St. Louis Commits to Transit - Oriented Development Projects

Earlier this month, St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay, announced that St. Louis’ Affordable Housing Commission would dedicate $1 million to fund transit oriented development (TOD) in St. Louis.  In making this commitment, St. Louis joins a growing number of cities across the country committed to developing transit oriented communities.

St. Louis defines eligible locations for TOD as those within a half-mile of a light-rail stop or a “high-frequency” bus line.  The St. Louis Metro has targeted these areas in order to  promote communities with a transit station at the heart of the community, with a focus on walkability and pedestrian access.  Metro believes that these characteristics foster, healthier, more sustainable communities.

Cities across the country have been making similar commitments in recent years.  In October, the Los Angeles Business Council and Paul Habibi released “The 2013 Livable Communities Report” calling for collaboration between policy makers and developers to promote TOD development in Los Angeles.  For more information on the report see blog post from November 21, 2013.

Cities seeking to promote TOD must find creative solutions to respond to the unique challenges faced by their community.  Kim Cella, president of the St. Louis based, Citizens for Modern Transit, commented in connection with the Mayor’s announcement that “there’s no one secret funding source or one way to do it.  When you look at other cities they’re trying all these creative things, and you have developers taking risks, and forming creative partnerships with municipalities.”

The Affordable Housing Commission is currently seeking applications and the funds will be awarded early next year.

To read more about the City of St. Louis’ Affordable Housing Commission, click here.

Earlier this month, St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay, announced that St. Louis’ Affordable Housing Commission would dedicate $1 million to fund transit oriented development (TOD) in St. Louis.  In making this commitment, St. Louis joins a growing number of cities across the country committed to developing transit oriented communities.

St. Louis defines eligible locations for TOD as those within a half-mile of a light-rail stop or a “high-frequency” bus line.  The St. Louis Metro has targeted these areas in order to  promote communities with a transit station at the heart of the community, with a focus on walkability and pedestrian access.  Metro believes that these characteristics foster, healthier, more sustainable communities.

Cities across the country have been making similar commitments in recent years.  In October, the Los Angeles Business Council and Paul Habibi released “The 2013 Livable Communities Report” calling for collaboration between policy makers and developers to promote TOD development in Los Angeles.  For more information on the report see blog post from November 21, 2013.

Cities seeking to promote TOD must find creative solutions to respond to the unique challenges faced by their community.  Kim Cella, president of the St. Louis based, Citizens for Modern Transit, commented in connection with the Mayor’s announcement that “there’s no one secret funding source or one way to do it.  When you look at other cities they’re trying all these creative things, and you have developers taking risks, and forming creative partnerships with municipalities.”

The Affordable Housing Commission is currently seeking applications and the funds will be awarded early next year.

To read more about the City of St. Louis’ Affordable Housing Commission, click here.