What is Transit-Oriented Development?

Transit-oriented development (TOD) creates compact, walkable neighborhoods around transit stations. TOD increases transit ridership by creating destinations within a short walk of stations. It also offers residents a convenient commute to jobs, shopping and entertainment in the region.

Maryland has great TOD potential, with more than 75 rail, light rail and subway stations, and dozens more proposed in the next 20 years. The State will support its investment in transit by attracting new homes and businesses to the station areas. «Top»

Maryland's TOD Strategy

Maryland has built extensive transit infrastructure, which continues to expand. The State is promoting transit-oriented development to increase the number of riders and get a better return on this public investment. The goal is to surround stations with vibrant neighborhoods where people can live, work and shop or eat out, all within a safe and pleasant walk to trains, subways and buses.

TOD is not just good fiscal policy. It also helps relieve road congestion by making it easier for people to leave their cars at home. Putting a variety of land uses around transit stations can improve quality of life and access to jobs, stimulate community reinvestment and boost property values.

Maryland’s TOD strategy is built around several goals:

• To ensure that station areas are “market ready” for development;
• To build state agencies’ and local jurisdictions’ understanding of TOD and their ability to carry out TOD projects;
• To strengthen public support for TOD throughout the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas; and
• To enhance the potential for federal funding to expand transit in the Baltimore area by showing that development patterns can support transit.

The Maryland Departments of Transportation (MDOT) analyzes the “market readiness” of station areas to identify those with the greatest TOD potential. It evaluates existing land uses and physical characteristics, the perspective of surrounding communities, regulations, market strength and other issues.

At the same time, the State is building relationships with local jurisdictions, developers and others with a stake in TOD. In its work with local governments, Maryland hopes to develop work plans tailored to individual communities and station areas.

In West Hyattsville, New Carrollton and Baltimore’s State Center, for example, the State completed a detailed analysis of the sites and hosted charrettes to help stakeholders “design” transit-area development. In other cases, local officials might seek the State’s help with doing a demographic analysis of a station area or developing public education materials and TOD zoning and development regulations.

The State of Maryland is nationally recognized for its leadership in policies and programs that link transportation land use to economic development, community revitalization and increased mobility and transportation options for the citizens of the State. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been proactive in its commitment to develop transportation investments and facilities and support for transit-oriented, joint and transit-adjacent development that support economic growth and neighborhood revitalization in close proximity to transit facilities. «Top»

TOD Characteristics

Transit-oriented development targets the area within a 15-minute walk of a transit station, or up to a half-mile away. TOD varies in look and feel depending on its location. In a downtown business district, the development will be denser and more office-oriented than in a suburban neighborhood, where you’ll see more shops, restaurants, and maybe a movie theater.

Common features frequently found at TOD sites include:

• TOD is pedestrian-friendly. The development often sits within a connected grid of streets that are easy to navigate. Pedestrians are made to feel safe with wide sidewalks, well-marked crosswalks, good lighting and narrow streets to slow car traffic. The street scene is made inviting with landscaping, attractive public spaces and interesting architecture.
• The tallest buildings are clustered immediately around the transit station, with the density of development tapering off as you get farther out.
• Parking should be carefully managed. The goal is to limit the number of parking spaces and encourage shared parking between different land uses that need it at different times of day or at different times of the week. Offices, for example, typically need parking during weekdays, while retail and entertainment venues more likely need it evenings or on weekends.
• Transit-oriented development should have high-quality transit service that includes, wherever possible, access to buses and rail. Many Maryland neighborhoods in the Washington metro area, for example, link residents to Metro stations with Ride-On buses.

There is no one-size-fits-all mold, and TOD will look different depending on where you find it. The mix of development, its density and how it is designed will differ based on location. To learn more, read The New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented Development, which discusses TOD in different types of settings, as described below.

See www.reconnectingamerica.org.

• Downtown Business District – Charles Center, in Baltimore City, has seen a number of high-profile office and residential projects in recent years. Most of the residential development has transformed abandoned buildings into apartments.
• Urban neighborhood – Baltimore City’s Westside is being transformed with the rehabilitation of numerous historic structures. In addition to some office space, the neighborhood has seen a number of large apartment projects get under way.
• Suburban town center – In Silver Spring, employers such as Discovery have put up large office buildings around the Metro station, and retail and restaurant development has followed.
• Neighborhood TOD – Development around neighborhood transit stations vary from city to suburb, but in general, the emphasis will be on shopping, entertainment and housing. (Bethesda Row)
• Commuter Town Center – A community connected to the downtown core by transit might see TOD take the form of a “Main Street” center, with retail, professional offices and multifamily housing. (Owings Mills)

FTA defines Joint Development as projects are commercial, residential, industrial, or mixed-use developments that are undertaken in concert with transit facilities. They may include private, and non-profit development activities usually associated with fixed guideway (Rail or Busway) transit systems that are new or being modernized or extended. Joint development projects may also be associated with bus facilities, intermodal transfer facilities (e.g., bus to rail), transit malls, and Federal, State or local investments in local facilities (such as a bus terminal and tourist facility). FTA funds may be used to facilitate development that enhances transit; they may not be used for purely private development such as construction and permanent financing costs related to the design or construction of purely retail, residential, or other commercial public and private revenue-producing facilities.«Top»

FTA Criteria

To be eligible for consideration as a transit-oriented joint development project under this policy, the project must have the following characteristics:

1. It includes a transit element; and
2. It enhances urban economic development or incorporates private investment including office, commercial, or residential development; and
3. It enhances the effectiveness of a mass transit project, and the non-transit element is physically or functionally related to the mass transit project; or it creates new or enhanced coordination between public transit and other forms of transportation; or it includes nonvehicular capital improvements that result in increased transit usage, in corridors supporting fixed guideway systems.

Financial criteria that FTA will use in assessing joint development projects using land acquired with FTA funds are as follows: It is FTA's intent that the transit system be able to negotiate its project benefit whenever possible, on the basis of the value added to the property by the planning, design and construction of transit-oriented joint development around the transit facility. Therefore the project shall generate either a one-time payment or a revenue stream, the present value of which equals either the current market value or the appraised value of the property, taking highest and best transit use into account.

FTA also:

• Encourages local governments, transportation agencies, employers, building owners and managers, and public and private developers to work together to implement policies and strategies that will support transit use in daily activities.
• Supports land use policies that include promoting mixed-use and high density development around transit facilities. Urban design enhancements include landscaping, pedestrian and bicycle amenities, safety and security improvements, and improved access to transit services. Transportation management actions include parking management strategies to increase the cost and reduce the number of non-transit parking spaces for single occupant vehicles, priority treatment for transit vehicles, and transit pass programs.«Top»

Link to FTA Policy on Transit Joint Development.

To view additional links to TOD resources, visit the Tools page.

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