Jersey Village approves transit-oriented development plan

Anticipating commuter rail

Steve Hawley, Mar 17, 10.

Jersey Village, near the intersection of US 290 and the Sam Houston Tollway, has approved a preliminary concept plan for transit-oriented development, according to Community Impact Newspaper.

The community is planning ahead for the anticipated Hempstead commuter rail project that will travel along US 290. Last week, the Gulf Coast Rail District announced that it would be spending $715,000 to study the proposed line, and that commuter rail service could be operational within five years.

The transit-oriented development would included high-density, mixed-use areas that would simultaneously make it easier for pedestrians to get around and block the view and noises of US 290. City officials think the plan will be successful with or without the rail.

Joe Willhite of Kimley-Horn Associates, the company designing the plan, said, “We’ve envisioned the plan as the rail is the icing, not the cake. Development out further on Highway 290 has stopped. People are not willing to drive an hour-and-a-half anymore one way to work.”

The next step in the project is a two-month fiscal impact study.

Presentations about the project are available.