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Compass for Developments

Main Street Science World station from the bike path outside Science World

In order to meet TransLink’s Transport 2050 targets such as increasing active transportation and transit trips, reducing congestion, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, developers can help provide more and better options for building occupants to walk, cycle, transit, carpool, and carshare to and from their new development.

These efforts can enhance neighbourhood livability while delivering benefits to residents, commercial tenants, employees, the developer, and the region.

 

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    What is Compass for Developments?

    The Compass for Developments program allows developers to make a one-time bulk payment to TransLink to satisfy municipal Transportation Demand Management (TDM) requirements for transit benefits, while allowing stratas and/or property managers to facilitate the distribution of the transit benefits to occupants.

    This program contributes to municipal TDM requirements by reducing the reliance on parking and single-occupancy vehicle trips, while delivering benefits to building occupants, developers, and the region.

    In fall 2022, TransLink piloted the Compass for Developments program with PCI Developments at King George HUB, a transit-oriented development located steps away from King George SkyTrain Station in Surrey. Over a three-month period, TransLink monitored the ridership of participants to better understand the benefits of subsidized transit.

    Starting in April 2024, TransLink is partnering with PCI Developments to offer pre-loaded Compass Cards to tenants of PCI’s new Yarrow East Village Development in Vancouver. Like the Compass for Developments project at King George HUB, this initiative will help TransLink better understand how developer-funded transit subsidies can increase public transit use.

    To see if your development is suitable for the Compass for Developments program, please review TransLink’s TDM Checklist.

    Compass for Development Projects

    Yarrow East Village

    TransLink and PCI Developments are expanding their partnership to provide 94 pre-loaded Compass Cards to tenants of Yarrow East Village, a newly developed residential building in Vancouver. Starting on April 17, 2024, this three-month project will help TransLink better understand the benefits of incentivizing sustainable transportation for those who live in transit-oriented developments.

    During the study, transit usage will be tracked with participants’ permission. Participants will also be encouraged to fill out surveys and provide feedback on the program’s effectiveness. TransLink’s goal is to offer the Compass for Developments Program to transit-oriented developments across the region to encourage increased transit use. Once complete, project data will be shared with developers and municipalities to demonstrate the benefits of developer-funded transit subsidies.

    Yarrow East Village is a transit-oriented development located near the Kootenay Loop, which serves nine bus routes – including the R5 RapidBus – throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities.

    King George HUB

    Transit subsidies are already an option for developers to meet building sustainability requirements in some municipalities, however, there is a lack of data and studies in this area. In October 2022, TransLink partnered with PCI Developments to launch a first of its kind pilot of the Compass for Developments program.

    A key objective of the pilot was to gain a better understanding of the potential benefits and outcomes associated with providing transit subsidies to residents. This was accomplished through analysis of Compass Card usage as well as responses to intake and exit surveys by pilot participants. The goal of such demonstration pilots was to build the case for a regionally coordinated approach to TDM, which would include a requirement for developers to enroll in the Compass for Developments program. To achieve this, partnerships with regional municipalities who are responsible for establishing and enforcing local TDM bylaws would need to be established, along with cooperation from the development community.

    PCI Developments allocated $45,000 to offer 300 Compass Cards preloaded with $150 in stored value to residents and employees of King George Hub. King George Hub is a transit-oriented development in Surrey that is located next to the King George Skytrain station. King George station is served by the Expo Line, which serves Downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey.

    Resources

    How to Enroll

    Get your Compass for Developments Program started in a few easy steps:

    1. Connect with our team: Send us an email at tdmdevelopment@translink.ca and let us know you’re interested in learning more.

    2. Initial consultation: We’ll provide an overview of the program and discuss your specific needs.

    3. Onboarding: We’ll make sure things are set up to match your preferences.

    4. Payment: All payments are prepaid and processed by Electronic Funds Transfer.

    5. Launch support: We’ll provide marketing materials to support your roll-out.

    6. Data collection and monitoring: We’ll provide regular updates with data on program performance.

    Additional resources

    To register your interest and learn about how your next development could participate in the Compass for Developers Program, email tdmdevelopment@translink.ca.

    Program Benefits

    For Developers

    • Potentially reduce development costs

    • Opportunities to reduce parking space requirements or repurpose parking for other uses

    • Lower costs for onsite parking administration and maintenance

    • Increase attractiveness and marketability of developments

    • Improve transportation equity

    • Enhance community perception of new development

    • Contribute towards sustainable/green building ratings

    • Demonstrate environmental, corporate, and social responsibility

    • Reduce adverse traffic impacts of new developments (air, noise, congestion)

    For Commercial Tenants

    • Improve employee health and wellness

    • Demonstrate climate leadership and reduce climate impact

    • Support recruitment by attracting a wider, more diverse pool of applicants

    • Increase attractiveness and marketability of developments

    • Offer additional benefits beyond financial compensation

    • Show measurable progress against sustainability goals

    For Residents and Employees

    • Lower commuting costs

    • Lower costs for housing and parking

    • Reduce personal climate impact

    • Improve health and wellness

    • More space to listen, read, or socialize during commutes

    TDM Guidelines for Development in Metro Vancouver

    A train arrives at Marine Drive station while passengers wait for a bus at street level

    The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Guidelines were created to provide best practice and insight to developers and municipalities on how to incorporate TDM strategies into new developments. They are structured around four themes that cover the spectrum of process, strategies, context and evaluation that comprise the essential components of TDM planning.

    TDM Processes and Requirements

    Understand current regional processes, mechanisms for enforcement, and potential new processes (based on TDM practices in other jurisdictions).

    TDM Strategies Toolkit

    Learn key considerations when deciding when and what to implement. Understand how goals and targets frame the scale of need for TDM strategies, building around core strategies to achieve a favorable cost-benefit based on the level of investment.

    TDM in Different Contexts

    Review TDM strategies that are location-specific or better suited to certain development contexts (e.g., residential, office, retail, industrial). For instance, offering transit subsidies for projects located close to the frequent transit network.

    Forecasting and Evaluating Impacts

    One of the key components of a successful TDM program is assessing impacts on the transportation system and target audience. Discover key evaluation metrics and tools for collecting data to inform decision-making processes.