Transit-Oriented
Communities Policy
Status Report
Community and Economic Development Committee
November 18, 2024
Item d(2)
Martina Davis, Division Manager, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department Jessica Zenk, Deputy Director, Department of Transportation Ramses Madou, Division Manager, Department of Transportation 1 MTC Transit-Oriented
Communities Policy
• Goals
• Increase housing density near transit
• Promote affordable housing options
• Enhance walkability and connectivity
• Support economic development near
transit areas
• Encourage environmental
sustainability
2 MTC Policy
Areas and
Requirements
• Covered Areas: Locations
within ½ mile of transit hubs,
including BART, Caltrain,
light-rail, and bus rapid
transit stops
• Requirements:
• Minimum density for
housing and office
space
• Affordable housing
production,
preservation, and
protection
• Commercial
stabilization
• Parking management • Access and circulation
near transit
Requirement Tiers:
• Tier 1: Rail stations serving
regional centers (Downtown
San José)
• Tier 2: Stop/station served by
two or more BART lines or
BART and Caltrain
• Tier 3: Stop/station served by
one BART line, Caltrain, light
rail transit, or bus rapid
transit
• Tier 4: Commuter rail
(Caltrain stations south of
Tamien)
3 San José Transit-Oriented
Community Areas
Tier Areas
Tier 1 2 Stations – Downtown San José & Diridon Stations Tier 2 3 Stations – Berryessa/North San José BART, 28th Street/Little Portugal BART, and Santa Clara Caltrain
Tier 3 41 Stations – Wide variety of light rail stations Tier 4 2 Stations – Capitol & Blossom Hill Caltrain Stations 4 Policy and Plan Alignment
GENERAL PLAN
HOUSING ELEMENT
(2023): Focuses on
housing preservation,
production, and
protection
PARKING REFORMS
(2022): Removal of
parking minimums
and adoption of
transportation
demand
management
URBAN VILLAGE
PLANS: Notable plans
like Berryessa (2021)
and Capitol Caltrain
(2023)
STATION AND
DOWNTOWN
STRATEGIES: Diridon
Station Plan (2021)
and Downtown
Transportation Plan
(2022)
TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENT
PLANS: Move San
José & Transit First
Policy (2022), East
and West San José
MTIPs, and Better
Bike Plan (2020)
5 Challenges
to
Compliance:
6 Example: Summary of Initial Compliance with
TOC Policy for Diridon Station Area
7 Example: Summary of Initial Compliance with
TOC Policy for Diridon Station Area
8 Example: Summary of Initial Compliance with
TOC Policy for Diridon Station Area
9 Example: Summary of Initial Compliance with
TOC Policy for Diridon Station Area
10 Consequences
Transportation Funding: Compliance with TOC Policy is mandatory to access Metropolitan Transportation Commission discretionary funds.
OBAG Cycle 4: Compliance needed by early 2026 to secure funding; past OBAG funding cycles contributed over $148 million to city projects.
Compliance applies to other regional transit funds, e.g., Regional Measure 3 for Diridon Station Redesign, VTA projects.
Early Compliance Requests: MTC is already requiring compliance documentation for some current funding allocations.
11 Next Steps
INTER-DEPARTMENT
COMPLIANCE EFFORT
WORKING WITH MTC ON
APPROACHES TO COMPLIANCE
GRANT APPLICATIONS
12 Transit-Oriented
Communities Policy
Status Report
Community and Economic Development Committee
November 18, 2024
Item d(2)
Martina Davis, Division Manager, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department Jessica Zenk, Deputy Director, Department of Transportation Ramses Madou, Division Manager, Department of Transportation 13