* The Sun-Times takes a closer look at the Northern Illinois Transit Authority’s new powers to develop land near transit…

When lawmakers passed the law creating the Northern Illinois Transit Authority nearly a year ago, they spoke about the new agency’s grand mission to transform Chicago-area public transit. […]

But, tucked inside the thousand-page-plus law, they also granted NITA unprecedented power to buy and develop land near transit. […]

“We’ve been doing planning studies … for nearly 30 years,” said Heather Mullins, NITA’s division manager for local planning. “But that’s really all we could do.” [….]

Under the law, NITA must inventory all underused transit-owned parcels and publish the list by June 2027. That list isn’t public yet. But Mullins said the agency has identified 3,000 underused parcels owned by transit agencies. She said 91 of them are ripe for development. Most of them are in the suburbs. That’s enough land near transit to build 8,500 homes.

Development will take time. The agency should start taking proposals from developers in 2028, Mullins said. Building could start in 2029. After that, NITA hopes to be doing four or five TOD projects a year.

NITA plans to put $10 million toward these projects, many of which will be affordable housing, she said.

Go read the rest.