New Report Shows $5.3 Billion Development Investment Near Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line

Transit-oriented development is an integral part of New Jersey. Suburban residents have depended on commuter rail transportation to the urban centers of Newark and New York City for over a century. Inner ring suburbs grew around their train stations and many, such as Summit, South Orange, Ridgewood, and Westfield, remain desirable communities because of their walkability, quality of streetscape, variety of shopping in mixed-use commercial centers, attractive housing stock and rail access to jobs in New York City. And, while these towns have survived largely intact, most of New Jersey has had to grapple with the dramatic economic and development shifts of the post-WW II world.

This study describes how the new HBLR train service emerged as a response to growing redevelopment activity in the most urban section of New Jersey, Hudson County; and, in turn, how that new service has spurred more development — development that is focused on transit usage and walkability. To better understand the nexus of public, political and economic forces that unified to produce the Hudson Bergen Light Rail line, some historical perspective is helpful.