Denver's Southeast Line: Low walk appeal, limited job creation

A report found that Denver's Southeast Rail Line, which opened in late 2006, has not been a powerful driver of job growth. Strong housing development has occurred, improving job-work balance, according to study author Reconnecting America.

The report is part of a larger research project to analyze how social equity in the Denver region can be improved through increased transit accessibility.

The Southeast area is a key suburban employment area and has been for a long time. But the area's low "walk appeal" may limit the rail line's economic development impact. "The Southeast Line is adjacent to an interstate highway on one side throughout most of the line, so workers on the other side of the highway have severe connectivity challenges. Moreover, many of the existing office buildings are surrounded by surface parking lots and busy arterial streets, so getting to and from the stations remains a major challenge," the report says. Accessing jobs therefore involves driving. "The last mile" transit connections — i.e. shuttle buses — are needed, the report says, but redevelopment of the transit sheds into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods would be better still. It may take decades before these neighborhoods are transformed.

The Southeast Rail Line "transit sheds" contain significant jobs and industry, most of which predate the line. They also contain a fair amount of population and destinations — for suburban areas. The Walk Score of these stations are not bad, but the "walk appeal" is low because of the considerable automobile-oriented infrastructure. There's substantial potential for mixed-use development and the streets need to be made more walkable.

Consequently, Denver's Southeast light rail has not yet spurred the creation of places that are growing in demand today among educated young workers. It also does not provide much access to jobs without owning an automobile. Yet employers along the line value the proximity of light rail, ranking it third among locational characteristics, the authors say. Job growth along the line rose 10.5 percent, largely in health care, from 2002 — a year after rail construction began — to 2009. Job growth in the region as a whole rose only 0.65 percent.

The best news out of the study is the success of housing development along the line. "While the Southeast Line is primarily an employment-oriented corridor, the greatest amount of new development has been new housing units. The number of residents living within a half-mile of a transit station rose 26.8% between 2000 and 2010, while the number of new workers rose 10.5% between 2002 and 2009. This suggests that the land use mix is becoming more balanced, as more people seek to live closer to transit and use it to get to work and other destinations."

Download a pdf of the study here.