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Transit Villages

On Wednesday, July 27, 2005, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) —our region's transportation agency—passed a cutting edge policy that will ensure a good investment of over $8 billion in new regional transit projects! This Regional Transit Oriented Development Policy says new transit projects will not be funded until cities plan for homes in a pedestrian- and bike-oriented design around new stations. Greenbelt Alliance, along with Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC),Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) and many others, has been lobbying MTC to pass a strong policy that can work throughout the region.

Putting homes around transit increases the number of riders; people who live within a half-mile of transit stations are five times more likely to ride than others living further away.1 In the Bay Area, we haven't seen a connection between transit and land use like this before and our transit lines—and taxpayers—have paid for it. Instead of putting homes near transit, we've put parking lots and big box stores there, like the Costco store near the South San Francisco BART. Poor land uses around stations have decreased riders, which means transit lines need operating subsidies to make up for lost fares.

What This Policy Means

Looking forward, this TOD policy will help the region avoid past land use mistakes. Implementation will be key to its success: over $8 billion in new transit projects will be conditioned by this policy—including the eastern Contra Costa County BART extension, Sonoma Marin Rail, BART to San Jose, Bus Rapid Transit through Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro, the Dumbarton Rail, and ferries across the Bay. Each corridor will be required to plan for a minimum number of homes around stations. Cities and local transit agencies will form corridor working groups to allocate units to each station and create station area plans. MTC needs to make sure that the working groups have the resources they need to create plans and to hold the cities accountable to the policy.

MTC is already taking the first step towards successful implementation by awarding $2.8 million in grants for cities' station area plans. The first round of station area planning grants will likely be approved when the policy is adopted next week. Corridors and stations proposed to receive planning grants include the eBART line, Downtown Santa Rosa on the SMART line, Alameda Point ferry terminal, Downtown San Leandro Bus Rapid Transit station, and others. While it is likely that the amount of funding will need to increase, possibly to include the costly Environmental Impact Reports, the first funding round shows MTC's commitment to working with cities to plan for great communities around stations.

We will have an important role in creating the station area plans and in pushing cities to plan for more homes and better access than even required in the policy. MTC's TOD Policy lays the groundwork for a viable transit system and great communities throughout the Bay Area.

¹Lund, R. Cervero, and R. Wilson, "Travel Characteristics of Transit-Oriented Development in California," Caltrans Statewide Planning Studies, bart.gov/docs/planning/Travel_of_TOD.pdf (January 2004) pp. 6-7.