KARC led a comprehensive planning and zoning effort to establish a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) District surrounding the Metro-North Railroad Cortlandt Station. The initiative advances a key strategy of the Town’s 2016 Sustainable Comprehensive Plan, Envision Cortlandt, by leveraging the station area to promote smart growth, including compact mixed-use development, walkability, and access to alternative transportation. The Transit-Oriented Development framework was designed to reduce auto dependence and traffic impacts while creating a clear, market-responsive roadmap for future development.
As lead firm and project manager, KARC coordinated a multidisciplinary consultant team to deliver an integrated planning and zoning effort encompassing land use and regulatory analysis, public engagement, infrastructure, transportation, and market conditions. The project included stakeholder and property owner interviews, community workshops and mobile outreach, stakeholder roundtables, and presentations to the Town Board. In parallel, KARC completed a comprehensive existing conditions assessment addressing zoning, land use, environmental constraints, traffic and transportation systems, sewer capacity, and regional economic context.
Drawing on its experience working with private developers, KARC conducted a site-by-site evaluation of development potential across the Transit-Oriented Development study area to test regulatory concepts against market feasibility and infrastructure capacity. This analysis informed realistic build-out scenarios and helped shape development standards that were both implementable and aligned with community goals.
Integrating technical analysis with public input, KARC prepared a Transit-Oriented Development Concept Plan, draft zoning text, and a phased Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Plan establishing development standard, infrastructure priorities, and a coordinated approach to public and private investment. The resulting framework provides the Town with a clear, community-supported set of tools to proactively manage growth and guide decision-making over time.
