Overview
Assembly Bill (AB) 2553 went into effect in 2024. The legislation revises the definition of a “major transit stop” by decreasing the bus route frequency service internal from 15 minutes to 20 minutes during the peak period (Public Resources Code Section 21064.3). This change in definition expands the geographic scope and potential projects eligible for various incentives tied to proximity to a major transit stop, including CEQA exemptions, density bonus, elimination of parking requirements, and reduced traffic impact fees. This overview is not intended as a complete statement of the law, which is available in full at the California Legislative Information site.
Definitions
A “major transit stop” (Public Resources Code Section 21064.3) means a site containing any of the following:
- An existing rail or bus rapid transit station.
- A ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service.
- The intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.
Examples include a BART station, Caltrain station, and the intersection of two bus routes that both meet minimum service frequencies, such as at Hillside Boulevard and John Daly Boulevard.
Other Definitions Often Cited Include:
A “high-quality transit corridor” (Public Resources Code Section 21155(b)) is a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours. An example of a high-quality transit corridor is SamTrans ECR on El Camino Real.
A “transit priority area” (Public Resources Code Section 21099(a)(7)) is the area within one-half mile of a major transit stop that is existing or planned, if the planned stop is scheduled to be completed within the planning horizon included in a Transportation Improvement Program or regional transportation plan. Transit priority areas are the half (½) mile radius around existing major transit stops and major transit stops that will be built per Plan Bay Area 2050+ (like the Dumbarton Station in North Fair Oaks).
Eligibility Requirements
State laws that rely on these definitions include, but are not limited to:
|
Legislation |
Description |
Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
|
Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915) |
Unlimited density (for 100-percent affordable projects), additional height, and parking benefits for projects located in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile of a major transit stop, and in some cases requires unobstructed access |
|
Various streamlining and other benefits for “transit priority projects” and projects within a “transit priority area,” which are both, in part, predicated on proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile of a major transit stop or transit priority area, and in some cases requires “walking distance” |
|
|
Housing Accountability Act (Government Code Section 65589.5) |
Allows for greater density pursuant to “Builder’s remedy project” |
½ mile of a major transit stop |
|
Generally prohibits local agencies from imposing a minimum parking requirement on most projects in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile of major transit stop |
|
|
(Government Code Section 65852.21(c)) |
Prohibits a minimum parking requirement on an urban lot split and on a development of two residential units on a single-family residential zoned property for those projects in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile walking distance of major transit stop or high quality transit corridor |
|
Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023 |
Prohibits minimum parking requirement in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile walking distance of major transit stop or high quality transit corridor |
|
Increased height for detached ADUs that are in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile walking distance of major transit stop or high quality transit corridor |
|
|
Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 |
Provides increased density and height limitation (if other conditions are satisfied) for mixed-income housing developments along commercial corridors in proximity to a major transit stop. |
½ mile of a major transit stop |
Implementation
Web mapping tools such as the Caltrans High Quality Transit Stops Data can support identifying stop types. Click the “map” function and use filters applied on “hqta_details.” Most transit service in San Mateo County is provided by SamTrans, Caltrain, and BART.
To confirm whether the project is near an existing major transit stop, please provide:
- map with transit stop location(s) and project location with a straight, direct line measurement and/or walking path measurement in miles and feet from the nearest edge of the parcel containing the project site to the transit stop as pinpointed by a map sourcing data from 511.org (e.g., third party maps such as Google Maps) if it is within a public right-of-way, or to any point on the parcel(s) that make up the property upon which the stop is located. Map should include roadway network, parcel lines, APNs of project site, north arrow, scale, and legend.
- Transit operator(s) and route number(s) that serve the location(s).
- Hours of operation(s) and schedule during weekdays (6:00 – 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.) from the transit operators’ website with weblink to original documentation.
If it is a planned major transit stop: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission shares information with Caltrans to include in the California State GeoPortal, typically as part of the High Quality Transit Stops dataset, which must be filtered for planned stops. Please provide the stop location cross streets, including OBJECTID, and similar map as described above.
Contact
Chanda Singh, Senior Transportation Planner