Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-Oriented Development, or TOD, is the creation of compact, mixed use communities centered around high quality transit stations,  reducing the need to drive and making it possible for a high quality of life without complete dependence on a car for mobility and survival.

The completion of the Central Maryland Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Strategy Report in 2009 quickly elevated the Transportation Alliance’s role in the evolution of the Maryland State Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) TOD strategy. (click here to access the TOD Strategy Report) A critical component for MDOT and the Transportation Alliance was advocating for an aggressive, statewide TOD strategy through the passage of legislation in 2010 that built upon key legislation passed in 2008 and 2009 to facilitate TOD projects.

 With this legislation in place, in 2010 Governor O’Malley selected 14 projects for State designation as a TOD site - seven in the Central Maryland region and seven in the Maryland/DC suburbs. Through MDOT, the state continues to aggressively pursue opportunities for TOD projects as part of Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green and Growing initiative.

The launch of the State TOD initiative strengthened the Transportation Alliance’s focus on TOD as a component of creating a robust interconnected transportation system throughout Central Maryland.  As we work with stakeholders in the jurisdictions throughout Greater Baltimore and the DC/Maryland suburbs to assess  then develop near and long-terms solutions to transportation issues that demand and marketability of TOD will increase alongside demand for and an increase in ridership of public transit modalities.

Specifically, the Transportation Alliance’s activities include:

• Meeting with stakeholders to discuss the status of State designated TOD sites to identify challenges to implementing the projects.
• Meeting with stakeholders of other station areas to discuss strategies for advancing TOD projects.
• Continuing to convene the regional TOD Steering Committee formed as part of the Central Maryland TOD strategy. The Committee tracks progress of existing TOD projects, discusses future projects and identifies additional legislative or administrative changes needed to advance the TOD initiatives.