TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT HOUSING NEEDS ANALYSIS  

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 

Renaissance supported the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) in conducting the Transit Oriented Development Housing Needs Analysis in coordination with the planning departments of Prince George’s County, Washington, DC, and the City of Alexandria. The project created an analytical methodology and strategic framework for addressing the housing needs near transit stations in a variety of different contexts. Renaissance developed a rigorous approach that delivered both useful findings for the selected stations and a template for applying the methodology to other stations across the region. 

The team began with a  risk analysis that uses local demographic and property information to evaluate ten selected station areas for their susceptibility to development, anticipated demographic changes, housing market trends, and existing supply of affordable housing. The results identify those stations where strong housing demand is most likely to increase housing costs substantially within the next five years. Renaissance developed detailed case studies for a subset of three stations which analyzed the station-level housing dynamics and how those interact with the accessibility and connectivity opportunities that form the basis of good TOD planning. 

Renaissance synthesized these findings with jurisdiction-level long-term housing demand forecasts to develop the platform of knowledge needed to make strategic recommendations for addressing TOD housing needs at the selected stations. The final report addressed the needs of the selected stations while also establishing a methodological framework for assessing other stations where TOD housing is a priority focus. Renaissance also delivered a webinar on the risk analysis methodology for local government planners in the region.