Encourage transit-oriented development
Action
Supporting transit and transit-oriented development yields benefits for the transportation system as a whole, for the environment, and for compact, walkable, mixed-use communities. The state’s department of transportation can give priority for funding to projects in existing nodes, designated growth centers, and transit-oriented development zones. Well-designed transit-oriented development can be a powerful engine for local growth and for maintaining and growing the local tax base.
Process
State transportation departments can facilitate partnerships to develop and improve transit-oriented development in specific areas. Partnerships that include local officials, planners, and citizens will be most successful in ensuring that projects incorporate local visions for growth. Departments of transportation should also work with other state departments (e.g., budget, economic development, housing, etc.) to develop a program of direct support and investment in housing and job creation within transit-oriented districts. The support could come in the form of technical assistance or direct financial assistance with the development of street infrastructure in and around transit-oriented developments. Transportation funds can also be used to support housing near transit or employment centers.
Other specific state actions could include:
- Using federal funds to leverage both local and private dollars (e.g., transit station joint development projects);
- Developing a park-and-ride investment strategy where transit intersects state highways;
- Identifying potential station areas and targeting state investment to those areas;
- Investing in local circulators and park-once districts in advance of regional transit; and
- Developing model codes for local governments to facilitate transit-oriented development around station areas, (e.g., form-based codes and transit overlay districts).
Examples
- New Jersey’s Transit Village Program
New Jersey created a Transit Village program in which a Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit partnership offers planning assistance, streamlining, and limited funding for localities that have developed a detailed vision for renewing areas around transit stations into mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods.
— New Jersey’s Transit Village Program - Oakland, California’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Transportation for Livable Communities was developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Oakland, California, some six years ago. The goal was to create vibrant downtown areas, commercial cores, neighborhoods, and transit corridors, to make them places where people want to live, work and visit. Under the Transportation for Livable Communities program, developers can apply for grants to pay for planning and construction costs. The grants include the Community Design Planning Program, the Capital Program, and the Housing Incentive Program. The Housing Incentive Program rewards local governments for building housing near transit stops. The amount of money rewarded to the local government is determined by the density and the amount of affordable housing units. The Housing Incentive Program does not directly subsidize construction costs, the rewards from the Transportation for Livable Communities program can be used throughout the local government’s jurisdiction.
— HIP program
— TLC Handbook
