EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

To address the housing crisis and pollution, metro areas from Los Angeles to New York to Boston have taken the lead in tying new housing developments to their proximity to public transit, often teaming up with developers to streamline the permitting process and passing policies that promote developments that include a greater number of units.

City officials argue building housing near public transit helps energize neglected neighborhoods and provide affordable housing, while ensuring a steady stream of riders for transit systems and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road.

In Washington D.C., projects have added nearly 1,500 apartments and office space since 2022. States like California and Massachusetts are reforming zoning laws to allow more housing near transit, aiming to reduce car use and improve community vibrancy.

___

READ AP'S STORY

Building apartment projects near public transit helps address housing crisis, combat climate change

___

FIND YOUR CITY OR STATE: EXAMPLES IN AP'S REPORTING

AP found several examples of specific sites where housing is being built near transit or states where legislation is encouraging these kinds of developments.

— —

CALIFORNIA

The Santa Monica Vermont Apartments in East Hollywood is part of an ambitious plan by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build 10,000 homes near its transit sites by 2031. A critical part of that effort is a policy enacted nearly a decade ago that offers developers land discounts in exchange for affordable housing development and other community benefits.

— — —

COLORADO

Colorado requires cities to allow an average of 40 dwelling units per acre within a quarter-mile of transit.

— — —

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

In Washington D.C., the transit authority has completed eight projects since 2022 that provided nearly 1,500 apartments and a million square feet of office space. About half were in partnership with Amazon, as part of its commitment to spend $3.6 billion on affordable housing through low-cost loans and grants in Washington, D.C. and other locations. Almost all are within a half-mile of public transit stops.

— — —

GEORGIA

Approximately 3,000 transit-oriented rental units in five properties have been developed near Atlanta’s MARTA stations since 2017. There is a requirement for 20% of those to be affordable. Six more developments, mostly mixed-income, mixed-use properties, are expected to break ground in coming years. Some of those may include units for homeownership.

— — —

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston has built several projects near transit, including Pok Oi Residents in Chinatown, a 10-minute walk to the subway and near a half-dozen bus stops. The state also passed a law in 2021 that requires 177 communities with transit stations in their towns or communities nearby to create zoning districts allowing for multi-family housing.

— — —

TENNESSEE

Nashville received low-cost loans and grants in partnership with Amazon as part of its commitment to spend $3.6 billion on affordable housing.

— — —

UTAH

The state requires an average density of 50 dwelling units per acre in transit reinvestment zones.

— — —

WASHINGTON

The Puget Sound area received low-cost loans and grants in partnership with Amazon as part of its commitment to spend $3.6 billion on affordable housing. The governor earlier this year signed a bill allowing taller housing developments in mixed-use commercial zones near transit, similar to laws in Colorado and Utah.

___

CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS

— Start by checking with your local transit agency to see if they are taking any steps to develop housing near their sites. If yes, are there plans to expand or upgrade public transit as more people move in?

— What laws have been passed in your city, county or state to promote the development of transit oriented housing?

— What projects have been built and has there been any impact on transit ridership and nearby neighborhoods?

— Have studies been done in your area looking at the benefits and draw backs of building more housing near public transit?

— Talk to officials, experts, researchers and advocates about car usage before and after people moved into the development. Is public transit in your area effective and efficient enough for people to use instead of driving a car? Beyond public transit, how walkable and pedestrian friendly is your area? Look at how close grocery stories, pharmacies, coffee shops and other amenities are to the development sites. Are more businesses moving in to meet the demand of new tenants? What is the rate of pedestrian accidents and deaths in the area?

— Talk to community members who have moved in or are looking to move in to such developments. Are they using public transit for commuting, why or why not? Beyond potentially being able to walk to their closest public transit stop, where else can they walk to, and do they feel comfortable walking in the area near their home? What benefits or drawbacks have they experienced?

— Statewide, you can explore the zoning restrictions that may make it difficult to build housing in suburbs and rural areas. What is the history of zoning restrictions and why do they remain place? Have there been attempts to reform such regulations and who is leading those efforts? Who has opposed those efforts and why?

— A good accountability angle is to explore whether laws passed have produced more housing. Some developers have complained that towns are finding loopholes to avoid allowing housing to be built in newly zoned areas or creating zones that are not suitable for large, multifamily developments.

— Another important area of context is whether or not there’s a strain on housing in your area. Ask local officials and housing advocates about rental vacancy rates, access and affordability. Is there enough housing for people in your community?

___

POSSIBLE RESOURCES AND EXPERTS

Here's some sources who can speak to housing issues. Contact universities with housing or urban planning departments, housing nonprofits, officials, developers and contractors in your area for more local expertise.

Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. Multiple experts and researchers on housing solutions, land use and supply.

Terner Labs, Michelle Boyd, Chief Strategy Officer

Mike Manville, Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA

Chris Rhie, Rhie Planning

Jordan Grimes, Legislative Director, Greenbelt Alliance

___

Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org. View guides published in the last 30 days here.