Quick-Response Research on Long-Term Strategic Issues. Task 47. Affordable Housing and Transit
The lack of affordable housing is a critical issue throughout the United States. After reversing the COVID-19 pandemic’s induced urban flight from cities, rental prices have quickly risen nationwide. Many communities face increasing financial pressures from the rent hikes, and affordable housing policies remain most important for many municipalities. The provision of affordable housing is of particular interest to public transit agencies with a focus on equity. Transit agencies are uniquely positioned to assist in alleviating the growing crisis by supporting and even directly constructing affordable housing units. Doing so can also support transit agencies directly with increased ridership. Transit-oriented developments (TODs) have always been seen as a way to create walkable, mixed-used spaces that support vibrant and equitable communities. However, a 2021 study by the University of Utah, which analyzed 85 TODs across the country, found that a third of the developments have no affordable housing. The study concludes that, “TODs are generally unaffordable for low- and moderate-income households. A lack of city-and state-level policy has fragmented TODs affordability because the production relies on nonprofit developers.” Creative solutions are therefore being proposed. Sound Transit, in collaboration with Amazon, is building 318 affordable housing units near light rail stations. The project received $42.5 million from Amazon through low-interest loans and grants. Future renters will earn 30-80% of the area’s median income. Amazon plans to follow up with 1,200 affordable housing homes on Sound Transit’s property. The public-private partnership between Sound Transit and Amazon may provide a guideline for how other transit agencies can support the communities they serve apart from traditional transportation. The hope is that it will also increase ridership demand for transit. New Jersey Transit has ambitiously begun several TOD initiatives across the state encompassing several transit modes. Funding was secured in part with FTA grants to develop affordable housing alongside bus rapid transit (BRT) stations. Plans are in progress to construct TODs next to Metropark Station, Newark, Jersey City, and surrounding other major commuter rail stations. NJ Transit, while still using the traditional approach to funding, is leading the nation in new TOD communities. There is little concrete data yet indicating how much of these new units will be classified as affordable housing, but some will be. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is launching several TOD developments specifically targeted for affordable housing units and is currently seeking partners to develop several locations alongside existing stations. Partners include local nonprofit developers and other affordable housing developers with BART’s contribution as reduced land cost. In 2021, the Port Authority of Allegheny County released new guidelines for best practices when implementing TODs, hoping for induced demand leading to new construction. This has led to several local communities to reexamine their zoning codes in support of affordable housing in TODs. One of the most ambitious projects features a multimodal transit station and mixed-used development. Financing of almost $160 million for the total project is coming from local, state, and federal investments alongside other unfinalized means. With grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration to develop TOD strategy, the Berkley Charleston Dorchester Council of Government (BCDCOG) is advancing equitable TOD at station locations within the proposed Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT), a modern BRT system to serve the greater Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester region. The overarching strategy for equitable TOD along the LCRT corridor is to work with the private sector and regional housing advocates to increase the overall supply of housing, preserve existing naturally occurring affordable units, renovate existing units, and increase the total number of legally restricted units to achieve an overall housing affordability goal of 20% for each station’s walkshed. In 2019, the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and the City of Memphis were awarded a $12 million department of transportation BUILD grant to design and construct the Memphis Innovation Corridor BRT system, mConnect. Implementation of the mConnect is anticipated in 2026. TOD along the Innovation Corridor will go hand in hand with guiding sustainable growth in Memphis and improving the pedestrian environment. Specific strategies are proposed to address challenges such as affordable housing near jobs and limited financing available for development. Encouraging increased density and public infrastructure improvements through TOD planning is expected to provide more opportunities to live and work in the Innovation Corridor and support using BRT and other sustainable transportation options. The objective of this project is to develop a guide and innovative products that would assist transit agencies to identify strategies and tools to increase the provision and access to affordable housing along transit and multimodal corridors.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $100000
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Contract Numbers:
Project J-11, Task 47
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Sponsor Organizations:
Transit Cooperative Research Program
Transportation Research Board
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001Federal Transit Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Project Managers:
Garcia-Colberg, Mariela
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Performing Organizations:
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Suite 500
Washington, DC United States -
Principal Investigators:
Puentes, Robert
- Start Date: 20240528
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Best practices; Costs; Equity; Financing; Housing; Public transit; Transit oriented development
- Subject Areas: Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01866945
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
- Contract Numbers: Project J-11, Task 47
- Files: TRB, RIP
- Created Date: Dec 13 2022 9:26AM