USDOT issues $11 million in TOD grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) last week announced $11 million in grants have been dispursed for 20 projects involving transit-oriented developments (TOD).

Disbursed through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning, the funds awarded to transit agencies in 12 states will be used to plan projects that connect communities by providing affordable housing and easy access to transit, USDOT officials said in a press release.

Among the grants awarded:
• Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, Texas, received $750,000, which will be used for construction of the new Broadmoor MetroRail Station. Construction began Jan. 18. The station is located on a 66-acre mixed-use development in the North MoPac corridor, owned by Brandywine Realty Trust. It is a public-private partnership between Capital Metro and Brandywine. Charles Schwab & Company also donated its 50-acre lot Gracy Farms that is adjacent to the development. The station will provide multimodal transit connections throughout Austin.
• Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) in Tampa, Florida, received $300,000 for a TOD project at four proposed stations along the TECO Line Streetcar extension linking downtown Tampa to the University of South Florida campus.
• City of Phoenix Public Transit Department received $920,000 for a TOD project at 11 stations proposed along a five-mile streetcar line; and
• Chicago Transit Authority received $800,000 for TOD plans at four proposed stations along the Red Line.