Sacramento, CA--A bill authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Timothy S. Grayson (D-Concord) to encourage transit-oriented development (TOD) at certain Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations today passed the Senate Floor. Assembly Bill 2923 will require BART to set new standards for transit-oriented development on BART-owned land within a half mile of a BART station. To reduce delays, the bill requires local governments to update their own zoning to meet BART’s affordability and zoning standards.
“Building housing near major transit hubs just makes sense,” said Assemblymember Chiu, who chairs the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. “Speeding up transit-oriented projects will help alleviate our housing crisis and make it easier for residents to afford to live and work in our very expensive Bay Area.”
“We have acres and acres of underutilized real estate within walking distance of BART that is ripe for affordable, transit-oriented development,” said Assemblymember Grayson. “AB 2923 is a common sense measure to speed up construction in communities throughout the Bay Area, and I am confident that this measure will increase housing supply, reduce traffic congestion, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
Building mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods adjacent to frequent and efficient public transportation will allow the Bay Area to grow while reducing regional congestion. Transit-oriented development results in improved job access, reduced auto dependence, more affordable living, and stronger public transit ridership and fare revenue.
The BART Board of Directors recently passed a progressive and ambitious TOD policy committing itself to fully building out BART-owned land around its stations by 2040, which would produce over 20,000 new units of housing.
However, TOD projects often face lengthy delays, in some cases of more than a decade, due to jurisdictions demanding less housing and more parking for transit-adjacent developments. This increases project costs while reducing project benefits and affordability. As a result, BART has not proposed transit-oriented development on many of the sites that could produce much-needed housing.
AB 2923 will require BART to adopt TOD zoning standards for BART-owned land and in turn will require local jurisdictions to update local zoning within two years to reflect those standards. Thirty percent of the total housing units generated under AB 2923 must be affordable to low- and very low-income residents. Projects will be eligible for by-right approval if they meet affordability standards and satisfy certain updated zoning requirements set by the bill. Recent amendments ensure that housing built on BART property will take into account the surrounding community by only streamlining those projects that are no more than one story above locally approved heights within a half mile of the property.
The Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California are co-sponsoring AB 2923. The measure will now go back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote.
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Tim Grayson represents the 14th Assembly District that includes the communities of Benicia, Concord, Clayton, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Vallejo, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek. For more information please visit the Assemblymember’s website, www.assembly.ca.gov/a14.
Voices for Transit Oriented Development
“Building, safe affordable, and walkable communities on undeveloped land around BART stations is a no brainer. We can provide housing to working families while reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. I applaud the authors of AB2923 for creating a path to more swiftly deliver great communities around BART.” --Nick Josefowitz, BART Board of Directors Vice President
"Our members know from experience that it takes dynamic public-private partnerships and close alignment and coordination between BART and cities to deliver attractive transit-oriented affordable housing that will benefit local residents, improve neighborhoods and reduce traffic congestion. AB 2923 will ensure that optimal planning policies and progressive development guidelines are adopted and implemented to bring these developments to fruition. We thank Assemblymembers David Chiu and Tim Grayson and BART Director Josefowitz for taking the lead on this critical effort and we are pleased to support it." --Michael Lane, Policy Director, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)
"The lands around the Bay Area’s BART system hold tremendous potential for accommodating growth in the right places. Unfortunately, despite decades of effort, the development potential of these lands remains largely untapped. As the state’s housing crisis worsens, state legislators and Bay Area leaders are looking for bolder solutions and this bill promises to activate BART lands to make equitable, sustainable communities come to life within walking distance of transit." --Joel Devalcourt, Regional Director, Greenbelt Alliance