The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that $20.5 million in competitive grant funds is available to support planning efforts that improve access to public transit in communities across the country. The grant funds are provided through FTA’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Pilot Program. A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) appears in today’s Federal Register.
“Public transit plays a critical role in connecting Americans to jobs, education and opportunity,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “When we plan housing, jobs and services centered around transit lines, we build a strong foundation for the economic development that our growing nation needs – and reduce pollution, congestion and carbon emissions at the same time.”
The TOD Planning Pilot Program provides grants for comprehensive planning in communities that are developing or implementing major new public transportation projects. Last year, FTA awarded $19.5 million to 21 projects in 17 metropolitan areas around the country. The grants supported comprehensive planning efforts such as conducting an economic analysis for communities along a planned light rail extension in Durham, North Carolina; developing updated zoning codes, an infrastructure assessment and affordable housing plans for areas along a planned streetcar route in Sacramento, California; and developing land-use plans along a corridor where a bus rapid transit system is planned in Lansing, Michigan.