CA: Scott Wiener rolls out another plan to build housing at transit hubs -- with a more surgical approach

State Sen. Scott Wiener is rolling out a new bill to construct housing near transit hubs — a vision he's long promoted to combat sprawl and lure people out of their cars.

In the past, such proposals have drawn controversy. But Wiener is determined to keep trying.

"We need more housing," he told the Chronicle. "We need to support our public transportation systems. We need to give people options other than driving."

At its core, the idea is simple: Build up, not out. Cluster homes around major transportation hubs and on land owned by public transit agencies.

Such urban design would increase the housing supply, allow people to live within a train or bus ride from their offices, and relieve them from soul-crushing commutes. It would tackle what Wiener calls "the root causes of our affordability crisis," while also providing revenue streams for transit, at a moment of grave fiscal uncertainty.

To accomplish all that, Senate Bill 79, also known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, would set zoning standards around train stations, ferry terminals and bus rapid transit stops, allowing multi-family homes up to seven stories, and loosening height restrictions within a half mile radius.

Additionally, it would enable transit agencies to develop land they own at greater density than most are currently allowed.

"It gives us control of our own destiny on land that we own," BART Board Director Edward Wright said. He cited the Daly City Station, which is surrounded by vast parking lots where many spaces sit empty. Officials have long viewed the station as ripe for housing or commercial development, which, under existing zoning, would be limited to four stories, Wright said.

"Density is what makes transit work," Wright said. "It's what allows a heavy rail system like BART to be effective and be successful."

Critics of Wiener's previous transit-housing bills claimed that tall high-rises could irrevocably change the look and feel of a neighborhood, or attract wealthy newcomers and push low-income residents out.

Wiener said he understands these concerns, and took them into account. Whereas his past efforts took more of a blanket approach, targeting housing at job centers, along bus routes, and in much broader swaths of city landscapes, this iteration is "nuanced and surgical," he said.

"This is focused on the highest-quality public transportation stops — rail, subway, bus rapid transit and ferries — only with reasonably frequent service," he said, adding that the bill also allows density to vary by distance from a transit stop.

Matthew Lewis, a spokesperson for the housing advocacy group California YIMBY, noted that public sentiment has evolved as people contend with the scarcity and daunting cost of housing, and become more aware of greenhouse gas emissions.

"Many, many Californians" have warmed up to the concept of transit-oriented development, Lewis said. "We're hoping the time is right, and we can get this bill across the finish line."

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