“To amend title 49, United States Code, to include affordable housing incentives in certain capital investment grants, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends the Federal Transit Administration's capital investment grants program (49 U.S.C. 5309)—which funds major public transportation capital projects such as new fixed guideway systems, extensions, core capacity improvements, and bus rapid transit—by (1) defining "pro-housing policy" to include state or local actions removing regulatory barriers to housing construction or preservation, such as reducing or eliminating parking minimums or minimum lot sizes, establishing by-right approval processes for multi-family housing, committing public land to affordable housing, or raising height limits; (2) authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to increase a project's justification rating by 1 point on the 5-point scale (high, medium-high, medium, medium-low, or low) if the applicant documents pro-housing policies within walking distance of and accessible to transit facilities along the project route, with consultation required with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to evaluate expected housing production (including affordable units); and (3) requiring annual reports to include details on projects receiving such rating adjustments, including submitted policies and projected housing units from new production and preservation.