The agency has identified roughly 3,000 underused parcels owned by regional transit agencies. State law requires NITA to publish a full inventory by June 2027; the list has not yet been released. The agency expects to begin seeking developer proposals in 2028, with construction potentially starting in 2029. NITA hopes eventually to pursue four or five transit-oriented development projects a year and plans to put $10 million toward them, many of which Mullins said would include affordable housing.

The law creating NITA gave the umbrella agency for CTA, Metra and Pace authority its predecessor, the Regional Transportation Authority, did not have. Along with new control over fares, service and construction, NITA can now partner with developers, take on debt and offer incentives. It can also acquire and develop land for purposes beyond transit-related projects and condemn property with municipal approval.

That breadth of authority could make NITA a powerful player in shaping neighborhoods around stations and bus routes. Yonah Freemark, an Urban Institute expert on transit-oriented development, said the law gives the agency development powers that few U.S. transit agencies possess. The potential change is substantial, he said.

Transit-oriented development, or TOD, generally means building homes, businesses and other destinations on underused land near transit. Supporters say denser, walkable neighborhoods can make transit easier to use, reduce car dependence and expand access to jobs. The Metropolitan Planning Council estimates households may save as much as $10,000 a year in transportation costs when they can rely more on transit.

NITA’s predecessor could help municipalities plan projects but could not lead development itself. The new agency is hiring a manager for a development office expected to have about 10 employees. Mullins said NITA intends to start with land already owned by transit agencies, rather than immediately buying property.

The agency’s plans come as Chicago and other cities have pursued development near transit, while also confronting the risk that new investment can price out existing residents. Chicago adopted an equitable transit-oriented development policy in 2021 intended to encourage projects while limiting displacement of low-income residents. A May report from Elevated Chicago said more than 100 projects on city-owned land near transit were underway.

NITA’s law also removes municipal parking minimums within a half-mile of rail stations and within one city block of bus corridors. The change does not ban parking, but removes mandatory quotas that can add construction costs, said Audrey Wennick of the Metropolitan Planning Council. The affected areas include nearly all of Chicago, according to a map created by NITA.

Developers working on projects near transit welcomed the expanded authority and parking changes, but the financial conditions remain difficult. High borrowing and construction costs could slow development, and NITA’s own projects are still years from breaking ground.

For Juan Sebastian Arias, leader of the nonprofit Elevated Chicago, the agency’s new role offers an opportunity to work with municipalities that also have vacant land near stations. NITA officials say the goal is to increase housing and make transit more accessible; whether that growth also remains affordable and benefits existing communities will be central to how the authority uses its new powers.