FTA awards grants for TOD planning

The Federal Transit Administration last week announced 19 grant awards totaling $13.1 million to increase transit access through transit-oriented development (TOD) planning projects.

The grants are awarded through the FTA's  Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning, which supports local efforts to increase transit access and encourage ridership through mixed-use and mixed-income developments near public transportation hubs, administration officials said in a press release.

Among the entities receiving the grants are:

• the Maryland Department of Transportation-Maryland Transit Administration, which will receive nearly $1.5 million to plan for a TOD along the Purple Line light-rail project corridor in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties; and
• the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which will receive $960,000 to study the possibility of a TOD in the Union Station/Civic Center Transit District. The project calls for exploring ways to expand affordable housing as the city invests in transit infrastructure, considers new commercial developments and responds to the housing and homelessness crisis.

The FTA's pilot program helps communities plan for opportunities created by new transit stations, such as affordable housing, economic development and better connections to schools, hospitals, stores and restaurants.