Doug Smith: The Future of Troy

I’m sure many of you know the intersection of Maple Road and Coolidge Highway in Troy. But I doubt many people realize that tucked away behind the Midtown Square development on the southwest corner is a three-acre plot of land snug against the railway tracks that could be a key to Troy’s future economic development. In an agreement reached several years ago, developer Grand Sakwa Properties, Inc. donated this land to the city on the condition that construction of a multi-modal Transit Center begins by 2010.

In rising to this challenge, the Troy Chamber of Commerce and City of Troy have partnered with the University of Michigan’s Real Estate Program to explore the potential of the opportunity presented. Their findings will be unveiled at the University of Michigan Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum on Nov. 7 - 8 at the Management Education Center in Troy (www.umuliforum.com ). A design charrette will take place a few months later to complete the process.

This marks the beginning of a new chapter for Troy and the region.  We’re moving a step closer to unlocking the potential of increased public transit options.  Key to the exploration will be to assure that proposals are based on sound economics. Those include how the system will be funded, with the emphasis on not taxing citizens for the transit options.

Consider the implications:

• Think improved coordination among existing forms of transportation and the design of new modes of transportation.
• Think increased density and connectivity or quite simply, making better use of our assets.
• Think new economic possibilities and increased vibrancy in our communities. 

Increased transportation options will only be sustainable if they are more convenient and cost effective than our vehicles.  Therefore, we must begin to plan accordingly by further concentrating on increasing circulation between major commercial and residential hubs.  For one thing, we have to start making better use of land in the center of our towns currently devoted to surface parking.  Why settle for just a parking lot when you can have homes, offices and stores as well as parking in the same space?  Take a stroll through downtown Birmingham to see how several sites have been recently improved in this way.

The Troy study and its implications move us closer to making the region more desirable and prosperous by exploring all modes of improved public transit. The Troy Chamber and the city are to be congratulated for attracting this prestigious forum to the community.  I’m confident our region can rise to this challenge – as has Troy – and work towards the development of a new and improved Michigan.