Transit-Oriented Development: What Makes It Work?

Transit-oriented development promises to connect housing, transportation, and opportunity—but simply building homes near a train or bus station isn't enough. Our first guest, Jacob Billitteri, Senior Project Manager at Affirmed Housing, joins us to explore what it actually takes to create successful transit-oriented communities and why thoughtful planning matters as much as the housing itself.

Using the Berryessa Transit Center development in San José as a real-world case study, we examine how affordable housing, public transit, zoning, financing, and infrastructure can work together to create more connected communities. We also discuss California's SB 79, the challenges facing transit-oriented development, and why reliable transit and long-term regional planning are essential if these communities are going to succeed.

Editor's Note: At the beginning of this episode, we revisit a correction from our previous discussion of institutional investors and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Additional information and sources are included below.

Sources & More Reading

Transit-Oriented Development

• Urban Institute. Transit-Oriented Development. https://www.urban.org/tags/transit-oriented-development
• Urban Institute. Transit-Oriented Development Can Help Cities Grow. Which Urban Areas Are Doing Best? https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/transit-oriented-development-can-help-cities-grow-which-urban-areas-are-doing-best
• Reconnecting America. Case Studies for Transit-Oriented Development. https://www.njtod.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Briefing-Report-Number-3-Case-Studies-for-Transit-Oriented-Development-ReConnecting-America.pdf

SB 79

• California Department of Housing and Community Development. SB 79 Transit-Oriented Development. https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-research/sb79-tod
• California YIMBY. SB 79. https://cayimby.org/legislation/sb-79/
• CalMatters. How California's SB 79 Could Reshape Housing Near Transit. https://calmatters.org/housing/2026/04/sb-79-implementation/

Berryessa Transit Center

• City of San José. Berryessa BART Urban Village. https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/citywide-planning/urban-villages/berryessa-bart
• Strategic Growth Council. Nearly 200 Affordable Homes Break Ground at Berryessa Transit Center. https://sgc.ca.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/nearly-200-affordable-homes-break-ground-at-berryessa-transit-center-in-san-jose/
• Live at Berryessa. https://www.liveatberryessa.com/home
• Strategic Growth Council. Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program. https://sgc.ca.gov/grant-programs/ahsc/

San Diego Transit & Housing

• SANDAG. 2025 Regional Plan. https://www.sandag.org/regional-plan/2025-regional-plan
• KPBS. Breaking Down SANDAG's $125 Billion Spending Plan. https://www.kpbs.org/news/quality-of-life/2026/02/09/breaking-down-sandags-125-billion-spending-plan
• SANDAG. Draft SB 79 Transit-Oriented Development Map. https://www.sandag.org/projects-and-programs/regional-initiatives/housing/draft-sb-79-transit-oriented-development-map

San Diego History

• San Diego History Center. Streetcars Collection. https://sandiegohistory.org/collection/photographs/streetcars/
• Streetsblog California. The Racist Legacy of San Diego's Trolley Limits Its Future. https://cal.streetsblog.org/2024/07/01/the-racist-legacy-of-san-diegos-trolley-limits-its-future
• NBC 7 San Diego. Lost Neighborhoods and the Legacy of Discrimination. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-history-center-lost-neighborhoods-discrimination/3906377/

Institutional Investors & the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

• Multifamily Dive. Build-to-Rent Industry Wins Changes in ROAD to Housing Act. https://www.multifamilydive.com/news/build-to-rent-house-road-to-housing-bill/820391/
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Congress Limits Institutional Acquisition of Single-Family Homes. https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2026/07/congress-limits-institutional-acquisition-of-single-family-homes

Learn More About Our Guest

• Jacob Billitteri, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-billitteri-50a60227a/