Smart Growth / Transportation for Livable Communities

Transit-Oriented Development

Save the Date: TOD MarketPlace
September 26, 2008

The transit lifestyle in the Bay Area comes in several forms, from for-purchase townhomes and condos, to rental apartments, to live-work lofts for lease or purchase. The architectural styles and settings are just as diverse: Some complexes have a Mediterranean or Victorian feel, while others sport an industrial motif. Some offer scenic views, while others provide the cultural richness of a downtown arts or entertainment district.

A new publication issued by MTC along with the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission captures the variety — and appeal — of this new development pattern. New Places, New Choices: Transit-Oriented Development in the San Francisco Bay Area showcases 10 shining examples of transit-oriented districts and corridors. In words and full-page photos, the handsome report makes the case for replicating these best practices around the region.

To quote the report, “Transit-oriented development is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon; it is a flexible form of development adapted to local circumstances.”

You also can request a printed copy of this publication: e-mail library@mtc.ca.gov, fax 510.817.5932 or phone 510.817.5836.

---

TOD Policy

To promote cost-effective transit, ease regional housing shortages, create vibrant communities and preserve open space, MTC has adopted a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy that will be applied to transit extension projects in the Bay Area. Research shows that residents living within half a mile of transit are much more likely to use it and that large job centers within a quarter mile of transit draw more workers on transit.

The $11.8 billion Regional Transit Expansion Program that MTC adopted as Resolution 3434 in 2001 was accompanied by a strong directive to develop a policy that would condition the allocation of regional discretionary funds for transit expansion projects on supportive local land use plans and policies. In December 2003, MTC adopted a five-point Transportation/Land Use Platform that reconfirmed the Commission's commitment to conditioning Resolution 3434 funds on supportive land use in order to generate new transit riders and make the region's transit investments more cost-effective. With input from numerous stakeholders, MTC staff has been working on a new TOD policy since that time.

MTC's TOD policy includes three key elements. The first is corridor-based performance measures to quantify minimum levels of development around transit stations. The minimum thresholds will be based on the transit mode — there will be a higher threshold for more capital-intensive modes, such as BART.

Secondly, MTC will help to fund station area plans for jobs and housing, station access, design standards, parking and other amenities based on unique circumstances and community character.

The third element of the TOD policy is the creation of corridor working groups to bring together local government staff, transit agencies, county congestion management agencies (CMAs) and other key stakeholders along the corridor to help develop station area plans to meet MTC's corridor-wide land-use thresholds.

Case studies have been conducted along five Resolution 3434 corridors — BART to San Jose, e-BART to east Contra Costa County, Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART), the Dumbarton rail corridor and the Richmond ferry — to help evaluate the varying demands and capacities for both housing and jobs, and to determine potential paths to success. MTC staff has presented the initial draft TOD policies throughout the region and particularly in above-mentioned corridors, and has received significant feedback. Details on application of the policy, corridor level thresholds, and station area plans currently are being developed in response to these comments.