Development of mixed use communities near transit hubs could help reduce traffic while providing the housing and lifestyle some residents appear to want, a regional government official told those attending the January Randall Lewis Seminar Series.

Transit-oriented development – known as TOD -- is generally defined as a place within one-quarter to a half-mile of a transit station, which maximizes the potential use of transit facilities by concentrating employment, retail, and residential development where appropriate.

The concept has been growing across the U.S. as communities look for other ways to improve traffic while decreasing dependency on the automobile.

The six-county Southern California region is home to about 16 million residents. Another six million people are expected in the next 20 years – the size of two Chicagos, said Rick Bishop, executive director of the Western Regional Council of Governments and the January seminar speaker.

In western Riverside County, which includes the cities of Banning, Corona, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Perris, Riverside and Temecula, population is expected to nearly double by 2035. Another 400,000 homes will be built and employment also will nearly double, Bishop said.

Growth will occur throughout the area, not just in newly developed areas, further congesting existing freeways and roadways, he said. And even with $120 billion in planned transit improvements planned in the Southern California region, traffic isn’t expected to get any less congested than it is today, and could become more congested in some areas, Bishop said.

A recent survey of 2,000 commuters by Bishop’s agency found that 85 percent would choose a single-family home and a 45-minute commute to an attached home with only a 15-minute commute.

But while attached housing remains a stigma for some residents, there appears to be growing interest among some residents in transit-oriented villages – in part because of changing demographics.

“The traditional family is going the way of the dinosaur,” Bishop said, with a growing number of households consisting of single parents, couples without children, empty-nesters and baby boomers – some of whom are looking for a different form of housing.

Today’s housing market is meeting the demand of those who want single-family houses with yards and other suburban amenities, Bishop said. But there is a need to begin offering more diversity in our housing stock by providing mixed use, higher-density housing and transit oriented development, he said.

The Western Riverside Council of Governments received a grant from Caltrans to study the feasibility of transit-oriented development at six possible sites in western Riverside County. Part of the 18-month study included a survey of 1,100 residents to gauge public support of the transit-oriented development concept.

When first contacted and with no background information, only 11 percent of those surveyed expressed any interest. But once the concept was explained, 79 percent said they would support the concept, Bishop said.

But to work, TODs must be well designed with easy access to a center, provide high quality housing, quality transit service, be pedestrian friendly and a good price value.

Barriers to TOD development often include those who mistrust government, object to more growth, or who feel high-density development increases crime and traffic, Bishop said.

Another obstacle is that zoning laws in many cities and counties don’t currently allow for higher-density development.