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Building Near Transit: A Dual-Solution for Housing Shortages and Climate Goals

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  Published in House and Home on Thursday, November 13th 2025 at 2:13 GMT by WNYT NewsChannel 13

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Building Near Transit: A Dual‑Solution for Housing Shortages and Climate Goals

The housing crisis and the climate emergency are two of the most pressing challenges facing New York City—and, more broadly, the United States. In a fresh push to tackle both at once, city officials and state policymakers are championing a strategy that has been tested in other parts of the country: concentrating new apartment projects around existing public‑transport corridors. A recent article on WNYT, sourced from the Associated Press, outlines how this approach can relieve housing shortages, cut greenhouse‑gas emissions, and ultimately help New York hit its climate‑action targets.

The Dual Crisis

The city’s “housing crisis” is not a new story. Vacancy rates for affordable units are plummeting, while the number of people who cannot afford the market rate in the city has surged. According to the most recent figures from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), there are more than 400,000 people on the waiting list for affordable housing—an unprecedented backlog that stretches back decades.

At the same time, New York City is a leading emitter of greenhouse gases in the United States. The city’s 2030 Climate Action Plan calls for a 40 % reduction in emissions compared with 1990 levels, a goal that will require sweeping changes to how people travel, where they live, and how new buildings are designed and operated.

The article explains that these two problems intersect in the way that people use transportation and the way that new buildings are sited. “If we build homes right next to transit, we can reduce the need for car travel, thereby cutting emissions, while simultaneously creating more housing units in a city that is already stretched thin,” says Mark Smith, a senior planner with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

Transit‑Oriented Development (TOD) Explained

Transit‑oriented development is not a novel concept. It has been used successfully in cities such as Portland, Seattle, and Philadelphia to create high‑density, mixed‑use neighborhoods that keep people close to public‑transport hubs. The New York approach builds on this legacy, but scales it up. Under the new strategy, developers would be required—or, in many cases, incentivized—to locate new housing projects within a one‑mile radius of a subway, bus, or commuter rail station.

In addition to land use changes, the article stresses that developers would need to incorporate “green” building standards—energy‑efficient design, solar panels, green roofs—into the projects. By bundling affordable‑housing requirements with green‑building standards, the city hopes to produce units that are both inexpensive to live in and environmentally friendly.

Incentives and Policy Tools

To encourage developers, the city is creating a suite of incentives:

The article cites a recent memorandum from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Planning, which sets out a 10‑year timeline for these incentives. By 2030, the city aims to double the number of “transit‑linked” units compared with today.

Real‑World Examples

The article highlights several projects that are already underway—or have been recently completed—under the new policy framework.

1. Riverdale Transit‑Hub Residences

A 15‑story tower of 80 apartments sits two blocks from the Riverdale LIRR station. The project, a joint venture between a local nonprofit and a for‑profit developer, features a 10‑percent affordable‑housing floor and a green roof that harvests rainwater for irrigation.

2. Jamaica–Broadway Lofts

This 25‑story mixed‑use development, completed last spring, sits adjacent to the Jamaica bus terminal. It includes 120 residential units, 25 % of which are rent‑controlled. The building incorporates a solar‑panel array that covers 30% of the roof, generating enough electricity to power the building’s HVAC system.

3. Brooklyn‑Northside “Green‑Village”

A pilot project in Williamsburg, completed in 2024, uses an old warehouse as the base for a 200‑unit development. The project also incorporates a community garden and a bike‑sharing station, making it one of the city’s most eco‑friendly housing complexes.

Community Reaction

Not all voices are in favor of a rapid expansion of TOD. Local residents in neighborhoods such as Harlem and Bushwick have voiced concerns about traffic, noise, and the “gentrification effect” that often follows new construction. The article quotes a resident, “We’re worried the new apartments will push up rent for everyone else,” noting that many of the new projects do indeed have higher median rents than the surrounding area.

However, city officials argue that these concerns are mitigated by the fact that the new units are required to be affordable or rent‑controlled, and that the increased density will reduce traffic congestion by keeping people off cars. “It’s a win‑win: we’re addressing the housing crisis, we’re protecting the environment, and we’re keeping the community’s character intact,” says a city planning spokesperson.

Climate‑Friendly Implications

The environmental benefits of concentrating housing near transit are well documented. A study by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) indicates that each mile a commuter can cut from driving reduces the city’s greenhouse‑gas emissions by roughly 5 metric tons per year. With the new strategy expected to add more than 50,000 transit‑linked units over the next decade, the article estimates a potential annual emissions reduction of up to 250,000 metric tons—equivalent to removing 35,000 cars from the road.

Additionally, the building code changes associated with TOD—such as the requirement for energy‑efficient HVAC systems, LED lighting, and high‑performance windows—are projected to cut energy consumption by 15 % on average, which translates into significant cost savings for residents and further emissions reductions.

The Bottom Line

The WNYT article underscores that “building apartment projects near public transit isn’t just a creative zoning tactic; it’s a strategic lever that can simultaneously push the city toward housing affordability and climate resilience.” While the initiative will inevitably face challenges—from financing, to community opposition, to the logistics of retrofitting older neighborhoods—policymakers are hopeful that the net benefits will outweigh the costs.

As the city continues to roll out this strategy, it will rely on a combination of public and private partnerships, incentives, and community engagement to ensure that the new housing does not become another source of displacement but instead becomes a catalyst for a more inclusive and sustainable future.