Develop Housing Affordable for a Range of Incomes Around Regional Transit Networks

Housing and transportation are the two largest expenses for households in the Washington region. While the burden of housing and transportation costs has risen for all regional households in recent years, the impact has particularly been felt by low- and moderate-income households, which spend a disproportionate share of their income on transportation costs. One recent study found that for the Washington region’s working families (those with incomes between $20,000 and $50,000), 32 percent was being spent on housing and 28 percent on transportation (“A Heavy Load,” Center for Housing Policy, October 2006). Families find themselves moving further away from retail and work opportunities in search of lower-cost housing, and are often offsetting these savings by spending more on transportation. Our regional transit networks represent an important investment in improving accessibility of neighborhoods, reducing household transportation costs, and providing housing for a mix of incomes.

Efforts to create a mix of housing around the regional transit network are a delicate undertaking, but there is a range of strategies for taking these considerations into account. Some projects and communities craft inclusive housing policies for including new mixed-income housing as part of new development. Other strategies focus on creating opportunities for new affordable housing developments that incorporate services for residents into well-managed developments. Still others attempt to maintain the affordability of neighborhoods or extend home ownership opportunities to a broader range of families. Different strategies will be more appropriate for different locations within the Washington region.

In March 2011, the TPB released the Housing + Transportation Affordability Toolkit. The toolkit provides information about housing and transportation costs in select neighborhoods throughout the region.

 

National Best Practice Examples

Bethel Center in West Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois Bethel New Life is a faith-based community development corporation serving Chicago’s West Side where efforts are underway to create a Transit Village that includes affordable housing, economic development and environmental sustainability. The recently-completed Bethel Center forms the centerpiece of the larger neighborhood effort, and is directly connected to the Lake Street El platform. Bethel Center incorporates green building technology and transit-oriented development in a building that also includes an employment center, a 100-child day care center, a financial services center, and retail storefronts. More info

The Bethel Center, an integral part of the Lake Pulaski Transit Village underway in Chicago’s West Side. [Source: Local Initiative Support Corporation]

Colorado Court, Santa Monica, CA Colorado Court in Santa Monica is a 5-story, 44-unit apartment complex for low-income tenants. Units are single-occupancy only, and are under 400 square feet. Shared public space, including a lounge and courtyard, make up for the small studios. It is also one of the first buildings of its kind in the United States that is 100% energy independent, generating nearly all its own energy for electricity, heat and light. The solar panels and other sustainable energy sources are expected to pay for themselves in less than ten years and annual savings in electricity and natural gas bills are estimated to be in excess of $6,000.  More info

Colorado Court in Santa Monica features the latest innovations in sustainability and features 44 single-occupancy units. [Source: State of California]

 

 

Additional Resources and Examples:

Link	Source	What it is
Social Equity Resources	Smart Growth America	Information and resources on national strategies for equitable development.
Equitable Development Toolkit	PolicyLink	Highlights successful strategies for mixed-income development across the country.
Affordable Housing Design Advisor	US Department of Housing & Urban Development	Resources for design of affordable housing projects.
Mixed-Income Housing Myth and Fact	Urban Land Institute	Publication addressing common concerns about mixed-income housing.
Building a Better Urban Future: New Directions for Housing Policies in Weak Market Cities	Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)	Publication detailing strategies to spur development struggling real estate market areas.
Preserving America's Affordable Housing: Retooling a 20th Century Asset for 21st Century Needs	Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)	Publication detailing approaches to preserving existing affordable housing.
The Mixed-Income Communities Initiative	Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership	Research and policy initiative to address mixed-income housing in the Atlanta region.
Home Grown: Local Strategies in Action	Metropolitan Planning Council	Tools and programs for affordable housing in Chicago region.
The Affordability Index: A New Tool for Measuring the True Affordability of Housing Choice	Brookings Institution and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development	Paper describing a combined approach to housing and transportation costs.
A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families	Center for Housing Policy	Analysis of housing and transportation costs across the United States with a focus on policy approaches to working families.
The Link Between Growth Management and Housing Affordability: The Academic Evidence	Brookings Institution	Paper on the connections between regional growth management efforts and the real estate market.
Cities Connect: How Urbanity Helps Achieve Social Inclusion Objectives	Victoria Transportation Policy Institute	Paper on the benefits of diversity and impacts of social inclusion.

 

 

Local/Regional Examples

MWCOG has several resources related to this subject, including the Toolkit for Affordable Housing Development, Finding A Way Home: Building Communities with Affordable Housing, and Transportation Issues for Low-Income Populations: Findings and Recommendations.

In addition, MWCOG has helped create the Washington Regional Smart Commute Initiative, a program to help facilitate homeownership. There are a number of other good local examples of affordable housing policies and projects included in the Washington region database.