Victory for Affordable Housing in Pittsburg Thanks to Community Outcry

New Plan Near Future BART Station Will Include up to 800+ Affordable Homes 

On October 19, the Pittsburg City Council voted to stop the Planning Commission from removing up to 200 affordable homes from the City's plan for a new transit village around the BART extension into Pittsburg.

The City's plan, which was also approved on October 19, locates up to 2,500 new homes near the future Railroad Ave eBART station, along with a mix of new shops, services, and parks.

Due to strong involvement by TransForm and others, the plan places 30% of the 2,500 new homes in designated affordable housing opportunity sites, ensuring that teachers, young families, seniors, and others will be able to afford homes near the future station.

In the final weeks before the plan was adopted by the Pittsburg City Council, some opposition on the Planning Commission tried to get rid of up to 200 affordable homes by removing the largest of the affordable housing opportunity sites from the plan and replacing it with a park.  Outcry by Residents Helped Save 200 Affordable Homes

TransForm organized a quick response from Greenbelt Alliance, La Clinica, and Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO) to speak out against the Planning Commission's action at the October 19th public hearing and convince the City Council to keep the homes in the plan, as well as look for new opportunities to increase public park space for the neighborhood. The City is now in talks with a nearby school and sports complex to create new park space.

In addition to this victory, TransForm won several other important policies in the plan, including:

  • Improved bus service in the area;
  • Improved pedestrian access between the future BART station and new development;
  • Strong traffic demand management measures, including parking maximums, shared parking, and more; and
  • A new youth center in the transit village area.

The local communities we worked with were instrumental in making these achievements possible. During the three-year planning process, we engaged local low-income residents and residents of color through La Clinica and CCISCO to get community needs addressed in the plan.

We held educational events, including a Transit-Oriented Development 101 workshop and a bus tour of affordable housing near BART stations in other cities. We held two Town Hall meetings with a total attendance of over 250 residents to highlight community needs around affordable housing, transportation, and youth opportunities. And we held countless meetings with City Councilmembers, City staff, and Planning Commissioners to work out policy solutions that will create a vibrant, walkable community in Pittsburg that is both equitable and sustainable.

Here’s just a sample of the groups we worked with over the last three years to make this victory real:
  • CCISCO held two Town Hall meetings, as well as held countless meetings with their own leaders, City Council members and City staff to push for these policies to make it into the plan;
  • La Clinica organized over a dozen senior residents in support of affordable housing at the final public hearing;
  • Greenbelt Alliance organized a TOD bus tour to show residents great examples of affordable housing near transit, created a map of community assets in the station area, and provided letters of support throughout the process;
  • Reconnecting America's Shelley Poticha presented at the TOD 101 workshop TransForm helped put together with the city at the beginning of the planning process in 2006;
  • Non-Profit Housing Association helped put together an Affordable Housing Developers tour that was instrumental in helping us develop our affordable housing policy recommendations;
  • Center for Community Innovation created an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment;
  • Human Impact Partners created a Health Impact Assessment that provided the data to get our policies included in the plan;
  • East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy created a workforce profile to help move forward the local jobs agenda;
  • The East Bay, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley Community Foundations provided vital support throughout this entire process.

Next Steps

The transit village itself is not expected to be constructed until after eBART arrives in 2015. However, vital county funding to help the City plan for and build the needed infrastructure for the area is under threat. Click here to learn about the Transportation for Livable Communities program in East County, and what you can do to save it.