TOD News Briefs

The Week in TOD News September 19-25, 2026

Booker’s Transit Housing Act (left) • Hoboken Connect revised • Affordable TOD in DC • Atlanta pursues Beltline rail • Manila transit hub (right top-to-bottom) 

Article of the Week

Senator Cory Booker with NJ TRANSIT officials.
Senator Cory Booker with NJ TRANSIT officials. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT on Facebook

As N.J. Housing Costs Soar, Booker Proposes $300B Plan to Build Homes Near Transit 
Jelani Gibson, NJ.com | September 25, 2026 
Senator Cory Booker introduced the Transit-Oriented Housing Development Act to support housing near transit by expanding federal tax incentives and investing an additional $300 billion in the Housing Trust Fund. The bill would address the nationwide housing crisis and support recent NJ initiatives to build TOD, including proposed projects in Bayonne and Linden.


NJ TOD News

Garfield Avenue HBLR Station with a train.
Garfield Avenue HBLR Station. David Pirmann | Flickr

JERSEY CITY—Affordable Housing Approved for Former Chromium Contaminated Site in Jersey City 
Caren Lissner, Patch | September 24, 2026 
The Jersey City Council approved a PILOT agreement for a 508-unit, mixed-use development on a former chromium-contaminated site as part of the 111-acre Canal Crossing redevelopment. The project will include 102 affordable units and 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space. The site is adjacent to Garfield Avenue HBLR Station.

hoboken connect site 1 plaza 696x368
Project rendering. Courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects

HOBOKEN—Plans Revealed for 365-Unit Mixed-Use Project Near Hoboken Terminal 
Chris Fry, Jersey Digs | September 24, 2026  
LCOR and NJ TRANSIT have decided to scrap plans for 21-story office tower at Hoboken Connect after three years of pre-leasing drew no tenant interest. Instead, they will construct a 365-unit, 20 percent affordable, mixed-use building with NJ TRANSIT office space and 5,600 sq. ft. of retail. LCOR aims to begin construction in 2028.

248 erie st jersey city rendering
Project rendering. Courtesy of the Jersey City Planning Board

JERSEY CITY—16-Story Hotel and Apartment Development Approved at Jersey City Salvation Army Site 
Mario Marroquin, Jersey Digs | September 23, 2026  
The Jersey City Planning Board approved plans for a 16-story mixed-use complex at a former Salvation Army site near the Newport and Hoboken HBLR Stations. The project will include 264 apartments, 40 of which are affordable, a 150-room hotel, a 122-bike storage room, and more than 3,000 sq. ft. of retail.


Transit and Equity News

Artistic rendering of plans for Staten Island.
Artistic rendering of plans for Staten Island. Courtesy of New York City Council

NEW YORK—NYC Council Releases ‘Downtown’ Staten Island Plan, With a Dash of Jersey Envy 
David Brand, Gothamist | September 25, 2026 
The New York City Council released a development plan for downtown Staten Island, aiming to emulate development patterns in waterfront New Jersey cities such as Hoboken, Jersey City, and Bayonne. The plan calls for higher densities to boost affordability and attract investment after previous plans based around tourism failed to deliver.

NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro Station.
NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro Station. Courtesy of FHWA

WASHINGTON, D.C.—NRP Group Opens 115-Unit Affordable Housing Community in Washington, D.C. 
Staff, Citybiz | September 24, 2026 
NRP Group opened Emblem Apartments, a 115-unit affordable community next to the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro Station. The units are affordable to households earning between 30 percent and 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Artistic rendering of Sunnyside Yard Development.
Artistic rendering of Sunnyside Yard Development. Courtesy of NYC EDC

NEW YORK—Sunnyside Yard Housing Plan Advances as Mamdani Seeks $21B in Federal Grants 
Peter Mwaniki, Construction Review | September 22, 2026  
Mayor Mamdani and President Trump met at Gracie Mansion to advance Sunnyside Yard, a proposal to deck over the 180-acre active Queens rails yard with 12,000 homes while generating 30,000 jobs. Mamdani seeks $21 billion in federal grants to support the project amid ongoing coordination between City Hall and the White House.


Regional and National TOD News

Lutherville station.
Lutherville station. Elvert Barnes | Wikimedia Commons

MARYLAND—Baltimore County Council Unanimously Backs Transit-Oriented Development Designation for Lutherville Station 
Siobhan Garrett, WMAR 2 News | September 24, 2026  
The Baltimore County Council approved a resolution to endorse a TOD designation for a 12.77-acre site next to the Lutherville Light Rail Station. Current development plans include 325 apartments and 120,000 sq. ft. of retail/office space. State designation and a review through the county’s Planned Unit Development process are still required before construction can start.

Braddock Road Metro station proposal map.
Braddock Road Metro station proposal map. Courtesy of WMATA

VIRGINIA—JUST IN: Metro Seeks Developer Proposals for Braddock Road Station 
Emily Leayman, ALX Now | September 24, 2026  
WMATA issued an RFP for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development on a 3.4-acre, WMATA-owned parcel at Braddock Road Metro Station. The transit agency aims for up to 380 housing units and 21,000 sq. ft. of retail. The developer would also improve the bus loop and pickup/drop-off area at the transit station.

The Crossings at Brick Church Station
The Crossings at Brick Church Station in October 2025. Google Street View

How Mixed-Use Developments Spark Economic Growth 
Jeffrey Steele, Forbes | September 22, 2026  
Mixed-use development is increasingly replacing traditional malls, delivering economic growth through job creation and tax revenue. Examples include Redondo Beach’s South Bay Galleria and Greendale, Wisconsin’s Southridge Mall redevelopments, as well as NJ’s transit-oriented Crossings at Brick Church Station, which pairs 1,000 mixed-income apartments with a local workforce training program.

Omaha, Nebraska.
Omaha, Nebraska. Rudi1976 | Adobe Stock

NEBRASKA—Grow Omaha Streetcar in Focus: Transit Oriented Development 
Eric Miller, Grow Omaha | September 22, 2026  
Omaha Streetcar Operations Manager Eric Miller described how TOD shaped Omaha’s historic streetcar suburbs and how the new Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) and upcoming streetcar should make use of TOD again. He identifies potential for master-planned, multi-building TODs along upcoming streetcar corridors such as 24th Street and 10th Street.

Rendering of light rail along the Atlanta Beltline.
Rendering of light rail along the Atlanta Beltline. Courtesy of Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

GEORGIA—Atlanta City Council Backs Light Rail Along Full 22-Mile Beltline Loop 
Patrick Quinn, Atlanta News First | September 21, 2026  
The Atlanta City Council adopted a resolution to support light rail along the full 22-mile Beltline loop following a study that estimated the cost at $3.5 billion. The measure protects the corridor’s right-of-way, favors “rails on grass” design, ties transit to anti-displacement housing protections, and requires a funding and implementation report by January 26, 2027.


International TOD News

Bonifacio Global City, South Cembo, Guadalupe drone
Bonifacio Global City (BGC). Patrickroque01 | Wikimedia Commons

PHILIPPINES—BCDA Wants Tokyo-Style Transit Hub Right Beside Market! Market! 
Dexter Barro II, Manila Bulletin | September 22, 2026  
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) seeks to convert a $630 million parcel in Bonifacio Global City to a Tokyo-style transit hub. The hub will provide housing and retail around the future Metro Manila Subway’s BGC station, modeling it on Tokyo’s Shibuya and Tokyo stations.

Mexico City Metrobús.
Mexico City Metrobús. Alexandra Lande | Adobe Stock

MEXICO—Electrified Transit Could Cut Mexico Fuel Imports 34% by 2050 
Duncan Randall, Mexico Business News | September 21, 2026  
An Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and UC Davis study found that electrifying and expanding public transit and active mobility could cut Mexico’s gross fuel imports by 34 percent by 2050. Mexico City, Monterrey, Yucatan, and Jalisco are already electrifying bus fleets, while Mexico’s first micro-vehicle, Olinia 1, developed with support from Plan México, the nation’s six-year strategy to promote economic growth, aims to lower fleet-electrification costs.

Guwahati, India.
Guwahati, India. Dr Vikramjit Kakati | Wikimedia Commons

INDIA—Guwahati RRTS Plan Takes Shape as ADB Offers Support for Feasibility Study 
Staff, The Assam Tribune | September 20, 2026  
The Asian Development Bank will support a feasibility study for a Guwahati Rapid Rail Transit System, modeled on the Delhi-Meerut RRTS. Planned around the city’s Ring Road, it will connect satellite townships, the airport, and the town of Jagiroad in phases to ease congestion in the urban core.