After January 1, 1980, with respect to the construction, purchase, or lease of buildings which are located or will be located in a standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) with a population of 250,000 or more according to the most recent decennial census, which is served by a public transit operator, as defined in § 99210 of the Public Utilities Code, the board shall give consideration to the location of existing public transit corridors, as defined in § 50093.5 of the Health and Safety Code, for the area. Construction, purchase, or lease of buildings at locations outside of existing public transit corridors may be approved after the board has determined: (1) the purpose of the facility does not require transit access; or (2) it is not feasible to locate the facility in an existing transit corridor; or (3) the transit operator will provide service as needed to effectively serve the facility. The board may request the assistance of the transit operator in making its determination and shall notify the operator of its decision.

(Added by Stats. 1979, Ch. 718.)