1. A new Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Pilot Program to support community-driven projects that promote healthy, affordable, and accessible development near transit. The pilot program supports the implementation of the City of Chicago’s recently adopted ETOD Policy Plan.
2. Three-part ETOD plan was developed over the last two years to foster more equitable transit-oriented development citywide. The plan’s goals include driving investment in transit-oriented projects on the South, West, and Southwest sides while also preventing displacement and promoting affordability in the North and Northwest sides of the city.
3. The plan includes the launch of a $135,000 pilot program, crafted in partnership with Elevated Chicago, Enterprise Community Partners, and members of the City’s ETOD Working Group to support up to 10 community driven ETOD proposals.
4. Pilots will be selected through an open and transparent 2-round application process. A selection committee of City staff, community groups, developers, and other experts will review and identify pilots.
5. Once selected, pilot projects will receive micro-grants to enhance equity-focused components in their proposals. Projects with a community ownership component will be eligible for larger grants of $20,000.
6. ETOD pilots will also receive technical assistance from City departments and local partners, such as initial project planning, assistance in resolving administrative hurdles and help in securing additional forms of financing.
7. Equity grants can be used on community engagement processes or to fund a specific feature that will advance equity in the project; micro-grants are not intended for construction or hard costs associated with the project.
8. Competition introduction "We invite applicants in any stage of development to propose a project that would enable all people regardless of income, ethnicity, age, gender, immigration status or ability to experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near transit hubs. Projects may include housing, commercial space, community space, placemaking projects, public art interventions, or other initiatives to promote walkable, accessible, and affordable communities near transit."
EQUITY TOD PLAN
1. The City’s ETOD Plan offers a roadmap of policies, incentives, and investments, which will mitigate the effects of housing segregation, build community wealth, improve climate resiliency and improve the overall health of residents. The plan’s core strategies include:
2. Capacity-building: The City will prioritize that public land near transit routes is made available for ETOD projects. The City will also periodically publish ETOD performance reports to track progress involving equity, accessibility, and affordability. The City will continue to convene the ETOD Working Group, which includes, City departments, sister agencies, community organizations, and civic partners to monitor and support implementation.
3. Policymaking: The City will explore updates to the current zoning code to promote ETOD. The City will also establish ETOD standards that foster projects in targeted neighborhoods, make the review-and-approval process easier to complete and explore protocols that streamline affordable housing and mitigate potential displacement on nearby blocks.
4. Citywide planning: The City will ensure its citywide “We Will Chicago” planning efforts incorporate ETOD concepts and best practices for any formal development standards that are incorporated into the formal plan when it’s considered for adoption in 2022.
5. The three strategies were developed in response to core themes and trends identified by multiple City agencies and private partners over the last two years.
AMAZON TO INVEST IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH TRANSIT AGENCIES
1. Amazon committed $300 million from its newly launched Housing Equity Fund to create an estimated 3,000 affordable housing units near public transit in its three U.S. hubs: 1,200 in Washington's Puget Sound region; 1,000 in Arlington, Virginia; and 800 in Nashville, Tennessee.
2. The affordable housing will be built on surplus land the transit agencies own in the Seattle and Washington, D.C., regions. The units will be built on private land near transit in Nashville, which has a less developed transit network. Amazon said it intends to focus on properties located within half a mile of transit stops and to prioritize investments in economically and racially diverse communities.
3. The goal is to get the housing units built for low- to moderate-income families within the next five years, according to Catherine Buell, head of community development at Amazon.
4. One of the goals of the Housing Equity Fund was to partner with nontraditional public agencies who are doing affordable housing work, but clearly this is not their expertise. Transit agencies are some of those agencies we see doing a lot of the work on affordable housing.
5. Working through a public-private partnership (P3) like Amazon's initiative could expedite the process of delivering affordable housing because there is less bureaucratic red tape and accountability for operating in taxpayers' interest than when two public agencies collaborate, Imboden said. In a P3, a lot of work goes into determining alignment on mission, roles and responsibilities.
THREE PARTY PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP EXAMPLE
1. A commercial property of apartment buildings partnered with Catholic Charities, a public-private partnership that is bringing solutions to affordable housing problem.
2. Catholic Charities and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which is located next door, work alongside each other to house veterans.
3. Owner have the available space to provide housing, the federal government provides the funds and the non-profit provides the people. This is an example of a true public-private partnership providing effective solutions to the nationwide affordable housing issue.
Source:
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2021/june/EquitableTransitOrientedDevelopment.html
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/equitable-transit-oriented-development/home/etod-pilot-program.html
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/amazon-partners-with-three-transit-agencies-to-invest-300m-in-affordable-h/602250/
