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In July, BART released the Role in the Region Report, a comprehensive study of BART's impact on the Bay Area illustrated by new analyses, data visualizations, and powerful personal narratives. Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing some of the key insights from the report in a series of Role in the Region articles here on bart.gov. Read the first article here. We encourage you to read the full report - click here - and visit the project webpage at bart.gov/roleintheregion. 

Today's post examines BART's impact on the regional economy. See the full report for methodology.

Fueled by unparalleled venture capital funding, a resilient technology sector, and a growing cluster of artificial intelligence (AI) companies, the Bay Area economy remains hot. BART provides access to a region at the leading edge of technological innovation and economic investment. Since 2021, the Bay Area has regularly attracted at least 50 percent of the total venture capital investment in innovative sectors such as information technology. 

San Francisco and the Peninsula

San Francisco continues to be a haven for innovative technology-focused businesses, and many firms cluster in BART-adjacent neighborhoods like South of Market and Hayes Valley.

Proximity to BART is a must-have for San Francisco’s downtown office market. Historically, office buildings near BART have outperformed non-BART accessible buildings based on market rents. Downtown San Francisco also has multiple “trophy” office buildings, which are commanding Downtown San Francisco’s highest rents and have the lowest vacancy rates. These buildings are all within a 15-minute walk of a BART station.

Top 15 San Francisco Office Buildings by Monthly Rent

Along the Peninsula, mutual growth in development and BART ridership is expected. At Millbrae Station, the newly opened Gateway Transit Oriented Development has over 157,000 square feet of office space, ground floor retail, a 164-room hotel, and 400 residential units. At San Bruno Station, the Southline project is slated for occupancy by the end of 2024 and is made up of 2.8 million square feet of office and research and development space. The existing Tanforan Mall is also in the process of planning to transform into a transit-oriented mixed-use village with 2 million square feet of life science, 1,014 housing units, and 86,000 square feet of retail space.

The East Bay

The East Bay’s economy continues to uniquely leverage BART. Employment centers in the East Bay, which has the highest concentration of BART stations in the system, represent tremendous regional growth potential.

Emerging industries are choosing to locate in BART-served parts of the East Bay. These emerging industries include creative technology and design— like software publishing, data processing, and advanced manufacturing. In addition, there are emerging industry-specific job hubs for manufacturing in Fremont and wholesale trade in Union City. While most AI investment has gone to companies in San Francisco or the Peninsula, the East Bay has its own innovation industries, including biomedical device manufacturing, computer technology, food innovation, and clean tech. These industries and others have driven demand for almost one million square feet of R&D and manufacturing space in the last ten years and attracted $5.5 billion in venture capital in 2021.

East Bay Office Space Rent per Square Foot

Many East Bay cities are responding to changing economic trends by adding jobs and housing. East Bay cities are leveraging access to BART to help shift market momentum towards their downtowns and prime infill locations. Demand and rents for East Bay commercial and industrial space remain high. Figure 2.9 shows that BART-served cities like Fremont and Walnut Creek continue to see increased rent for office space, and East Bay office rents have increased 59 percent overall since 2013. The East Bay industrial market continues to see high demand for warehouse and manufacturing space, with 11 consecutive quarters of net positive square footage leased as of 2023’s first quarter, with brokers and developers reporting an increased interest in transit accessibility for industrial tenants.

What BART Riders Say

When starting his own business, Raja Singh (pictured below with his son, Tyler) realized that transit would serve his employees’ well-being and morale. It also, as an added bonus, would serve his own interests and priorities as the head honcho. 

"People perceive going into the office as somewhat of a burden, and I thought it was important to make it as easy as possible for folks,” he said. “It’s more relaxing to get on BART and zone out or work than it is to navigate a tunnel and bridge then find parking downtown.” Raja would know – he's been commuting by BART for well over a decade. 

Raja also cited the recruitment benefits of headquartering his company by transit. They can enter the office, at 44 Montgomery Street, directly from the station, without having to step foot outside. Raja said nine of his employees live in the Bay Area and all of them commute by transit – seven take BART and two travel by Muni from their homes in the city. 

“Because we’re located at a transit hub, we can recruit from the East Bay, the South Bay, the Peninsula, and the city all at once, and it’s equally easy to get there,” he said “There's nowhere else in the Bay where you can say that. It gives you the broadest recruiting reach.” 

Read more about Raja here. 

Ride transit, attend free events, win prizes, and connect with the community 

This September marks the Bay Area’s tenth annual Transit Month. There are many opportunities to get on BART and celebrate the public transportation that keeps the Bay Area moving.  

Hosted by San Francisco Transit Riders and Seamless Bay Area with support from local agencies, Transit Month toasts the many trains, buses, and ferries that connect the region and uplift its communities, economies, and cultures.  

Transit Month is a great opportunity to explore the places transit can take you and to connect with local agencies and riders. The month is hallmarked by dozens of free events as well as a monthlong Ride Contest that invites participants to track their transit trips to win prizes, earn badges, and vie for top leaderboard positions. Last year, riders logged some 3,000 transit trips across every Bay Area agency. Sign up for the Ride Contest at  ridecontest.com and start logging trips September 1.  

BART’s hallmark event this year will be the Let’s Glow! BART Anime Festival on Saturday, September 6. Learn more about the celebration of art, anime, transit, and music here and RSVP (optional) at bartletsglow.eventbrite.com. 

And be sure to mark your calendars for All Aboard Bay Area Transit Day on Tuesday, September 23, when we encourage the region to ride transit. BART staff will be riding trains and handing out stickers and surprising riders wearing the stickers with fun BART prizes.  

Lastly, a virtual bonus: On the first day of Transit Month, September 1, BART will release the first of 12 YouTube videos of sped-up footage of the entire BART system – one line and one direction at a time. We’re calling it the BART Cab Cam, and every Monday for three months we’ll unveil a new video. Only Train Operators get to experience these views! Subscribe to BART’s YouTube channel to be alerted when a new video is posted.  

Below, we’ve highlighted some of the month’s BART-centric events. Find the full event schedule at sftransitriders.org/transitmonth. Some programming is virtual.  

Selection of Upcoming Transit Month Events 

September 29 - October 5 -- National Week Without Driving

Past Events

September 1 - Fairyland’s Big Birthday Party Parade from 19th St. Station 

September 1 - September 7, all day - Dress to Impress on Transit Week

September 4, 9am to 10am, SF City Hall (Civic Center) - Transit Month Kickoff Rally

September 4, 5:30pm to 7pm, SPUR Urban Center (Montgomery) - Transit Trivia Night

September 6, 4:30pm to 8pm, Warm Springs/South Fremont  – Let's Glow! BART Anime Festival  

September 6, 1pm to 5pm, Berryessa and Richmond – Books and BART Takeover with Silent Book Club Oakland  

September 9, 6pm to 9pm, Castro Valley - Learn to Juggle at Castro Valley BART

September 12, 7:30pm to 11pm, 12th St. - East Bay Bike Party

September 14, 10am to 4pm, Millbrae – 53rd Anniversary BART Speedrun + Trivia 

September 20, 9am to 3pm, Embarcadero – Peaks and Alleys: A BART to BART Walk 

September 21, 11:15am, Hayward Station - Sunday in the Park Without Having to Park

September 23, all day – All Aboard Bay Area Transit Day 

September 24, 3pm to 6pm, Salesforce Transit Center (Embarcadero) – Pop-up Transit Art Fair 

September 26, 3pm to 6:30pm, 19th St./Oakland – All Aboard with Transit CEOs Ride-Along and Happy Hour, including BART GM Bob Powers 

September 28, 10am to 3pm, MacArthur – Bay Bridge Trail Anniversary Ride  

September 28, 10am to 6pm, Embarcadero – YPT SF Bay Area: Transit Month Amazing Race