Report shows 74,000 acres of underutilized land surrounds NY/NJ commuter rail stations

Failure to act on an ambitious transit oriented development (TOD) policy will only exacerbate the region’s housing crisis

New York, NY — A new report by Regional Plan Association (RPA) finds that small investments and zoning adjustments would unlock latent transit oriented development (TOD) potential surrounding commuter stations in New York and New Jersey. The commuter rail network serving the tri-state area is by far the most extensive in the United States, with over 390 stations and a combined annual ridership of 170 million.

The report, Homes on Track: Building Thriving Communities Around Transit, highlights the potential of TOD to create more affordable housing options near transit hubs, reducing transportation costs and improving access to jobs and amenities for low- and moderate-income residents. Regional Plan Association found that a total of 96 commuter rail stations in New York and New Jersey have ​“Near Term” TOD potential, meaning minor investments and regulatory intervention would improve housing affordability and the quality of life for residents in the near term. The report also found that commuter rail stations in New York and New Jersey are surrounded by approximately 74,000 acres of underutilized land, including vacant and unbuilt lot cover, equivalent to the surface area of Manhattan and Brooklyn combined.

“A more affordable and balanced regional housing market is essential to a healthy economy with connections between all parts of the region,” said Tom Wright, President & CEO, Regional Plan Association. ​“The severe shortage of affordable homes is widely recognized as one of our region’s greatest economic, social and humanitarian challenges. This report underscores the immense potential to deliver abundant homes, improved affordability, thriving economies, and a sustainable environment.”

The report found that restrictive zoning is predominant in both states; only 39% of all stations have zoning that facilitates multifamily development. The remaining 61% has zoning that severely limits or does not allow multifamily buildings around station areas. Furthermore, over 39% of all stations (139 out of 355) are classified as having restrictive zoning, are majority White, and are generally affluent neighborhoods. Most of these stations are located in New York City’s inner suburbs.

Recent related analysis shows that Long Island and the Mid Hudson Valley have experienced a decline in the rate of housing permits due to zoning restrictions, while NJ Metro Core (Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Morris, Passaic counties), has been increasingly driving housing growth in the region due largely to pro-housing policies and programs.

Key findings on commuter and housing impacts across the region include:

• New York City: New York City has the highest percentage of stations classified as high diversity of land use, with 50%, while the Mid-Hudson Valley has the lowest at only 11%. Not surprisingly, New York City stations are the most walkable, averaging 7 minutes walking distance to a train station from anywhere within a half-mile radius. However, NYC stations have the highest rates of racially concentrated areas of poverty compared to all other areas studied.

• New Jersey: Per capita housing units permitted across the tri-state region have decreased following the 2008 recession, except in the NJ Metro Core (Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Morris, Passaic counties), which saw a 24% increase. Suburbs in NJ with good transit access to jobs and into Manhattan have greater and more diverse housing stock options than their counterparts in New York, particularly in Long Island. Available data suggests that residential densities remain relatively low in NY’s suburbs, regardless of the number of jobs accessible and proximity to the Central Business District.

• Long Island: With a total of 98 commuter stations, Long Island represents more than 27% of the region’s rail stations. Long Island has only 12% stations that, on average, measure 11 or more residential units per acre, a low figure compared to Lower Hudson Valley and NJ Metro Core (Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Morris, Passaic counties) which lead with 38% and 31% stations with 11 or more units per acre, respectively. The larger presence of restrictive zoning in Long Island partly explains the difference. Nassau County, in particular, has the largest number of stations where the surrounding land use is regulated by zoning that limits or entirely prohibits multifamily buildings (33 out of 56 stations). TOD is especially needed in this region, as it disproportionately relies on Manhattan’s CBD as a primary job center, unlike the NJ Metro Core, which has multiple job centers and a larger population. Long Island also holds the highest share of stations with high (45%) and moderate (44%) amounts of unbuilt lot cover, an area without any buildings or structures.

• Hudson Valley: Compared with all other regions, stations in the Mid Hudson Valley are the least walkable, with an average of 16 minutes of walking distance to the station from anywhere within a half-mile radius. 38% of stations in the Lower Hudson Valley have, on average, 11 or more residential units per acre, more than any other suburban area. The Lower Hudson Valley region also has the most even distribution of housing types; most units are in multifamily buildings (5 or more units), followed by single-family detached, single-family attached, and multifamily 2-4 units.

The report concludes that New York and New Jersey have incredible potential to enable strategic planning and development near public transportation. Key recommendations include:

• States should take a leadership role in advancing TOD. Many states and cities across the country have passed legislation or enacted policies to encourage TOD. New York has a tremendous opportunity to help municipalities advance transit oriented districts around stations while New Jersey can build on its existing TOD programs.

• Localities should streamline zoning and land use regulations to allow for TOD. Outdated zoning rules are impeding land uses of some of the most valuable real estate on the planet. 67 stations in NY and NJ have appropriate physical and mobility attributes and significant underutilized land for successful TOD but are regulated by restrictive zoning that limits or fully prohibits multifamily buildings.

• States must better connect land use and transportation investments and leverage data in planning. Limited coordination between transportation agencies and localities with land use authority – largely due to the lack of coordinated planning – often results in missed opportunities and infrastructure investments that do not create more housing opportunities near transit. Furthermore, state agencies in NY/NJ should develop a data-driven classification system to identify places where more flexible land use regulations and/or streamlining procedures would enable more housing near transit.

• TOD is the key to solving our region’s affordable housing crisis. Failure to act on an ambitious TOD policy will only exacerbate the region’s housing crisis, add further strains to the transportation network, and lead to more missed opportunities from major investments, such as the recent connection of Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal.

“In ​‘Homes on Track,’ Regional Plan Association (RPA) identifies critical opportunities for coupling housing policy with strategic planning for public transportation in our city,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. ​“As I emphasized in my Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn, New York City’s failure to plan deepens disparities instead of solving for them. This new report, however, proves the effectiveness of transit-oriented development and planning as a path out of this housing crisis and toward a city that is healthy, sustainable, and prosperous. I applaud RPA for demonstrating that by better utilizing and investing in spaces around transit nodes in Brooklyn, such as LIRR stations, there are immediate ways in which our city can advance housing for New Yorkers.”

“By building homes near public transit, we can provide residents with easy access to jobs, amenities, and all New York City and its neighbors have to offer – creating a more connected, affordable, sustainable region,” said Dan Garodnick, Director of the New York City Department of City Planning. ​“The RPA report offers a roadmap for how New York City and our neighbors can support transit-oriented development and help our region thrive for years to come.”

New York must embrace a new approach to housing development that increases housing opportunity in every community. The RPA’s latest report is yet more evidence that Transit-Oriented Development needs to be a part of New York’s comprehensive housing plan,” said Rachel Fee, Executive Director of the New York Housing Conference. ​“Nassau and Westchester counties have some of the nation’s most robust transit infrastructure. Allowing for housing density along the corridor would create new homes in communities where people want to live while also boosting local businesses and the regional economy by allowing workers across the state to remain in New York. The New York Housing Conference will continue to work alongside RPA and fellow housing leaders to ensure that New York advances common sense solutions, including Transit-Oriented Development.”

“If policymakers in New York and its suburbs are serious about addressing twin affordable housing and climate crises, then they need to get serious about transforming the roughly 74,000 acres of underutilized land near its commuter rail network,” said Jolie Milstein, president and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing. ​“By implementing simple changes – such as tweaking local zoning ordinances to allow for multifamily development – we can create much-needed housing to address a shortage, provide residents with non-car transportation options, and tear down long-standing racial inequities. We commend RPA for its work on this important initiative and look forward to working with policymakers in City Hall, Albany, and across New York to achieve these worthy goals.”

“RPA’s in-depth new analysis makes clear that New York has a real opportunity to unlock hundreds of thousands of sustainable, walkable homes near our transit stations. Unfortunately our state and local governments lack the will to do so,” said Annemarie Gray, Executive Director of Open New York. ​“We are in a dire housing emergency and we need Albany — which has invested so much in our transit system — to step in and ensure that new housing is built near existing and new stations.”

“We applaud RPA on the release of their new report Homes on Track: Building Thriving Communities Around Transit. Promoting sustainable housing development near public transportation is key to lowering our carbon emissions, cutting down on air pollution, which disproportionately impacts low income and communities of color, and fostering walkable communities,” said Alia Soomro, Deputy Director for NYC Policy, New York League of Conservation Voters. ​“By identifying almost 100 locations throughout the New York region where minor investments and new regulations could foster TOD development, this report offers practical solutions to combat our climate and housing emergencies.”

“As we look to unlock more housing supply as a way to alleviate our regional affordable housing crisis, the land around New York’s transit corridors should be part of the equation,” said Baaba Halm, Vice President and New York Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners. ​“Residential opportunities in transit corridors can open access to job centers and other resources in nearby communities and reduces the necessity of carbon-emitting automobiles. This report demonstrates with data the potential of these sites for more housing supply, and, critically, calls out the importance of incentivizing affordable housing to ensure access to future development is equitable.”

This report confirms what planning and housing experts have been telling us for years, and why we made it a focus of a special report last year as well: Transit-Oriented Development is smart public policy,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President and CEO of the NY Building Congress. ​“Building out our communities along existing transit corridors by allowing for more density and mixed-use development can help us both meet housing supply needs across New York State while also keeping New Yorkers working in their cities and towns. Our members are ready to unlock the economic potential that Transit-Oriented Development can deliver, and we applaud and stand with the RPA in calling for the reforms that will get us there.

“Improving the transit-housing connection is key to expanding the reach and impact of transit around the region,” said Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). ​“We thank the Regional Plan Association for their critical research on locations that could benefit from TOD in the short, medium, or long term, taking into account proximity to transit and jobs. Helping riders live closer to transit will help more people around the region get out of cars and onto trains and buses.”

“Study after study shows that allowing for walkable, mixed-use, and multifamily housing close to public transit greatly assists us in reducing our carbon footprint, decreasing suburban sprawl, and revitalizing our local downtown areas,” said Tim Foley, CEO of the Building & Realty Institute of Westchester. ​“These transit-oriented developments are important components in dealing with our regional housing shortage, which is already hurting our local economy, our property taxes, our schools, our seniors, our millennials, our working families, and racial equity. RPA’s report catalogs 96 commuter stations in New York and New Jersey that have ​“TOD-ready” commuter station areas. According to their findings, Westchester has two dozen Metro North stations that could support TOD in the Near-Term or Mid-Term. This report is an invaluable guide for planners, municipal officials, and advocates about what it would take to make their own commuter stations ready to support critically needed housing in their communities.”

New Jersey suffers from countless fields of surface parking lots adjacent to mass transit. Redevelopment of these underutilized lots into thoughtful mixed-use communities offers a tremendous opportunity to place a critical mass of much needed housing in already high-traffic areas while actually reducing traffic and creating a more efficient lifestyle for the commuter and resident,” said Deb Tantleff, Chair of the NJ Builders Association and Founder of TANTUM Real Estate. ​”The ability to deliver new housing without the need for onerous parking requirements will also reduce overall development costs which will translate into overall housing affordability for all.”

About Regional Plan Association
Regional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent non-profit organization that conducts research, planning and advocacy to expand economic opportunity, environmental resiliency, improved health, and better quality of life in the New York metropolitan area. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region. The most recent was released in November 2017. For more information, please visit www.rpa.org.

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