USDOT announces $11 million in grant awards to help communities plan for TOD

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded approximately $11 million to 20 projects in 12 states to support comprehensive planning efforts to improve access to public transportation.  

Funding through FTA's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning grants will help organizations plan for transportation projects that connect communities and improve access to transit and affordable housing.  

"Transit-oriented development offers easier, more affordable access to jobs, health care, school, shopping, and other daily needs," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "We're pleased to award this funding to help more communities develop around transit in a way that reduces pollution, increases economic opportunity and contributes to affordable housing." 

FTA's Pilot Program for TOD Planning supports local planning and strategies to increase transit access and encourage ridership through mixed-use and mixed-income development near public transportation projects. This year’s selected projects support President Joe Biden’s call to combat climate change, advance environmental justice and promote equitable delivery of benefits to underserved communities. 

"Equitable transit-oriented development helps those at the local level respond to climate change and affordable housing challenges, particularly in underserved communities," said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. "Our goal is to create access for all Americans who ride transit by encouraging mixed-use, mixed income development around new transit projects. I hope that communities will join with FTA to accelerate transit-oriented development by addressing zoning and planning changes that will increase mixed income and affordable housing around transit hubs and stations." 

Some of the selected projects include:   

• The City of Phoenix Public Transit Department in Arizona will receive $920,000 to plan for TOD at 11 stations proposed along a five-mile streetcar line to connect activity centers in the city of Mesa. 
• The Chicago Transit Authority in Illinois will receive $800,000 to plan for TOD at four proposed stations along 5.6-miles of its Red Line 'L' train subway line. 
• The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments in South Carolina will receive $860,000 to plan for TOD on its proposed 21.5-mile Lowcountry Rapid Transit bus rapid transit corridor. 

A list of all selected projects is available online. Information on previously funded projects can be found here. Planning projects were selected for funding based on criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

The president's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a $18.9 million, or 38 percent, increase in funding for this program over five years, as compared to the previous level. This will expand FTA's ability to support transit-oriented development nationwide.  

The TOD Pilot Program was originally created under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) authorization and amended by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the last transportation authorization law before the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.