Malvern TOD Study. Borough of Malvern, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
WRA prepared a transit-oriented development (TOD) study for the Borough of Malvern. An Advisory Committee and the public articulated a vision for the train station area. Opportunities and constraints for station-area development were identified through a walking audit. Technical analysis included a survey of train station patrons and parking studies. One of the Borough’s goals is to capture value from the TOD to facilitate infrastructure improvements. A market study was performed to identify the feasibility of various types of TOD in downtown Malvern, concluding that residential development is most feasible in the five-year term. WRA prepared conceptual development alternatives incorporating new buildings and parking schemes. Renderings were developed for those alternatives showing views from various parts of the Borough to evaluate TOD’s consistency with Malvern’s small-town scale. Existing ordinances were also reviewed and recommendations made for revisions to support TOD.
Services Performed
Project Highlights
Transit
The study determined the mode of travel to the train station, parking demand in the station vicinity, and rider satisfaction with the station facility. The station parking lots have unused capacity during evenings and weekends that could provide more parking for downtown restaurants.
Planning
The public involvement process included six Advisory Committee meetings, stakeholder interviews and three public workshops. The Borough concluded that the climate was not yet right for TOD; however, the study provides market-driven data and recommendations to allow Malvern to move forward if and when the development environment changes.