Lost opportunities: Downsizing office and housing projects near transit means less vibrant neighborhoods

The Bay Area has invested billions of dollars in transit in recent decades — in BART, Caltrain, Muni, ferries and a new SMART train in the North Bay. But developers who want to build around new and expanded transit hubs are routinely told by neighbors to make their projects shorter and smaller. Still, opposition isn’t the only factor downsizing projects. As construction costs rise, developers are choosing to build smaller projects around transit hubs because larger one often don’t pencil out.