A controversial bill that would free BART to develop housing on the most transit oriented of development sites, its parking lots, has managed to clear the hurdles of the California Legislature.
The California State Senate passed a bill that empowers Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to develop housing on land (i.e., parking lots) surrounding stations in the BART system.
According to Adam Brinklow the bill, AB 2923, sets up BART "to develop thousands or even tens of thousands of new homes on property it owns near stations within the next few years."
"Analysis by groups like SPUR concludes that BART could create as many as 20,000 new units in the Bay Area, although this would represent a particularly high density at the locales," adds Brinklow.
For more information on the bill, see previous coverage by Planetizen Correspondent Irvin Dawid from after the bill's approval in the State Assembly and from a moment in April, when the state chapter of the American Planning Association opposed the bill.
FULL STORY: California Senate passes huge BART housing bill
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
Bay Area Proposal Calls for Combined Transit Agencies
A local legislator is asking for a plan to consolidate the region’s 27 separate transit agencies to improve financial stability and streamline service for riders.
The Imagined Bay Area of 2070: Affordable, Equitable, Prosperous
An opinion published recently by the San Francisco Chronicle offers a provocative thought exercise: How did the Bay Area of 2070 achieve affordability, equity, sustainability and adaptation in the face of climate change, and new levels of prosperity?
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service