The bus corridors proposed for the expansion of Chicago’s TOD policy (Image via Streetsblog)
In October, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that $5 million would be spent on making improvements to pedestrian safety and bus speeds at congested and slow moving intersections along two corridors. The investment would be a big step towards expanding the city’s TOD policy from just rail stations to bus corridors, a move the mayor initially announced last June.
Now the groundwork is being laid to expand TOD policy regulations from the initial two heavy ridership corridors to eight that encompass 20 bus routes. The TOD policy allows home builders to reduce parking to zero and increase density by .5 floor area ratio through a streamlined development process. Projects are eligible if they are within a quarter mile of a bus station on one of the designated corridors or within a half mile if the development is located along a “pedestrian-designated street.”
The program is also tied to other development initiatives the city runs including Retail Thrive Zones, Neighborhood Opportunity Funds, and the federal Opportunity Zones incentive. In response to concerns about displacement pressure, the city will publish an impact assessment and address congestion, gentrification, and other related issues with a new Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy Plan within 18 months.
For more information about buses and TOD, visit the TOD resources library for Preserving Affordability and Access in Livable Communities and Thinking Beyond the Station.
Recent TOD news
Here are a few things that have been happening this week with TOD projects across the country.
- NJ Transit looks to retail leases to provide non-farebox revenue (Metro Magazine)
- North Berkeley braces for change on BART land (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Mixed high density needed near future Montreal transit stations (Montreal Gazette)
- Developers must provide alternatives to driving alone in Seattle (Seattle Times)