BART received a $3.6 million grant from the state to establish a loan program to aid the predevelopment permitting process for transit-oriented housing projects on BART-owned land.

The first recipient of the loan program, East Bay Asian Local Development Corp., will use the money to obtain building permits and begin construction of a senior affordable housing project located at the Lake Merritt BART parking lot, said Abby Thorne-Lyman, director of real estate and property development.