Figure 30 and Figure 31

Participate in Community Visioning/Outreach

Play an ongoing role in supporting planning efforts or other advisory committees working to enhance transit-rich communities.

Program staff play a support role to other agencies

TOD Program staff regularly participate in planning meetings throughout the region, and serve on planning/technical advisory committees

Connect Local Government Partners with Infrastructure, Community Development Partners

Act as a clearinghouse for information on funding sources or programs that engaged local governments can apply for. Link local government staff to other Metro programs that are more appropriate to fulfill their station area or corridor planning and infrastructure needs. As possible, identify grant opportunities for candidate localities.

Program staff play a support role to other agencies

Provide Technical Assistance with Planning Efforts

Offer data, development expertise, or key contacts as part of station area and corridor planning

Program staff play a support role to other agencies

Bank Land

Acquisition of land in order to hold critical parcels of land until the market can support more intensive development.

Financial commitment from TOD Program, conditional upon appropriate market conditions (see "Land Banking" section).

The TOD Program has purchased a site in downtown Hillsboro with the intent of ultimately catalyzing reinvestment through new development.

Allocate Funding for Station Area Planning

Allocate station area planning grants to local governments who demonstrate a support for TOD.

This program does not currently exist as part of the TOD Program, but would be an appropriate expansion area. Refer to the "Funding Strategies" chapter for more information.

Similar programs exist at other Metropolitan Planning Organizations, including MTC in the San Francisco Bay Area, DRCOG in Denver, and the Met Council in the Twin Cities, MN.

Support Implementation Studies

Offer supportive analysis at the local or regional scale to provide critical information and analysis for enhancing region-wide TOD opportunities.

The TOD Program's Development Center funds and directs these types of studies

The Development Center recently sponsored a "walk audit" to gauge the true walkability of the region's neighborhoods. This type of research can help local governments and Metro to measure and track performance over time.

Invest in Market-Rate TOD Building Types

Invest in private development in order to encourage introduction of TOD building types to a community. This strategy involves investing in more "conventional" TOD building types, which are moderate to higher densities, to create market comparables for private investment.

Financial commitment from TOD Program, as well as involvement and endorsement from program staff in entitlements process. Conditional upon cost effectiveness, and support from local government.

The TOD Program invested in The Crossings, a mixed-use pedestrian oriented development in Gresham. The program helped assume some of the risk of building taller, and adding ground floor retail in a market where these concepts were untested.

Invest in Workforce Housing Development

Promote development of workforce housing to introduce this much needed product type to the market, provided the design and density of this housing is appropriate to TOD.

Financial commitment from TOD Program, conditional upon cost effectiveness and support from local government.

Center Commons, near the NE 60th Light Rail station, provides both affordable and market rate housing. Market rate housing was made available to first time homebuyers

Invest in Affordable Housing Development

Invest in affordable housing development in transit oriented areas with emerging or strong markets. Intent can be to push developers to build TOD product types, or to provide moderate and lower income households the ability to live in Portland's stronger market TOD areas.

Financial commitment from TOD Program, conditional upon appropriate local context, cost effectiveness, and support from local government.

Assemble Parcels

Acquisition of land in order to assist with parcel assembly that facilitates development. Similar programs elsewhere also acquire land to promote affordable housing.

Financial commitment from TOD Program, conditional upon appropriate market conditions (see "Land Banking" section). Area of potential future expansion for program. Note that most acquisition program budgets around the country are 2 to 6 times larger than the TOD Program as a whole.