Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse
Strategy-of-the-Month Club
June 2009
Low-income families spend a disproportionate
amount of
their income on transportation-related
expenses, as they
often trade shorter commutes for the
reduced housing
costs found in outlying areas. Creating
affordable
housing close to public transit facilities
can increase
overall housing affordability (and
reduce the cost of
living) for low- and moderate-income
families. A report
from the Center for Transit Oriented
Development, Tools
for
Mixed-Income TOD, discusses
resources and strategies
that local governments can bring to
bear when integrating
mixed-income housing within transit-oriented
developments
(TOD).
To promote a range of housing options
within TODs, the
report suggests undertaking station
area plans: area-
specific land use plans that focus
on transit corridors.
For greater flexibility in planning
for transit-oriented
development, local governments can
create floating or
overlay TOD zoning districts. Communities
can also adopt
reduced parking requirements and provide
incentives, such
as density bonuses that encourage developers
to include
affordable housing units in TOD projects.
Strategies such
as public-private partnerships and
tax-increment
financing can be used to finance mixed-income
transit-
oriented housing development. Creating
public-private
partnerships between developers and
local governmental
units or transit agencies can lower
some of the risks and
costs involved in the development process.
In addition,
the report provides examples of TOD
best practices from
across the nation, including the following
three:
Mission Bay Station Area Plan in San
Francisco,
California; expedited permitting in
Austin, Texas; and
inclusionary zoning in Montgomery County,
Maryland.
For detailed descriptions of tools
and best practices
designed to promote mixed-income TOD,
please view the
report in its entirety
at https://www.huduser.gov/rbc/search/rbcdetails.asp?DocId=1833.
We hope this information proves useful
to you in your
efforts to grow your region's affordable
housing stock.
If you have regulatory reform strategies
or resources
that you'd like to share, email us
at rbcsubmit@huduser.gov,
call us at 1-800-245-2691 (option 4),
or visit our website
at www.regbarriers.org.
Feel free to forward this message to
friends and
acquaintances with an interest in reducing
housing costs
by creating an environment that's favorable
to affordable
housing.
--------------------------------------------------------
This message was forwarded to you by
the Regulatory
Barriers Clearinghouse eList (rbc@huduser.gov)
because
you had expressed an interest in affordable
housing and
regulatory reform. If you do not wish
to receive these
occasional messages, send an email
from your account to
rbc@huduser.gov
with the word "unsubscribe" in the
SUBJECT line.
