DATE: June 23, 2026
TO: Council Infrastructure and Airport Committee
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Update on BART Transit-Orientated Redevelopment Projects
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council Infrastructure and Airport Committee (CIAC) receive an overview of and update on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) transit-oriented development projects in Hayward.
SUMMARY
This report provides an overview of transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities at the Hayward and South Hayward BART station areas in coordination with BART, including a description of BART’s updated TOD Work Plan and a summary of ongoing coordination efforts between the City and BART. These efforts are intended to support housing production, enhance multimodal access, and advance shared goals for sustainable, transit-supportive development.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item does not require direct financial contributions from the City. The early phases of this project will involve limited staff time, which will be absorbed by existing staff. City staff time spent on the later development review stage will be reimbursed by the developer.
This project is being led by BART, with City support on outreach, coordination, and technical support, such as a presentation on the importance of this project to CIAC (see Table 1 below). BART is not requesting direct financial contributions from the City. However, City staff anticipate investing time to support coordination during the Request for Proposals (RFP) and developer selection process and local planning entitlements following selection of a development partner. The City has a vested interest in the development of this parcel, and actively contributing to the public process is important for a successful product.
BART will provide their baseline community benefits in this development, such as minimum 20% affordable units, and is committed to including mobility hub elements to benefit the City. If the City wants higher commitment to these included elements, such as an increased percentage of affordable units, BART expects the City to help fund or secure the funds for these items. It is not anticipated at this time that the City will pursue additional commitments from BART in the TOD.
BACKGROUND
BART’s TOD program has evolved over the past two decades from a general policy framework into a more detailed, implementation-focused pipeline for delivering housing and mixed-use development on BART-owned land. BART’s TOD work began in the 1990s, with a more formalized process that took shape in the mid-2010s. Early BART TODs include Castro Valley Strobridge Apartments at Castro Valley Station, Avalon Dublin at Dublin/Pleasanton Station, and Hayward Civic Center at Hayward Station (in collaboration with the City of Hayward). To date, BART has developed 22 TOD projects (or phases of larger TODs), delivering 4,232 homes, of which 1,298 are affordable, along with 672,000 square feet of office space and 202,590 square feet of retail space.
In 2020, BART adopted its first comprehensive, systemwide implementation document (2020 BART TOD Work Plan), which:
Identified a pipeline of station-area development sites across the system, Established a sequencing strategy for advancing projects, Introduced production goals, including:
Thousands of new housing units
A significant share of affordable housing
Focused heavily on redevelopment of surface parking lots Since adoption of the 2020 Work Plan, BART has successfully completed construction on several TOD projects around the Bay Area, including:
Balboa Park
Fruitvale Phases 2A and 2B
MacArthur Phase 3
Millbrae
Walnut Creek Phase 2
West Dublin–Pleasanton Phase 2 (Pleasanton)
In March 2024, BART released the updated 2024 TOD Work Plan for public review and comment. The Work Plan was finalized and published in August 2024. The update establishes a 10-year implementation strategy focused on expanding housing production, improving station access and connectivity, and supporting BART’s long-term financial sustainability in response to post-pandemic ridership trends. The plan emphasizes the development of BART-owned properties as high-density, mixed-income, transit-supportive communities. The 2024 Work Plan identifies a standardized TOD delivery pipeline with the following phases:
Planning and predevelopment (including site analysis, community engagement, and land use coordination) Developer solicitation (Request for Qualifications/Proposals) Developer selection and negotiation of agreements
Design, entitlement, and construction
A key function of the Work Plan is to identify when each station is anticipated to advance to the developer solicitation phase, which serves as BART’s primary benchmark for project prioritization and resource allocation.
In coordination with local jurisdictions, BART has refined its TOD program to advance the following six policy goals:
Complete Communities: Contribute to neighborhood vitality, placemaking Sustainable Communities: Support greenhouse gas reduction Ridership: Increase BART ridership
Value Creation & Value Capture: Improve BART’s financial stability Transportation Choice: Support non-automobile transportation choices Affordability: Housing affordability and access to opportunity The 2024 Work Plan also reflects a strategic shift toward redevelopment of surface parking lots and other underutilized BART-owned lands, while ensuring coordination with local planning efforts and infrastructure capacity.
BART staff engaged City staff during the development of the 2024 Work Plan. City staff initiated regular coordination meetings with BART staff in mid-2025 to discuss the Hayward and South Hayward station areas in accordance with adopted Housing Element Goal H-3, Program 8, and related Actions 8.5 through 8.8. Early discussions have focused on aligning development objectives, identifying potential constraints, and establishing preliminary timelines and community outreach strategies.
Due to limited staffing and delivery capacity, BART advances approximately one to two TOD projects per year to developer solicitation. As a result, all potential sites are sequenced and prioritized within the Work Plan. BART evaluated its developable sites using data in four prioritization categories: market readiness, local support for TOD, infrastructure readiness, and development capacity. Under the 2024 TOD Work Plan:
Hayward Station is identified as a near-term opportunity, with advancement to the developer solicitation phase anticipated within the 2024–2028 timeframe.
South Hayward Station is identified as a mid-term opportunity, with Phase 2 redevelopment anticipated in the 2029–2033 timeframe. Phase 1 development at South Hayward was completed in 2017 and included the Cadence residential project.
Nearby stations identified include Bay Fair (near-term), Union City (mid-term), and Castro Valley (long-term). Budgetary adjustments at BART in the short term may affect these timelines, but the prioritization framework will remain. Additional information regarding the scope, timing, and implementation of TOD at both stations is available in the 2024 TOD Work Plan.
DISCUSSION
BART staff have provided the City with a preliminary project schedule (Table 1) that outlines key milestones during the initial phases of the project, including coordination with City staff and the selected development team. While the schedule identifies early-stage activities, timelines for later phases remain uncertain due to resource constraints and will be refined as the project advances. BART and City staff have already completed the two open houses at the station, engaging the public on goals and objectives for the project.
Following selection of a development partner, BART is expected to enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) to establish the project framework and refine the development program. Upon completion of the project scope, the selected developer will coordinate with the City to initiate the entitlement process, including all required planning approvals and environmental review in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), if applicable.
BART has not yet identified a definitive start date for developer solicitation and selection. However, based on the current schedule, City staff anticipate that public engagement related to the project could begin as early as mid- to late-2027 with initial collaboration with staff beginning in late 2026 during the ENA phase.
Table 1: Project Milestones and Tentative Schedule
TASK
ASSIGNED TO
START
END
Existing Conditions, Goals, and Objectives
Finalize goals and objectives
BART, City support
Q1 2026
Q3 2026
Public Process: Goals and Objectives
Open houses (2) at station
BART, City support
Q2 2026
Q2 2026
Infrastructure and Airport Committee
City
Q2 2026
Q2 2026
BART Board consideration of goals and objectives
BART
Q3 2026
Q3 2026
RFP Preparation
Developer outreach
BART
Q3 2026
Q3 2026
Draft RFP
BART
TBD
Developer Solicitation and Onboarding
RFP Release
BART
TBD
Proposals due
Developers
TBD
BART Board ENA authorization
BART
TBD
ENA negotiation
Developer and BART
TBD
Sign ENA and begin negotiation phase
Developer and BART
TBD
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
While this item is not specifically related to a project identified in the Strategic Roadmap. Staff is bringing forth this update because eventual redevelopment of underutilized BART-owned properties into vibrant transit oriented mixed-use development would support several Strategic Priorities including Invest in Infrastructure, Grow the Economy, Cultivate Vibrant Neighborhoods, Champion Climate Resilience, and Preserve, Protect & Produce Housing. Staff recommend that this redevelopment project be included in the next bi-annual update to Council on the Strategic Roadmap in support of BART’s efforts.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
This is an update on a work plan to eventually redevelop BART-owned properties with transit-oriented, high density residential development, which may foster transit use over single occupancy vehicle use. By clustering high-density housing, jobs, and mixed-use amenities near transit nodes, TODs are intended to boost daily ridership, lower household car ownership, and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Any future development will be subject to California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) and any Reach Codes in place at the time of development.
PUBLIC CONTACT
In May, BART hosted a survey and conducted two community open house events at the Downtown Hayward BART Station to solicit input from riders, residents, and other stakeholders on draft project goals and objectives for future TOD. BART received 339 survey responses and 233 responses to their Open House dot exercise. The top priorities, in order, for participants in the dot exercise were:
Create a place that provides a vibrant and positive first impression of Downtown Hayward for residents, visitors, and employees arriving via transit, as envisioned in Hayward’s Downtown Specific Plan.
Provide housing at a range of affordability levels to meet the needs of diverse community members, consistent with the affordability goals of the City of Hayward’s Housing Element, Downtown Specific Plan, and Inclusionary Housing Policy.
Require at least 20% of homes on the site to be affordable for low-income and very low-income households, supporting BART’s goal of building 35% affordable housing systemwide.
Increase the share of BART riders who walk, bike, or take transit to BART through access improvements that offer safe, viable non‐car choices to BART riders.
Align with a vision of Downtown Hayward as a dense, transit-oriented center with jobs and housing within walking distance of bus and BART.
Attract riders from Downtown Hayward and beyond by improving the station area and making it easier to walk, bike, and take transit to and from BART.
Survey results were largely consistent with feedback from the in-station outreach events. Respondents broadly supported a vibrant, mixed-use transportation hub with ground-floor retail, cafes, farmers markets, fitness, and third spaces that activate the street, notably strengthening the station’s role as a transportation hub by enhancing access and connectivity for bus and BART riders, and people walking or biking.
Support for density was strong, but affordability was more divisive. Some respondents prioritize greater affordability and housing for essential workers and existing Hayward residents, while others feel the area already has sufficient subsidized housing and prefer more market-rate units to strengthen the city's tax base and image.
Additional public concerns included parking availability, building height and neighborhood scale, earthquake risk along the Hayward Fault, and the risk of vacant ground-floor retail.
Although the project is in its goals phase and has not selected a developer to propose general building concepts, the City is proactively considering and evaluating parking availability and occupancy near BART as part of its work toward consistency with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s goals of improved transit-oriented communities. BART’s TOD policy, which aligns with state and regional guidance, calls for residential projects to include an average of 0.5 off-street parking spaces per unit. One facility constructed without any off-street parking faced challenges in the Downtown area. In the survey results, participants generally expressed concerns about any development having outsized effects on the neighborhood—specifically respondents cited the construction of either too much or not enough parking as potential issues, split fairly evenly across over 20 responses total. Adding bicycle parking, handicapped parking, and improving the feeling of safety in parking areas were all cited frequently without opposition.
These are all design details which will be discussed at a later phase, but City staff are actively undertaking efforts to improve curbside management to alleviate perceived parking challenges, including timed, permitted, and potentially paid on- and off-street parking, as well as shared and bundled private parking. The City is focused on improving how this public space is managed, so that it can be used more effectively and equitably by all members of the community.
BART also presented the project to the Downtown Hayward Improvement Association (DHIA) on May 12, 2026 with City staff present, and is incorporating their feedback into the project as well.
NEXT STEPS
Following this presentation, BART is anticipated to bring the Draft Goals and Objectives to the BART Board for consideration. The next step after that would be to advance the project to the developer solicitation phase, leading to selection of a development partner and execution of an exclusive negotiating agreement.
Upon finalization of the project scope, BART’s selected developer will coordinate with the City to initiate the entitlement process. Based on the current schedule, City-led engagement on the project is expected to begin as early as mid- to late-2027, with timelines subject to revision as the project progresses.
Prepared by: Leigha Schmidt, AICP, Acting Planning Manager George Foster, AICP, Senior Transportation Planner
Recommended by: Byron Tang, PE, Deputy Director of Public Works – Transportation Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
______________________________
Jennifer Ott, City Manager
BART Transit-Oriented Development Program (2024): https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/20240826%20TOD%20Work%20Plan_Final.pdf Hayward Housing Element, Housing Plan. https://www.hayward-ca.gov/your-government/documents/general-plan/housing-element/housing-plan