Governor signs bill to facilitate development around BART stations

Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Sunday to streamline housing development around BART stations and mitigate the epic problem of affordable housing in the Bay Area to the detriment of local authorities' decision-making powers over the use of BART stations. lands.

Proponents of the Assembly said that Assembly Bill 2923 would speed up the construction of housing near transit areas where it is most needed and often the most controversial, with projects that sometimes last up to ten years. years.

The bill will help alleviate two of the most serious problems in the Bay Area: increasing congestion and rising house prices, said Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

"We are going to burst the champagne because this bill will replace the real pain that people are experiencing every day: daily commutes and astronomical prices," Guardino said.

That's to say, if developers are proposing projects, what Guardino said "is not difficult to sell".
"It's covered land," he said. "It's a density opportunity in a BART station for homes that can be available at almost any price level."

Opponents argued that it would undermine local planning and add a "mission slip" to a struggling transit agency.

BART has worked with developers to build more than 3,800 apartments and townhouses in 13 of its resorts, nearly 2,000 of which have already been built.

The bill requires BART to develop guidelines similar to those adopted in 2016 for 20,000 households throughout the system by 2040, with 35% offered at a lower rate than the market. Some cities in East Bay and San Francisco property accordingly. This would also accelerate developments on BART – owned properties, provided that the heights of the buildings do not exceed the highest authorized floors in the surrounding lands.

The bill was passed by Tim Grayson, D-Concord, a former mayor of Concord, and his colleague David Chiu, D-San Francisco, a former supervisor in the city, and won the support of businesses, unions and transport.

Last month, Grayson said, "The time has come for cities to find real housing solutions, rather than continue to build roadblocks and try to destroy affordable housing projects."

But Alameda County and a host of East Bay towns such as Fremont, Hayward, Lafayette and Pleasant Hill opposed it. The board of directors of BART – which officially took a neutral stance – was split.

BART Executive Director Grace Crunican weighed in shortly after signing the bill.

"With the adoption of AB 2923, lawmakers are sending a message to all local policymakers about the urgent need to build housing now. At BART, we could not agree more, "said Crunican.

"While AB 2923 is asking BART to adopt new zoning standards for transit-oriented development for each BART station, I want to assure community leaders and residents that BART s & # 39; We are committed to continuing our collaborative approach. We have found that working closely with neighborhoods and local elected officials to take into account the needs of the community is not only respectful, but also the most effective way to get the job done.