Caltrain looks to housing

The San Carlos Transit Village is in the midst of construction and officials are in the beginning stages of another development at the Hayward Park train station in San Mateo. A transit-oriented development policy will be included in Caltrain’s comprehensive business plan, which is slated to go before the Board of Directors late this summer or early fall. 

The San Mateo County Housing Leadership Council, among other advocacy groups, has long championed such a policy, and has been lobbying Caltrain to adopt one with a 20 percent affordable housing requirement. 

The organization has identified 30 acres of developable Caltrain land, much of which is currently home to train station parking lots. The idea is to build high-density and affordable residences on top of those parking lots. 

“We want to make sure these publicly-owned assets are used for the public good to address the desperate need for affordable housing,” said Leora Tanjuatco Ross, organizing director of the Housing Leadership Council, adding that she wants Caltrain to use the Bay Area Rapid Transit and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority housing policies as precedent.

Whether Caltrain’s policy will include a 20 percent requirement is yet to be determined, but officials have acknowledged the need for affordable housing. 

“It is very likely that the TOD policy will address housing affordability as the Caltrain board members understand the importance of building more affordable housing along transit corridors,” said Dave Pine, a Caltrain board member and president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “I would expect Caltrain’s TOD policy to fall within the 10 to 20 percent range, and 20 percent would not be unreasonable.”

The number of acres Caltrain can ultimately devote to housing is also yet to be determined. 

“We’re trying to balance the need for affordable housing with our need to generate revenue off our assets,” Lieberman said, adding that Caltrain does not have a dedicated source of revenue. 

The transit agency is facing a projected deficit of $6.3 million by fiscal year 2019. 

Lieberman also said Caltrain land that may currently appear developable could be needed in the future as electrification moves forward.

While Caltrain has yet to adopt an official housing policy, it is currently negotiating with developer Sares Regis to construct 185 units atop 2.7 acres of its surface parking lot at the Hayward Park station in San Mateo. Lieberman said the board will decide this summer how many of those units will be affordable.

Another development on Caltrain land, the San Carlos Transit Village, will include 202 multiple-family rental units, 10 percent of which at the affordable level. Parts of that project, which spans eight buildings, will open by the end of this year.

Like any development, potential Caltrain projects would be subject to the zoning requirements and planning process of the cities in which they’d be located.

“Constructing housing along the Caltrain corridor has been a priority for many years as we need to build housing near transit to achieve greater density and get people out of cars,” Pine said.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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