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Train Terraces: Incubating Urbanism in Westbury Westbury, NY

Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, and David J. Lewis, LTL Architects

EDITOR'S DESIGN CHOICE

“The challenges and opportunities facing Westbury today are emblematic of greater Long Island, where the ease of horizontal thinking is seeing a limit,” write LTL Architects.  Section perspective view looking east. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

The proposal looks to dramatically expand the functions of a commuter parking and train stop, providing daily riders with a range of amenities, as well as additional parking and intermodal transportation options. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

View from the train platform looking east toward a bridge crossing over the tracks, a tech incubator lab and office space, and public green space that welcomes returning commuters. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

A new multimodal transportation hub along Post Avenue would provide a sheltered bus stop and bicycle shop and storage facility. A solar array and canopy shades the structure, providing power for an electric car charging station. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

The design doubles the number of parking spaces currently present in surface lots flanking the station, while creating new opportunities for complementary uses in a hub of activity. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

Street level plan. Parking is wrapped by liner commercial buildings, with convenience retail shops, restaurants, and cafés. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

Train platform level plan. The design introduces innovation and small-scale fabrication space to the site. A new urban green could host farmers’ markets and special events. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

Fourth floor level plan. The design is environmentally conscious, featuring mass-timber construction, innovative stormwater management, and solar energy production. Beyond green building techniques, the architects note that a greater density of living and working is the best answer to the environmental consequences of suburban expansion. Image courtesy of LTL Architects

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Two surface parking lots straddle the commuter rail station in a suburban village’s downtown. Can redevelopment of these lots support both significantly increased parking capacity and a synergistic mix of new uses?

LTL Architects’ scheme is a phased project, designed with multiple terraces that bridge under, over, and along the Long Island Rail Road, intensifying connections within the Village of Westbury. The design produces a dynamic interchange between transportation, commerce, culture, and living in place of single-use surface parking.

The number of spaces would be doubled on both sides of the tracks, in parking decks enveloped by compatible transit-oriented uses, all wrapped in an elegantly-designed facade: small retail shops, terraced apartments, a bike shop and bus shelter, “new tech” incubator space, and a civic terrace at track level, where the public can gather with a great view.

More about Train Terraces

Find out more about the Design Proposal.

Read a Q&A with Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, and David J. Lewis of LTL Architects.

Watch a video of David J. Lewis and Marc Tsurumaki  unveiling the design.

More about ParkingPLUS

Find out about the potential economic benefits of the ParkingPLUS designs.

Read about how to finance parking garages, and why it pays to build them in downtown and train station areas.

Learn more about the ParkingPLUS design challenge.