Draft Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Policy
Evaluation Criteria
April 2025
Credit: Karl Nielsen
Agenda
• TOC Policy Background
• Evaluation Approach
• Details of Draft Holistic Scorecard
2 TOC Policy Background
• TOC Policy (MTC Reso 4530) adopted in Sep. 2022.
• Applies to area within half-mile of existing and
planned stops/stations served by rail, light rail, BRT, and ferries.
• Program Goals:
• Increase density for office and housing
development, prioritizing affordable housing.
• Prioritize bus transit, active transportation, and
shared mobility.
• Support and build partnerships to create equitable
transit-oriented communities.
Key Goal: To implement strategies of Plan Bay
Area 2050 over several cycles Map available via TOC Policy web page 3 TOC Policy Implementation To Date
2023 – Present
250+ meetings
with stakeholders,
including 175+
providing direct
support to
jurisdiction staff
Summer 2024
Submission Portal
1.0 launched to
assist with Density
Calculations
Fall 2024
Released Final
Administrative
Guidance detailing
policy component
requirements
Winter 2025
$60 million in
planning and
capital funding
awarded to
support local TOC
implementation
4 Policy Components Overview
The TOC policy has four primary components
Density
4 standards
Housing
7 standards
Parking
9 standards
Station
Access
4 standards
Those components are further divided into specific standards 5 Scoring Approach
As proposed, One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) 4 will evaluate compliance at the jurisdiction level Individual
Standard
Score
Overall
Component
Score
Station
Area
Score
Not Compliant
Level 3
Partially
Compliant
Level 2
Fully
Compliant
Level 1
6 A jurisdiction’s
compliance level
will likely inform
funding eligibility
for OBAG 4
Jurisdiction
Score
Scoring Philosophy & Approach
I Inclusive – Recognizing diverse challenges across communities M Measurable – Ensuring clear evaluation and consistency P Progress-Oriented – Emphasizing improvement not perfection A Adaptive – Usable across funding cycles with room for growth C Clear – Limiting grey area for objectivity and transparency T Targeted – Focusing on meaningful, high-impact outcomes 7 Holistic Scorecard – Key Features
A detailed, weighted scoring system that evaluates compliance across all policy areas with granularity, offering a transparent method for tracking over time.
Density
25 points
Housing
25 points
Parking
25 points
Station
Access
25 points
8 Holistic Scorecard – Density
The Density Policy Component has four (4) standards totaling 25 points Minimum
Residential
Density
8 points
Maximum
Residential
Density
8 points
Minimum
Commercial
Office FAR
4 points
Maximum
Commercial
Office FAR
5 points
Applies a weight to each standard that reflects regional priorities and impact 9 Holistic Scorecard – Density Flexibility
To increase flexibility, each standard can be broken into a spectrum of compliance For example, minimum residential density includes standards for each TOC area Tier Minimum
Residential
Density
Point Range Tier 1
Full – 8 points 100 du/a
Substantial – 6 points 85 du/a
Partial – 4 points 75 du/a
10 Holistic Scorecard – Housing
The Housing Policy Component has four (4) standards totaling 25 points Production
Policies (2)
8 points
Preservation
Policies (2)
8 points
Protection
Policies (2)
8 points
Commercial
Stabilization (1)
1 point
Applies a weight to each standard that reflects regional priorities and impact 11 Holistic Scorecard – Housing Flexibility
The Housing component has a menu of flexible options, so a point range is less granular Production
Policies
Point Range Action
Full – 8 points Two (2) Production Policies that
meet all Requirements
Partial – 4 points One (1) Production Policy that
meets all requirements
12 Holistic Scorecard – Parking
The Parking Policy Component has six (6) standards totaling 25 points Auto MIN
(2)
4 points
Auto MAX
(2)
12 points
Bicycle MIN
(2)
6 points
Unbundled
Parking
1 point
Shared
Parking
1 point
Parking
Mgmt
1 points
Applies a weight to each standard that reflects regional priorities and impact 13 Holistic Scorecard – Parking Flexibility
To increase flexibility, each standard can be broken into a spectrum of compliance Auto
Maximum –
Residential
Point Range Tier 1
Full – 6 points 0.375 Maximum Ratio
Substantial – 4 points 0.4 Maximum Ratio
Partial – 2 points 0.5 Maximum Ratio
14 Holistic Scorecard – Station Access
The Station Access Policy Component has four (4) standards totaling 25 points Complete Streets
Policy
3 points
Active
Transportation
Network Projects
7 points
Access Gap
Analysis
8 points
Mobility Hub Plan
7 points
Applies a weight to each standard that reflects regional priorities and impact 15 Holistic Scorecard - Example Jurisdiction X
Density – 13
• Maximum
Residential
Density
• Maximum
Commercial
Density
Housing – 9
• 1 Production
• 1 Preservation
• Commercial
Stabilization
Parking – 12
• No Parking Minimums
• Bike Parking
Minimums
• Shared Parking
• Parking Mgmt. Policy
Station Access – 10
• Complete Streets
Policy
• Mobility Hub Plan
Total
44 points
0 – 39
Not Compliant
40 – 84
Partially Compliant
85 +
Fully Compliant
16 Timeline for Engagement
• April 2025 – Meetings with stakeholders (planning directors, public works, County Transportation Agencies)
• May 2025 – MTC Planning Committee/ABAG Administrative Committee • Spring 2025 – Technical assistance (model ordinances, implementation guides), consultant contract to support jurisdiction compliance • Summer 2025 – Continued engagement, refinement of evaluation framework based on feedback
• Fall 2025 – Presentation of proposed final framework to MTC and ABAG committees for consideration
• Early 2026 – Submission deadline for TOC Compliance