Statement from BART General Manager on Governor Signing AB2923

The following is a statement from Bay Area Rapid Transit's general manager Grace Crunican on the Governor signing AB2923:

BART's mission is to support a prosperous Bay Area by connecting communities with seamless mobility. A key component to regional success is adequate housing. BART's aim is to partner with the community to build 20,000 new housing units at its stations by the year 2040, and to ensure that at least 35 percent are affordable.

The current regional housing crisis has shone a bright light on the need to accelerate development, especially in places where a transit infrastructure already exists. The Governor has signed into law AB2923, a bill on which the BART Board of Directors took an official "neutral" stance.

With the passage of AB2923, lawmakers are sending a message to all local policymakers about the urgent need to build housing now. At BART, we could not agree more.

Although AB2923 directs BART to adopt new transit-oriented development (TOD) zoning standards for each BART station, I want to assure community leaders and residents that BART is committed to continuing our collaborative approach. We have found that working closely with neighborhoods and local elected officials to consider community needs is not only respectful, it's the most efficient way to get the job done.

BART's TOD program has a proven track record of creating great housing/retail/commercial destinations. The Agency has 20 transit-oriented development projects either completed or under construction. Another eight projects are in the pipeline. 

Our plan is to build 20,000 new housing units on 250 acres at 27 stations that BART already owns. The BART TOD Program regularly evaluates this portfolio of land to ensure market, political, financial and other conditions align prior to soliciting TOD.

All of us at BART look forward to the creation of more vibrant, sustainable new neighborhoods next to our stations.