Regional governments: friends or foe? Metropolitan planning organizations, regional planning agencies and councils of government can either help or hinder local community TOD efforts. Meet three regional planning agencies -- from the Bay Area, Boston and Chicago -- who believe in helping. Learn how they support communities in planning for, financing and implementing TOD. What is the role of regional leadership? How did these programs evolve? How do they reflect the needs of your own community? Discuss key elements in small groups with the team of presenters: TOD planning grants, housing affordability as a transportation crisis, and market feasibility. Learn to advocate for your regional agency to take a deeper role in TOD. Moderator: Chris Sandvig, Regional Policy Director, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, GoBurgh Initiative, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Jessica Hector-Tsu, PE, Director, Planning and Market Development, Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago, Illinois Matthew Smith, Senior Economic Development Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, Massachusetts Therese Trivedi, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California

1. Priority Development Area (PDA)
Planning Program
Preparing Your Region for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Railvolution
October 26, 2015
Therese Trivedi, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
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2. • Priority Development
Areas (PDAs)
• Locally‐nominated areas for
development
• Frequent transit service
• Nearly 200 PDAs in the
region
• Framework for long‐
range planning and
regional growth
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San Francisco Bay Area – Priority Development Areas

3. • Comprehensive
neighborhood‐level land use
& transportation planning
o Land use alternatives
o Market studies
o Access & Parking
o Affordable Housing
o Infrastructure & Financing
• Links local aspirations and
regional objectives
• Includes programmatic
environmental documents to
streamline development
process
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MTC’s PDA Planning Program – What is it?

4. • Supports discrete
projects that advance
implementation of PDA
plans
• Addresses
implementation barriers
identified during PDA
Planning process
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Technical Assistance Program

5. PDA Plans In Action
Within 6 months of adopted MTC‐funded plans (examples):
• New Units*
• Oakland / Broadway: 1,200
• South San Francisco Downtown: 500, including 90 very low income
• Retail development*
• Oakland / Broadway: 150,000 sq. feet
* permit submitted or approved for construction
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Regional Plan
Local
Planning/Zoning
Development
Why Plan?

6. • PDA Planning – 51 projects
o 60,000 + housing units
o 103,000 + new jobs
o 26 million sq. ft. commercial
development
• Technical Assistance* ‐ 31 projects
o Focus on barriers to local planning
implementation
*Includes PDA Staffing Assistance projects
PDA Planning ‐
$23,979,500
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PDA Technical Assistance ‐
$1,787,500
PDA Planning & Technical Assistance:
Results To‐Date (2005)
MTC Investment in PDA Planning
and Technical Assistance To‐Date

7. • Even if a city has an adopted plan/TOD‐friendly
zoning, what are tools to incentivize development,
particularly in “cooler” markets?
• How can jurisdictions overcome barriers or sticking
points to implementing their plans?
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Food for Thought/Discussion