Caltrain adopts land use, development policies

Caltrain’s board last week adopted two policies to guide the agency’s use of its property and set standards for future developments.

The board's Rail Corridor Use Policy provides a framework to make sure proposed uses of Caltrain property meet the railroad’s needs. 

Caltrain often receives third-party requests to use its property for non-railroad purposes, ranging from utilities to developments to farmers markets. The new policy identifies which properties are needed to support railroad operations and future growth and which properties have potential for other developments, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

Under the policy, a preliminary analysis identified two sites in Redwood City and Mountain View, California, with high development potential, and seven sites with some development potential.

The board also adopted a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Policy that calls for developments that promote multimodal connections, maximize density, receive fair market value and favor long-term leases. Developments also must lead to increased Caltrain ridership, officials said.

Under the TOD policy, 30 percent of housing units must be targeted at very low, low and moderate income households. Each residential project also must have a minimum of 50 units per acre and a height of at least four stories.