The Federal Transit Administration is making $13.4 million in grants available via a notice of funding opportunity through its Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development or TOD planning program. The application period closes on October 10.
[Above image via FTA]
That funding aims to support local planning and investment near transit hubs to promote “sustainable, livable, and equitable communities.” The agency said its TOD planning program seeks to link public transportation, land use, and housing to create communities that are connected to transit and walkable.
“Transit-oriented development helps shape communities where you can conveniently access jobs, groceries, medical care, good schools, affordable housing, and more,” said Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in a statement.
Since 2015, FTA said its TOD program has provided more than $104 million to help communities around the country plan for new opportunities around transit.
“Transit-oriented development reduces reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, improves mobility, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution,” noted FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “It helps promote transit ridership by creating more opportunities for people to access rail stations, transit centers and bus stops.”
The agency added that “special consideration” for these grants is given to projects that seek improve air quality, advance environmental justice, support unhoused populations, and promote housing affordability.
FTA also noted that grant applications in 2023 from areas with a lower population density or lower average income compared to surrounding areas will receive a higher federal funding share. Additionally, applications with a substantial focus on affordable housing may receive up to 100 percent federal cost share support.
The agency emphasized that, to apply for TOD planning program grant funding, an applicant must be an existing FTA grant recipient – either a project sponsor of an eligible transit project or an entity with land use planning authority in the project corridor.
Nation
State DOTs Support Crash Responder Safety Week
November 22, 2024
Nation
