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Press ReleaseJuly 6, 2005 Contact: $8.7 Billion for Transit Expansion Hinges on Housing Plans Subheading SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, July 8, Bay Area residents have one last chance to ensure a good investment of $8.7 billion in new regional transit projects. On Friday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will hear public comment and vote on a groundbreaking transit policy. The policy says new transit projects won't be funded until cities plan for nearby housing and commercial development. Putting homes around transit will increase the number of riders; according to a Caltrans study, people who live within a half-mile of transit stations are five times more likely to ride than others living further away1. Advocates point out that there's never been much connection between land use and transit in the Bay Area. "When transit lines are surrounded by a sea of parking lots and big box stores, people wonder why the trains are empty. Housing is the key ingredient to making transit work. More homes mean more riders. And more riders make the transit system more efficient," said Stuart Cohen, Executive Director of the Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC). His group is part of a coalition that includes Greenbelt Alliance and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH), which have come together to support the new transit policy. Kate O'Hara, Regional Issues Organizer of Greenbelt Alliance, added, "We all agree that the Bay Area needs more homes; the question is where and how to build them. Putting new homes near transit will take pressure off our natural areas and working farms and take traffic off our freeways." The goal of the policy is to create "transit villages"—walkable communities with a mix of homes, jobs and shops near high-quality transit. Through MTC's policy, residents around the region can help create station area plans for their communities, similar to the process used for the Fruitvale Transit Village—a mixed-use development located adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, which includes affordable homes, services and shops. "Transit stations are especially ideal locations for affordable housing," stated Dianne Spaulding, Executive Director of NPH. "Low-income residents, in particular seniors, have the lowest car ownership rate of any potential residency group. Affordable homes mean more riders." The $8.7 billion is slated for new BART extensions in the East Bay and to San Jose, light rail in San Francisco, a rail system connecting Marin and Sonoma, and expanded ferry service across the bay. If MTC's proposal goes through, the Bay Area will see an estimated 42,000 new homes near these transit lines over the next 20 years, thousands of those affordable to lower income workers and families. Bay Area residents have a final chance to weigh in before MTC votes on July 27th. They can contact their regional MTC commissioner (a listing of the MTC commissioners can be found at www.mtc.ca.gov), or attend the final public comment session on Friday, July 8th, 9:30 a.m. at MTC offices, located at 101 8th Street, Oakland. 1H. Lund, 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. About NPH About TALC ### For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org
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