

Ask Gary!How does DART make North Texas more livable?North Texas encompasses a large geographic area, and it’s imperative for the sustainability of our region that people get where they need to go safely, efficiently and effectively.

For more than 30 years, residents of our 13-city service area have seen DART as a critical element in the long-term transportation plan for the region. As the population and congestion continue to increase, more people

The inside track from President/Executive Director Gary Thomas

Recipe for Livability Where DART goes, North Texas growsDART mixes the ingredients that make a transit-oriented lifestyle possible: destinations accessible by light rail along with new businesses and amenities being built near rail stations.

8 Continued Page 2

are looking at public transit as an alternative to driving.

We’re working with our colleagues at other regional transportation authorities to take transit to even more North Texans. By linking the region with a network of buses and trains, we are helping residents make transportation choices that fit with their destination, schedule and lifestyle.

The regional rail network also has attracted a growing number of transit-oriented developments around the stations, which allow our residents to live, work and play with a lot less driving.

TRANSPORTATION

RECREATION

ENTERTAINMENT

MEDICAL

EDUCATION

HOUSINGDART RAIL

DART RAIL

Congratulations to

Glenn Heights

on 46 years as an

incorporated city!

Thank you for being part of

the DART Service Area from

the beginning.

INGREDIENT LIST

Short Trips

The hottest new area in Dallas is also one of the oldest. Over the past decade, much has changed in and near downtown, and that progress is enticing people to rediscover the city center.

Serving as a base for revitalization, DART Rail opened a starter line through the heart of downtown in June 1996. As light rail has grown, enhanced by bus service, transit has become an effective way to move people in and out of the urban core – a key ingredient for attracting development.

“DART is one component that differentiates downtown from other real estate,” said Karl Zavitkovsky, director of the city of Dallas’ Office of Economic Development. “But it is the ever-growing mixture of employers, residential properties, cultural arts, parks, retail and multimodal transportation options that makes the area so appealing.”

Karl Stundins, area redevelopment program manager in the Office of Economic Development, oversees the city’s tax increment financing and public improvement districts in downtown and Uptown. By design, most are served by DART Rail, the M-Line Trolley or the Dallas Streetcar.

While thousands still commute in and out of downtown Dallas daily, a growing number of amenities is making it a great place to live.

Recipe for Livability 8 Continued from Front Page

“The real value of a rail line – both light rail and streetcar – is not the line itself but what exists along it. As these fixed systems expand both within downtown and to areas like the Bishop Arts District, the rail network will compress the pedestrian distance between places and become more convenient than walking or driving,” Stundins said.

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Transit contributes to

downtown revitalization

Carrollton’s New VitalityThe December 2010 arrival of the Green Line began a renaissance in downtown Carrollton. In the past five years, the city and private investors have injected more than $30 million into the area.

“Having downtown connected to DART’s extensive light rail network is a great benefit for businesses and residents alike,” Mayor Matthew Marchant said.

In 2012, the city’s first public-private partnership – Union at Carrollton Square –

opened. The mixed-used development features 179 apartments and the Twisted Root Burger Co. The square now attracts residents and visitors alike to crowd-drawing events like the annual Festival at the Switchyard, and the city continues to make enhancements. This spring, public parking was relocated to create a more aesthetically pleasing environment, including a lush lawn.

Downtown growth also is attracting the attention of businesses like the popular Cane Rosso, which opened a branch of the Neapolitan-style pizza chain in the fall.

Discover local gems:DART.org/dartable

What is ?“DARTable” describes a destination best reached or a distance best traversed by riding a train or bus. The term encourages people to travel throughout North Texas by public transportation because DART makes it easy to get there. As a result, DART becomes a trusted guide about where to go and new places to explore as it empowers a transit-oriented lifestyle.

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Excitement is building in downtown Garland as major new investment takes shape just a few blocks away from the DART Rail station.

Oaks City Center opened two more apartment blocks in October and a multistory parking garage is being constructed, both close to City Hall. The new Heritage Crossing corridor seamlessly connects the main library and Richland College-Garland Campus with Downtown Garland Station.

Garland Redevelops its Downtown

Light rail ridership is tabulated using Federal Transit Administration-approved automatic passenger counters (APCs) as its official methodology.

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Ridership: Fixed-Route and Systemwide12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Systemwide: Aug 2013- July 2014

Systemwide: Aug 2014- July 2015

Fixed-Route: Aug 2013- July 2014

Fixed-Route: Aug 2014- July 2015

Fixed-route: Bus, DART Rail, Trinity Railway Express Systemwide: Bus, DART Rail, Trinity Railway Express, Vanpool, Paratransit, HOV

2013 – 5.0M 2014 – 5.5M

2013 – 5.8M 2014 – 6.4M

2014 – 5.7M 2015 – 5.6M 2014 – 5.5M

2015 – 5.8M

2013 – 7.1M 2014 – 7.5M

2014 – 7.5M 2015 – 7.7M

2014 – 7.3M 2015 – 8.1M

Blue Line supports

an urban lifestyle

January 2014-

June 2014

January 2015-

June 2015

$60

$50

$40

$30

$20

$10

$0Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

In M

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According to Garland City Manager Bryan Bradford, the influx of new downtown residents also is stirring up other local business traffic. A new Texas-style barbeque restaurant offering craft beers is scheduled to open this fall.

Bradford said DART has helped initiate much of the revitalization.

“We had ambitious plans for improving our downtown, from sprucing up some of our historic buildings to adding green space and improving walkability with additional sidewalks,” Bradford said. “The opening of the Blue Line certainly provided us with transit-oriented development opportunities.” Construction recently was completed on the

Oaks City Center apartments.

2013 – 8.7M 2014 – 8.3M

Residents living in apartment communities located near Bush Turnpike Station will be able to walk to the numerous restaurants currently under construction at CityLine.

Once empty fields surrounding Bush Turnpike Station, located on the border of Richardson and Plano, are being filled with an expansive mix of residential and commercial development.

Trammell Crow Residential literally is laying the groundwork for another big apartment community adjacent to the rail station and KDC’s $1.5 billion CityLine project in Richardson.

Michael Spicer, development services director for Richardson, said light rail has set the tone for new development around each of the four stations located in the city. These stations have created opportunities that bring jobs, attract investment and foster urban neighborhoods that provide an alternative to conventional suburban living.

“These transit-oriented neighborhoods offer a lifestyle that reduces a household’s reliance on the automobile while facilitating regional accessibility and expanding the range of housing options available in the city,” Spicer said. “As these areas mature, I believe they will both strengthen the city’s economic resiliency and contribute to an exceptional quality of life for all of our citizens for generations to come.”

Just on the other side of President George Bush Turnpike, a 386-unit apartment complex is under construction in Plano. Trinsic Residential Group expects the project, also within walking distance of the station, to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2016. However, residents are expected to begin moving in early next year.

Longtime Plano resident Shannah Hayley, director of marketing and community

Where Richardson and Plano Meet

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Large developments

rise near CityLine and

Bush Turnpike Station

engagement with the city, is a huge proponent of public transportation.

“When Bush Turnpike Station was first built, it really served as more of a commuter station, but I guess the old cliché of ‘if you build it they will come’ rings true in this case,” Hayley said. “Once nothing but vacant land, this area now has a vibrant urban feel, and DART is a big part of making that happen. Energy begets energy.”

Catalyzing Growth in RowlettInvestment in the city core near Downtown Rowlett Station promises to transform it into a pulsating area, offering an abundance of shopping, dining and living options. The $30 million Village of Rowlett will include 225 residential units and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. It represents the city’s conscious effort to use public transportation to catalyze growth and expansion.

“When you get off the Blue Line, you’re a short walk from our downtown, and that’s a resource we intend to maximize,” said Jim Grabenhorst, the city’s director of economic development. In partnership with the city, the joint venture of Catalyst Urban Development LLC and The Integral Group LLC is developing the project, which is underway. A total of $24 million will come from the private sector, and the city will contribute $6 million.

WhiteRockLake

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LOVE

DFW

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DOWNTOWN CARROLLTON

BACHMAN

BURBANK

SOUTHWESTERNMEDICAL DISTRICT/PARKLAND

MARKETCENTER

INWOOD/LOVE FIELD

NORTH CARROLLTON/FRANKFORD

CENTREPORT/DFW AIRPORT

WEST IRVING DOWNTOWN IRVING/HERITAGE CROSSING

UNION STATION

CEDARS

CONVENTION CENTER

8TH & CORINTH

MORRELL

PEARL/ARTS DISTRICT

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ILLINOIS

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VA MEDICAL CENTER

LEDBETTER

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PARK LANE

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ARAPAHO CENTER

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LBJ/SKILLMAN

FOREST/JUPITER

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HATCHER

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FAIR PARKMLK, JR.

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A-Train to Denton (operated by DCTA)

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DART Current and Future Services to 2016

BELL

RICHLAND HILLS

FORT WORTH ITCT&P STATION

TRE to Fort Worth

FORT WORTH

Rail System LegendCurrently Operating

DART Rail Red LineDART Rail Blue LineDART Rail Green LineDART Rail Orange LineDART Rail Orange Line

(Selected Weekday Trips Rush Hour Only)

Trinity Railway Express (TRE)DCTA A-train

Under Design/Construction

DART Rail Blue LineExtension to UNT Dallas opens 2016.

RED BIRDTRANSIT CTR.

GLENN HEIGHTS PARK & RIDE

ADDISONTRANSIT CTR.

JACK HATCHELLTRANSIT CTR.

NW PLANOPARK & RIDE

S. GARLANDTRANSIT CTR.

LAKE RAYHUBBARDTRANSIT CTR.

UNION STATIONCONVENTION

CENTER

PEARL/ARTS DISTRICT

ST. PAUL

AKARDWEST END

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ROSA PARKS PLAZA

WESTTRANSFER

EASTTRANSFER

Downtown Dallas

Terminal A

DART Current and Future Services to 2016

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132-

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Tracking Progress

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Robert W. Strauss – Dallas Chairman

Faye Moses Wilkins – Plano, Farmers Branch Vice Chairman

Richard Carrizales – Dallas Secretary

Gary Slagel – Richardson, University Park, Addison, Highland Park

Assistant Secretary

Jim Adams – Dallas

Michael T. Cheney – Garland

Jerry Christian – Dallas

Amanda Moreno Cross – Dallas

Mark C. Enoch – Garland, Rowlett, Glenn Heights

Pamela Dunlop Gates – Dallas

Timothy A. Hayden – Carrollton, Irving

Michele Wong Krause – Dallas

Richard H. Stopfer – Irving

William Velasco II – Dallas, Cockrell Hill

Paul N. Wageman – Plano

DART Board of Directors

Customer Information (routes & schedules) 214.979.1111

DART Administrative Offices 214.749.3278Connect with DART

DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS P.O. BOX 660163 DALLAS, TX 75266-7203

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Morgan Lyons Assistant Vice President External Relations

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Karen Ptacek Communications Representative

Donn CoburnKaren PtacekLinda Webb-Mañon

WritersLupe HernandezReginald LoftinJoe Swift Photographers

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit P.O. Box 660163 Dallas, TX 75266-7203

Mustang Station Touts Rail Access Banking on the idea that young professionals want to work and play in Dallas but retreat to a quieter place, Canadian developer Western Securities purposely constructed the Mustang Station apartments adjacent to Farmers Branch’s namesake station.

“Young professionals today tend to favor public transportation, and our proximity to DART Rail makes us an attractive choice,” property manager Brandy Davis said.

The 256-unit apartment community, which opened Oct. 7, has heavily promoted its transit-accessible location to prospective tenants.

Farmers Branch communications director Tom Bryson said Mustang Station is one of the most exciting developments to open in the city this year.

“It will, no doubt, attract an entirely new crowd to our city,” Bryson said.

Mustang Station’s leasing company is using slogans like “Ride Baby Ride” and “DART Everywhere from Here” on the website and in marketing collateral to attract residents.