Transform has long championed transit-oriented development (TOD). Adding new housing near transit hubs addresses the Bay Area’s housing crisis while enabling residents to choose transit, walking, and biking over driving. Infill housing, especially when it is affordable, is also a powerful and durable way to address the climate crisis. Recently, two projects Transform worked on took significant steps — breaking ground in Oakland’s Chinatown and securing funding at El Cerrito Plaza BART.

Creating a funding pipeline for affordable infill development

A decade ago, Transform and Housing California conceived and led a statewide campaign to have polluters pay for affordable TOD through the Cap-and-Trade Program. When state leaders said they wouldn’t be able to quantify the climate benefits of TOD, Transform co-authored a report that developed a methodology that proved it was possible, and the next week the program was adopted, getting 20% of cap-and-trade funds. The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program has now funded over 15,000 homes, with 70% in disadvantaged communities.

The AHSC program’s upcoming TODs at two BART stations — with early engagement in planning at the local level and funding from the AHSC program — reflect the sweep of Transform’s impact to create and shape housing that allows people to reduce their carbon footprints while increasing access to jobs, education, and other opportunities.

Breaking ground on TOD in Oakland Chinatown

On October 17, the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a cornerstone project in the plan: Chinatown TOD Senior Housing. The project received $16.5 million from the AHSC program. This new development will ensure more seniors can age in place in the neighborhood and help mitigate a severe shortage of affordable senior housing. 

From 2012 to 2014, Transform was deeply engaged in planning for this area by the Lake Merritt BART Plaza. The vision was to create a more active, vibrant, and safe district that would be economically inclusive and historically and culturally restorative. 

To shape the specific projects to be built, Transform partnered with EBALDC and BART in 2019 and 2020 to hold three workshops, facilitate ten stakeholder conversations, and conduct community surveys. Transform also provided technical analysis: a white paper on multifamily parking, a GreenTRIP Certification evaluation of ways to reduce driving and minimize parking supply, and a matrix of funding sources for transportation infrastructure.

The groundbreaking was a momentous step toward realizing the vision of affordable TOD developments above BART stations. Our engagement won’t stop when the building is complete; Transform will be working with EBALDC to bring our Know How to Go programming to future residents. Our staff will offer age-appropriate education and encouragement activities tailored to the community’s specific needs. We’ll help residents understand nearby walking, rolling, and transit options to get where they need to go — for work, healthcare, shopping, and social time. And we’ll make sure residents know how to access discounted transit fares and transportation services.

El Cerrito Plaza TOD Gets State Funding

Planning is underway to transform the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station from a collection of parking lots to a place for people that includes homes, public open space, and community uses. It will also help connect the station to the downtown and economic core of the city.  

About half of the 743 housing units will be affordable to low-income residents. And the first 70 units just received $39 million in funding from the AHSC program. 

But it wasn’t easy to get this plan accepted by the community. Many, especially those who drive from the Hills, were concerned that they’d no longer be able to easily access BART. And in 2019, they were vocal about it.

BART and Transform facilitated several community engagement efforts supported by a state grant. Efforts included: 

• BART passenger survey about how people access the station
• In-station outreach events
• An open house
• Individual stakeholder interviews.

Ultimately, a plan was developed to provide between 100 and 150 garage spaces for BART riders. Future TOD residents will have access to about 260 dedicated vehicle parking spaces and 1,100 secure bike parking spaces, including spaces for cargo/family bikes. Additionally, the City of El Cerrito is working on a parking management plan that may allow BART riders who drive to pay to park on-street.

Getting the parking right doesn’t usually mean zero parking, but it is imperative to minimize parking by pricing it appropriately, identifying existing parking that can be better used, and, of course, providing great alternatives to driving.

The Chinatown and El Cerrito projects vividly illustrate the sweep of Transform’s work at the intersection of housing and transportation. From helping lay the groundwork for affordable TOD to helping win key funding to helping future residents get around safely and sustainably, Transform’s work fosters more equitable, climate-friendly communities.