Bay Area releases 25-year plan (left); DEVCO unveils HELIX phase 3; NYC launches $146M Queens plan; KC opens new streetcar line; Ho Chi Minh City embraces TOD (right top-to-bottom)
Article of the Week
CALIFORNIA—New 25-year Roadmap for Bay Area Housing, Transit, Climate
Staff, NBC Bay Area | October 21, 2025
Regional planners released Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+, a long-term strategy to address housing affordability, transit coordination, and climate resilience through 2050. The plan outlines 35 strategies to cut per-person greenhouse gas emissions, expand transit access, and reduce housing and transportation costs. Public comments are open through December 18, with final adoption expected in early 2026.
NJ TOD News
NEW BRUNSWICK—First Peek at $485M H3 Project: 265 Residential Units, 100 Apartments for Rutgers Med Students
Chuck O’Donnell, TAPinto New Brunswick | October 23, 2025
DEVCO unveiled plans for H3, a $485 million, 42-story tower that forms the third phase of New Brunswick’s HELIX innovation district. The project will feature 252,000 sq. ft. of office and lab space, 265 apartments—53 affordable—and housing for 100 Rutgers medical students. Construction will begin in May 2026 and finish by the end of 2028.
EDGEWATER—Edgewater’s 1,200-Unit 615 River Street Secures $255 Million in Financing
Chris Fry, Jersey Digs | October 22, 2025
The Maxal Group secured a $255 million construction loan to launch phase one of its $1 billion mixed-use redevelopment at 615 River Road in Edgewater. Phase one includes a 25-story, 381-unit tower and initiates the 1,200-unit project, which will add retail space, affordable housing, a new ferry terminal, and two bus stops along the Hudson River waterfront.
JERSEY CITY—Jersey City Approves Three-Phase, 235 Unit Development on Grand Street
Chris Fry, Jersey Digs | October 22, 2025
Jersey City approved Mecca Realty Properties’ plans for three mixed-use buildings on a current surface parking lot. The infill project will include 235 residential units—24 affordable—and over 12,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail within walking distance of the Liberty State Park light rail station.
FIFA, and New Jersey’s Big Chance to Prove the Value of Great Public Transit
Marcelo Remond, Planetizen | October 20, 2025
With New Jersey set to host eight World Cup matches in 2026, the state’s transit system faces both a major opportunity and a serious test. NJ TRANSIT will be responsible for moving more than a million visitors across its rail and bus network. To boost capacity, it is launching New Jersey’s first BRT line to link the Secaucus Junction Station to Metlife Stadium—aiming to double throughput while strengthening transit options for the future.
Infill Development: Balancing Growth, Transit, and Sustainability
Staff, NJTOD | October 20, 2025
Drawing from academic research, this NJTOD feature shows how infill development can serve as a powerful tool to curb sprawl, reduce infrastructure costs, and revitalize communities. In New Jersey, pairing incentives like PILOTs with policies that discourage fringe growth offers a clear strategy to expand housing while protecting green space.
Transit and Equity News
NEVADA—Why Nevada’s Urban Plans Must Prioritize Pedestrian Access to Nutritious Food
Sabina Malik, Nevada Today | October 23, 2025
Nearly one in five Nevadans lack reliable vehicle access, making it harder to acquire fresh, healthy food. Incomplete crosswalks, obstructed sidewalks, and long walks in extreme heat pose challenges for these residents, with older adults and those with limited mobility facing the greatest risks. These conditions highlight the need to mitigate the urban heat island effect and strengthen alternative transportation options.
NEW YORK—City Unveils $146M Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan to Add 5,000 Homes, Alleviate Flooding
Max Gillespie, New York YIMBY | October 22, 2025
New York City unveiled the $146 million Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan, a major infrastructure and housing initiative spanning “The Hole” in Queens, an area prone to chronic flooding. The plan calls for 5,000 new homes—1,400 on city-owned land—along with drainage upgrades, redesigned streets, and traffic safety improvements. Implementation begins immediately, with rezoning and environmental review set to start in 2025.
MICHIGAN—$220 Million Ann Arbor Affordable Housing Development Wins Approval
Ryan Stanton, M Live | October 20, 2025
The Ann Arbor Planning Commission approved a 20-story, 330-unit affordable housing development on a 0.8-acre parking lot directly next to the Blake Transit Center. The project will use tax credits and the City’s affordable housing millage, which supports the construction of 1,500 new affordable housing units across multiple sites.
Regional and National TOD News
MARYLAND—Mall Redevelopment: Baltimore County Seeks Ideas for Transit-Oriented Community
Jacob Baumgart, Patch | October 23, 2025
Baltimore County issued a Request for Proposal to identify a developer to transform 69 acres at Security Square Mall into a mixed-use, transit-oriented community. Plans call for the revitalization of the aging retail center with residential, commercial, office, and light industrial uses. The site will have direct access to the planned Red Line light-rail extension, though construction on the line has not yet begun.
MISSOURI—Streetcar’s Main Street Extension Marks New Chapter for Kansas City Transit
Greg Dailey, KCTV 5 | October 23, 2025
Kansas City opened its 3.5-mile KC Streetcar Main Street Extension, linking Union Station to the Plaza and the University of Missouri at Kansas City. The $350 million project creates a continuous north-south transit corridor through Midtown, expanding the downtown streetcar system launched in 2016. A Riverfront Extension is also underway and expected to open in early 2026.
MASSACHUSETTS—8-Story Building With 160 Apartments Coming to Fall River Waterfront. What We Know So Far
Emily Scherny, The Herald News | October 21, 2025
The Fall River Zoning Board approved plans for an 8-story, 160-unit mixed-use building on the city’s waterfront. The $50 million development will include ground-floor office and retail space and sits next to the Fall River Depot MBTA Station, which opened in early 2025 as part of the South Coast Rail project.
CALIFORNIA—YIMBYs Hit a Milestone in California. What’s Next?
Jared Brey, Governing | October 21, 2025
The YIMBYs achieved a major victory when Gavin Newsom signed SB 79, promoting denser housing near major transit stations after years of advocacy and two failed attempts. The law signals the growing influence of California’s pro-housing movement, which has secured policy wins from sweeping reforms to incremental changes targeting zoning, parking, and permitting barriers.
Fund Transit – Or Lose It
Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Streetsblog USA | October 21, 2025
Public transit in much of the U.S. remains unreliable due to chronic underfunding and decades of deferred maintenance. Cities like New York and Boston show that strong local investment sustains quality service and ridership, while zoning reforms—such as removing parking mandates—can further boost demand by enabling higher-density, transit-oriented development.
International TOD News
VIETNAM—HCM Targets Global Megacity Status With TOD Model, Integrated Economy
Staff, VietnamNet | October 24, 2025
Ho Chi Minh City plans to become a regional megacity by merging with nearby provinces and developing its financial center and modern seaport-logistics network. To manage rapid growth, the City is embracing transit-oriented development, concentrating housing, jobs, and amenities around transit hubs to reduce congestion and cut pollution.
CANADA—UTPro Data Shows MTSAs/PMTSAs Are Already Working
Ash Navabi, Urban Toronto | October 21, 2025
Newly designated Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) and Protected MTSAs—planning zones allowing higher densities—are already attracting larger, denser, and more transit-oriented developments in Toronto. Projects in these zones are roughly twice as tall, include 20 percent more housing units, and provide 30 percent fewer parking spaces than those elsewhere in the city.