Livable Places Calls For Transit-Oriented Development Along The Metro Blue Line

The 22-mile long Metro Blue Line stretches between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach offering significant opportunities to create livable communities around transit-oriented developments (TODs). TODs integrate housing with offices, stores and restaurants around transit stations providing desperately needed new housing and giving residents practical alternatives to driving their cars – an essential step to both reducing smog-causing auto emissions and coping with clogged freeways.

Despite the low densities around the Blue Line – ridership has exceeded expectations. Like the rest of Southern California, quality affordable housing is in short supply. Building housing near light rail can help address both our housing and transportation ills and invigorate some of the declining neighborhoods.

In September 2002, Livable Places released a report entitled “A Closer Look at the Blue Line: Building Communities Around Transit.” The report offers an overview of development along the Blue Line, case studies of three different station areas and recommendations for encouraging TODs. Among the recommendations are:

• Identifying parcels near transit stations with development potential

• Rezoning areas around transit for development that incorporates affordable housing in compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use projects
• Using community redevelopment powers to assemble land for TODs
• Coordinating public investments such as schools, parks and libraries around transit stations
• Marketing and publicizing the development potential of station areas
• Advocating for changes in state law to eliminate incentives for sales-tax generating commercial development to the detriment of housing development

Download and read the full report [PDF, 5.35MB]