Chicago reviews ETOD progress (right) • Burlington City gains UEZ backing • CA housing shortage tied to poverty • Feds pick Penn Station design • Delhi identifies TOD sites (left top-to-bottom)
Article of the Week
ILLINOIS—Report Dissects Chicago’s ETOD Progress
Carrie Shepherd, Axios Chicago | May 19, 2026
Five years after Chicago launched its equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) plan, a new report from Elevated Chicago found the City has implemented several ETOD measures, but further progress is still needed. Advocates hope the Red Line Extension will spur development on the South and West sides.
NJ TOD News
WEEHAWKEN—Construction Begins at 313-Unit Weehawken Complex With Performing Arts Center
Chris Fry, Jersey Digs | May 22, 2026
Weehawken officials and developers celebrated the groundbreaking of a mixed-use waterfront development in Weehawken that will offer 313 units and a 23,000 sq. ft. performing arts center on a formerly vacant lot. The project is located next to the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal and near Port Imperial Ferry Station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR).
NJTOD Article
WOODBRIDGE—Metropark: From Transit Hub to Health Hub
Staff, NJTOD | May 21, 2026
This NJTOD feature highlights how NJ TRANSIT and private partners are transforming Metropark Station into a mixed-use health destination. With the recently opened Hackensack Meridian Health and Wellness Center and a planned residential development, this innovative project will reduce transportation barriers to healthcare while redefining the modern transit hub.
CAMDEN—Led by Cooper’s $3 Billion Expansion, Camden’s Healthcare Sector Growing Rapidly
Neill Borowski, Jersey Digs | May 20, 2026
Camden’s rising healthcare sector is helping revitalize the local economy, with three large healthcare developments now underway. Led by Cooper University Health Care’s “Project Imagine”—a multi-phase $3 billion expansion including a new 10-story, 345,000 sq. ft. tower—the new investments leverage transit accessibility and will add hundreds of jobs.
BURLINGTON—Burlington City Gets Lawmakers’ Backing for Economic Zone Program
John Reitmeyer, NJ Spotlight News | May 19, 2026
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee voted to advance Bill S1834, which would add downtown Burlington City to the state’s Urban Enterprise Zone program. This designation allows businesses to halve their state sales tax charge and grants the City eligibility for certain economic development initiatives.
EAST ORANGE—Taylor: East Orange Planning Board Approves Redesigned, 100-Unit Rental Project With Rooftop Amenity Spaces
Joshua Burd, Real Estate NJ | May 18, 2026
The East Orange Planning Board approved a 100-unit, seven-story multifamily development project just blocks from NJ TRANSIT’s Brick Church Station. Officials granted approval following an amended proposal that included rooftop amenity space as well as first- and second-floor parking.
Transit and Equity News
NEW YORK—Mamdani Eyes Sweeping Housing Plan for Blocks South of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park
David Brand, Gothamist | May 20, 2026
Mayor Mamdani is launching a rezoning effort in Brooklyn to add thousands of new housing units along existing subway lines and the planned Interborough Express light rail. The “South of Prospect Plan” would target low-rise commercial corridors for denser housing. Mamdani has similar plans underway for the north Bronx.
CALIFORNIA—Report: Acute Housing Shortage Fuels California’s Unaffordability, Poverty
David Greenwald, Vanguard News Group | May 19, 2026
A Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative report found that California’s high cost of living is the main cause of poverty and out-migration. Restrictive zoning practices, onerous environmental reviews, and defective tax policy contribute to the State’s housing shortage and expensive transportation infrastructure. The report calls for streamlined permitting, denser zoning around transit, and other reforms.
SOUTH CAROLINA—North Charleston Residents Can Help Shape Future Development Near Planned Bus Rapid Transit Line
Kenna Coe, The Post and Courier | May 19, 2026
Stakeholders along three key areas of the proposed 21-mile Lowcountry Bus Rapid Transit system can provide input on the project through several upcoming workshops and an online survey. Participants will share how they get around, priorities for infrastructure improvements, and ideas for future development along the line.
Regional and National TOD News
NEW YORK—Feds Pick Design for Penn Station Rebuild, Won’t Move Madison Square Garden
Ramsey Khalifeh, Gothamist | May 20, 2026
The federal government approved Penn Transformation Partners’ redesign of Penn Station. The upgrades would include a new exterior with classical architectural design, more retail space, simplified walking paths, and would enable through-running for NJ TRANSIT and LIRR trains. The feds will provide $8 billion for the redesign.
Fixing Federal Transit Finance for Housing
Katharine Burgess and Doug Landry, Urban Land | May 19, 2026
The Build HUBS Act—H.R. 7062—aims to increase access to low-interest financing for TOD projects. If passed, the Bill would clarify project eligibility, modernize underwriting, and streamline compliance pathways. Complicated federal requirements currently make federal TOD financing an underutilized tool for developers and transit agencies.
MISSOURI—Kansas City’s Streetcar Opens Riverfront Extension, Completing Years of Work
Savannah Hawley-Bates, KCUR | May 18, 2026
Kansas City opened its 0.7-mile extension of the Kansas City Streetcar, connecting the River Market to the Berkley Riverfront, which houses a new professional soccer stadium and other waterfront developments. In addition to the rail line, the City added a parallel bicycle and pedestrian bridge. Other streetcar extensions are still in the planning stage.
International TOD News
SOUTH KOREA—2,037 Apartment Units Planned Near Sagajeong Station…1,571 Units to Be Built in Bongcheon 14 District
Lee Jungyun, Asia Business Daily | May 21, 2026
Seoul approved several major transit-oriented redevelopment projects, led by a 2,037-unit apartment complex near Sagajeong Station in Jungnang-gu that will include parks and expanded pedestrian infrastructure. The City has advanced these housing projects as part of a push to add dense residential development near transit hubs and modernize aging low-rise neighborhoods.
INDIA—Transit-Oriented Development Near Metro Stations on DDA’s Agenda
Snehil Sinha, Hindustan Times | May 17, 2026
To accelerate urban TOD, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has identified 14 land parcels along Delhi Metro corridors for mixed-use and high-density development. The parcels span more than 300,000 square meters along the Blue, Green, and Yellow Line corridors, and will be the first areas to utilize Delhi’s revised TOD regulations.