2013/10/16 Council Agenda Packet

The Recommendations fall into four groupings: • The Foundation Strategies recommend a regional and local framework for ongoing work to support transit communities. Modeled on the relationships and values at the heart of the Growing Transit Communities Partnership, these strategies envision an ongoing regional effort involving diverse partners and community members in decision making and implementation at all levels. • The Strategies to Attract Housing and Employment Growth recommend actions to make great urban places that are attractive to households and businesses, remove barriers to development and support development in emerging markets. • The Strategies to Provide Affordable Housing Choices recommended actions to define and quantify housing needs, preserve existing and supply new housing choices, and capitalize on the value created by the private market, enhanced by transit investments, in order to achieve the broadest range of affordability in transit communities. • The Strategies to Increase Access to Opportunity recommend actions to understand regional disparities in access to opportunity, identify existing and potential new resources and tools to meet community needs, and build support for equitable opportunities through education, coalitions, and leadership. As a whole, these strategies are a call to action for partners across the region to redouble efforts to create great urban places and build equitable communities around transit. Fully recognizing the strong policy foundation embodied in regional and local plans, as well as the innovative work in implementing those plans to date, the Partnership makes these recommendations as a challenge to do more than is being doing today. The Recommended Strategies and Actions are also a call for more effective implementation through collaboration among governments, major stakeholders, and community members. There are roles for many different regional and local partners, each with a distinct jurisdiction, authority, and mission. Consistent with those roles, all are asked use the Strategies as a "playbook" for taking action to advance the regional vision of thriving and equitable transit communities in a manner that is a best fit to each community. The Partnership's goals are ambitious and set the bar high for all. There is need for new tools and resources to achieve these goals. The powerful regional coalition assembled for this effort should continue to work together to support legislative changes and new resources that expand the toolbox. Several strategies point to the need to amend state law to provide more options for public agencies. Others point to the need for funding, including for sustaining and expanding transit systems, for infrastructure, expanded and more effective subsidies for affordable housing, and resources to provide for community needs equitably throughout the region. Continued leadership and collaboration on these priorities is vital for this effort to succeed. 24 The Growing Transit Communities Strategy Public Review Draft ( May 2013