Best Practices in Transit Best Practices in Transit Agency Joint DevelopmentAgency Joint Development

Presented by Robin Kniech, FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong CommunitiesSurvey & Report Co-Author Melinda Pollack, Enterprise Community Partners

Partners in Innovation National SymposiumDenver, Colorado - September 27, 2010

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Survey Methodology

Agencies with light rail in operation or planned for near future

Examined 24 in total

Public sources such as websites, attempted interviews with transit agency staff and sometimes city, developer, or other outside sources

Early 2008, updated at end of 2009

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Which Agencies Are Acting

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Outcomes as of 2009

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Why Transit Agencies Are Acting

Transit agencies are unanimous: Primary mission is transit, not affordable housing

Yet many actively promote affordable housing in policy and practice because it supports this mission through:

Increased ridership (documented by Miami, Portland, others) Consolidation and/or shared parking Greater place-making greater overall success of joint-

development Efficiency through shared use spaces Decreased paratransit costs due to greater accessibility (TriMet)

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How Agencies Are Achieving Results

Tools: Explicitly required in RFP Open-ended in RFP, evaluation of responses considers

affordability Negotiation Land swap Land sale Long-term land lease

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Public land = leverage

Federal policy evolving, likely carrots in the future for agencies thinking about enhancing their affordable focus and outcomes

Agencies indicate a high degree of cooperation from developers when clear expectations are set early

Opportunities

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High parking replacement requirements can be cost-prohibitive (but lowering parking ratios at affordable units more palatable than at market-rate?)

Greater likelihood of success if agency can/will accept less than market rate for highest-best use – (Tri-met model, federal evaluation of regs underway)

On-going articulation of shared values and collaboration among transit agency, cities, and sometimes region or state is critical to success

Challenges

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Any elements of success or challenges from attendees who have been involved in these projects?

Relative importance of the transit joint development approach as compared to other affordable TOD strategies?

Role of federal policy in promoting more agencies to include affordable housing and/or making it easier to do affordable joint development? Regulatory level? Within National Transportation Reform?

National Implications and Discussion Questions

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Contact information

Robin Kniech, rkniech@fresc.org

Melinda Pollack, mpollack@enterprisecommunity.org

Access our report: http://fresc.org/downloads/TransitDev.pdf.