Bipartisan legislation proposed on July 21 by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) would incentivize the development of more housing near transit stops by tying the competition for federal transit funding to state and local housing plans along transit corridors.
The Build More Housing Near Transit Act, H.R. 4576, which Rep. Moore cosponsored alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), aims to encourage the construction of low- and middle-income housing in transit-served, walkable locations, according to the lawmakers.
“I’m proud to introduce legislation that will condition federal transit grants on whether states are reducing zoning barriers for housing near new bus or rapid transit lines, something that Utah has already been doing for years,” Rep. Moore said. “The end result will bring more of Utah’s common-sense policies to Washington and help more families find affordable and accessible homes.”
If enacted, H.R. 4576 would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to incentivize local governments to promote housing development and regional growth in and around the transit corridors of future New Starts projects.
“Our bill will get more cars off the road by maximizing federal investments in public transportation and will increase affordable housing options for families across the country,” said Rep. Peters.
Specifically, the bill would amend U.S. Code Section 5309, which governs the application process for capital investment grants, to direct the DOT Secretary to boost a transit project’s rating if the project includes pro-housing policies for areas along the project route, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Moore’s staff.
The secretary also would have to define pro-housing policies as a state or local action to remove regulatory barriers to constructing or preserving housing, reduce or eliminate parking minimums or minimum lot sizes, establish by-right approval processes for multi-family housing, commit substantial public property to affordable housing development or preservation, and eliminate or raise residential property height limits.
Additionally, the DOT secretary would be required to engage the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a methodology to evaluate the merits of the pro-housing policies documented in the application, the summary says.
U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the identical bill in their chamber.
The measure has 110 supporters, including Connect Public Transit, the Utah Transit Authority, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Up for Growth Action, the National Housing Conference, and the Niskanen Center, among many others.