Build More Housing Near Transit

Summary#

This bill would change section 5309 of title 49, United States Code. It defines a new term, "pro-housing policy," and lists specific local or State actions that count, such as reducing or removing parking minimums, allowing by-right approval for multifamily housing using objective standards, reducing minimum lot sizes, using public land for housing, and raising height or unit limits. The Secretary of Transportation could give a transit capital grant project an extra 1-point increase on a five-point project-justification rating if the project applicant shows nearby areas have documented pro-housing policies. The Secretary must consult with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to develop a way to estimate how much new or preserved housing (including affordable units) the policies are likely to produce over the life of the project. The bill also requires grant program reports to include information about projects that received the rating adjustment, the policies submitted, and the expected number of housing units measured by the developed method.

What it means for you#

• Transit project applicants: projects near areas that document the listed pro-housing policies could receive a higher project-justification rating when seeking capital investment grants.
• State and local leaders: adopting the listed policies near transit may make nearby transit projects more competitive for grants.
• Residents and developers near transit: the bill encourages actions that are intended to make it easier to build or preserve housing near transit, including affordable units. This bill does not itself require housing to be built; it creates a grant evaluation incentive.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on costs, funding sources, or budget effects is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.