A Neighborhood Springs to Life Around the Douglas Road Metrorail Station in Coral Gables
The Douglas Road Metrorail Station in Coral Gables has become a hub of an active urban neighborhood bustling with life. The neighborhood is a result of the county’s transit-oriented community strategy that involves providing long-underused parking lots and other land to private developers to build housing, commercial spaces, and other amenities close to transit stations. This strategy aims to ease the county’s housing crunch, foster small-business development, promote walking and transit use, and reduce automobile dependency.
As a result, the Douglas Road Metrorail Station has become a thriving neighborhood that is bustling with activity. The following are some of the highlights of this vibrant neighborhood:
1. Multimillion-Dollar Overhaul: The Douglas Road Metrorail Station is undergoing a multimillion-dollar overhaul to make it a more user-friendly transportation hub. The overhaul includes the addition of free Coral Gables bus trolleys that connect passengers to bustling downtown or the historic West Coconut Grove neighborhood across gridlocked U.S. 1.
2. A Variety of Transportation Options: In addition to the free Coral Gables bus trolleys, commuters can also use trains, Metrobuses, bikes, and e-scooters to get around. This variety of transportation options makes it easy for residents to get around without depending on cars.
3. New Housing: The Douglas Road Metrorail Station has become a home to multiple residential towers with a variety of units that cater to different lifestyle needs and budgets.
4. Retail and Dining: The new residential towers have brought in new retail and dining options, making the neighborhood a one-stop-shop for all mall-goers and foodies. This new development has provided critical mass of residents needed to support local shops, restaurants, and other services and amenities close by.
5. Revitalization of Scruffy Industrial Zone: The development has revitalized what was once a scruffy industrial zone. The new development makes it evident that a neighborhood’s potential can only be realized with proper planning and strategy.
The Douglas Road Metrorail Station’s development has shown us that establishing transit-oriented communities can provide a comprehensive solution to economic, transit, and housing problems in the city. The revitalization of what was once an industrial wasteland into a thriving and bustling neighborhood is a testimony to the transformative power of transit-oriented development.
Related Facts:
– The transit-oriented development strategy was approved by Miami-Dade in 1998, but its execution was delayed until 2015.
– The development of the Douglas Road Metrorail Station is unusually large in size, with over seven acres of property.
– The redevelopment’s strategic location next to historically Black West Coconut Grove and affluent Coral Gables has contributed to its success.
Key Takeaway:
Establishing transit-oriented communities is a strategic and practical solution to the housing and transportation crisis plaguing the city. The Douglas Road Metrorail Station is a testament to the transformative power of proper planning and strategy.
Conclusion:
The Douglas Road Metrorail Station’s development has transformed what was once a scruffy industrial zone into a bustling, vibrant, and active community. Transit-oriented development and the use of long-underused parking lots and land provide a practical solution to economic, transit, and housing problems in the city while promoting small-business development, reducing automobile dependency, and fostering a walkable community. The development of the Douglas Road Metrorail Station should serve as a blueprint for the development of other neighborhoods in the city.
