The Transit Opportunity Ahead of Us
By: J. David Chapman, PhD, / June 12, 2026
Last week, I joined fellow leaders from ONE Transit along with officials from Edmond, Norman, and Oklahoma City for a visit to North Texas to study the impact of commuter rail and the communities it serves. Our destination was Grapevine, Texas, where city leaders and Trinity Metro officials shared a story that should sound familiar to anyone thinking about Central Oklahoma's future.
Public transit often sparks debate. Some people focus on trains, stations, and operating costs. But after spending time in Grapevine, I was reminded that successful transit is really about something much larger. Transit is not the destination. It is the catalyst.
At Main Street Grapevine Station, TEXRail has become more than a transportation project. The station connects downtown Grapevine to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the broader region, but it also supports local businesses, encourages private investment, and gives residents another option besides sitting in highway traffic.
What impressed me most was how intentionally the city embraced transit-oriented development. Restaurants, retail shops, housing, hotels, and entertainment venues all benefit from the increased activity created by rail access. The train brings people, but the real estate creates value.
For years, I have argued that transit without development is just a train. The economic benefits come when communities build places where people can live, work, shop, and gather within walking distance of transit. That combination produces tax revenue, supports small businesses, and creates destinations people actually want to visit.
Central Oklahoma is experiencing tremendous growth. As our population expands, we will eventually face the same challenges confronting every successful metropolitan area: congestion, infrastructure costs, and the need for more housing options.
ONE Transit represents an opportunity to think differently about the future. Regional rail is not simply about moving people from one city to another. It is about creating new places, encouraging investment, and giving future generations more choices in how they live and travel.
Grapevine's experience demonstrates that communities do not have to choose between economic development and public transportation. Done correctly, the two work together.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a city can build is not the train itself. It is everything that grows around it. In the real estate world, we call that Transit-Oriented Development, and it is ultimately what transforms transit from a transportation project into an economic development strategy.
Dr. J. David Chapman is Chair of Finance & Professor of Real Estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu)