California Governor Jerry Brown signs BART housing bill into law

SACRAMENTO (KGO) -- California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill to encourage transit-oriented development at BART stations.

"We can no longer afford to say no to building housing, especially around transit hubs," Assemblymember David Chiu, chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, said in a statement.

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Assemblymember Timothy S. Grayson of Concord co-authored the bill with Chiu.

Assembly Bill 2923 would give BART greater control of its own land, 250 acres systemwide, potentially expediting the construction of 20,000 new housing units by 2040.

The bill would give local cities and counties two years to update their zoning restrictions or face the prospect of losing control over projects on BART land in their communities.

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