Resource

As Congress prepares for surface transportation reauthorization, nearly 100 organizations signed Smart Growth America’s letter calling on Congress to include the Build Housing Unlock Benefits and Services (Build HUBS) Act in the upcoming reauthorization package. This bipartisan, bicameral bill, introduced by Sen. Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA), and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), would remove unnecessary barriers in federal financing programs, encouraging developers to build housing near transit.

Because housing and transportation are deeply intertwined, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a practical way to align where we build housing with the transportation systems that serve it. Through our work, SGA has seen that this approach leads to more housing options, higher transit ridership, and better access to jobs and services, and jobs. TOD leverages existing systems to create more walkable, connected neighborhoods, reducing public infrastructure and personal transportation costs while increasing economic benefits for communities and residents alike. These outcomes align with the federal transportation program’s stated goals, including improved connectivity, public health, and economic growth, and better use of existing infrastructure.

Congress has already acknowledged the potential of transit-oriented development by including provisions in the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) and the Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs to support housing projects near transit. LOCUS, SGA’s coalition of triple-bottom-line real estate developers, helped secure these provisions in 2015. But in practice, these tools have been difficult to use.

The Build HUBS Act would unlock their potential by cutting red tape, streamlining loan processes, shortening underwriting timelines, expanding credit validation options, and establishing clear guidance for infill projects and office-to-residential conversion. These changes would encourage private investment and public-private partnerships in housing development, making the Build HUBS Act an especially effective tool to address the most severe housing shortage in decades. This bill would help communities to not just increase housing supply in the places people want to live, but to do so in ways that leverage existing infrastructure to meet current and future needs.

As a national nonprofit working across housing, transportation, climate resilience, economic development, and governance from big cities to rural towns, Smart Growth America is uniquely equipped to identify opportunities to increase housing abundance through our cross-sector approach. That work brings us together with a broad, bipartisan coalition across the public and private sectors, as reflected in the signers below, which range from state departments of transportation to real estate developers and housing advocacy organizations. SGA and these partners urge Congress to use all available tools to increase housing supply in transit-served locations, and the Build HUBS Act is a clear, common-sense bill that does just that.

Take action to support this important piece of legislation by urging Congress to support or co-sponsor the Build HUBS Act. Contact your federal representatives.

Please contact Elisa Ramirez if you are interested in directly connecting with your Congressional delegation to ask them to support Build HUBS ([email protected]). See the letters of support here:

Environment and Public Works
Commerce, Science and Transportation
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

Thank you to the following organizations for signing our letter to support this bill:

National Organizations

ACEEE
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
America Walks
American Planning Association
American Society of Landscape Architects
CivicWell
Congress for the New Urbanism
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Economic Innovation Group
Enterprise Community Partners
GreenLatinos
Inclusive Abundance Action
Just Strategy: National Campaign for Transit Justice
League of American Bicyclists
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers & Investors
Mortgage Bankers Association
National Apartment Association
National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders
National Association of Development Organizations
National Association of Home Builders
National Association of Realtors
National Association of Regional Councils
National Leased Housing Association
National Multifamily Housing Council
Parking Reform Network
Putting Assets to Work
Sierra Club
Smart Growth America
The Niskanen Center
U.S. Green Building Council
Up for Growth Action
YIMBY Action

State, Regional, and Local Organizations

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania
1000 Friends of Oregon
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Abundant Housing MA
Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST)
CITYBUILDER
Clean+Healthy
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Denver Streets Partnership
East Metro Strong
Elevated Chicago
Farm&City
ForeverGreen Trails
Greater Denver Transit
Greater Ohio Policy Center
Grow Smart Rhode Island
GrowSmart Maine
Hawaii Department of Transportation
Let's Build Homes
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
Madison Area Bus Advocates
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Metropolitan Planning Council
Move California
Neighbors for More Neighbors
Neighbors Welcome! Rhode Island
New Jersey Future
Oregon Metro
People Friendly Stamford
Pro-Homes Connecticut
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
Snohomish County Transportation Coalition
Somerville YIMBY
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Stations Unidos
Texans For Housing
The Wisconsin Bike Fed
Together For Homes
TrainRiders Northeast
Transform
Transportation Choices Coalition
Urban Land Institute NW District Council
Wasatch Advocates for Livable Communities
Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance

Private Sector

Ascension OZ Advisors, LLC
Avesta
Brookwood Group
Concentric Community Advisors, LLC
Continuum Partners
DPZ CoDesign
Ederer and Associates
Galvin Architects
Gilbane Development Company
HarveyReed
Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc.
McCormack Baron Salazar
Peter J. Park, LLC
re:MAIN
stok Investment Group
T.H. McClory, LLC (d/b/a THM Advisors)