FTA has $25.8M in transit planning grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the availability of $25.8 million in grant funds to support Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) projects.

The competitive grant funding is facilitated through the FTA's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning, officials said. A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is published in the Federal Register.

FTA said the Pilot Program for TOD Planning "provides funding to integrate land use and transportation planning efforts along eligible transit projects." The application period ends July 23.

The administration said the grants will support planning to bolster transit ridership, multimodal connectivity and mixed-use development near transit stations. Other goals of the program also include identifying infrastructure needs, engaging with the private sector and developing financial tools to boost TOD implementation, FTA said.

Eligible applicants include FTA grantees that are project sponsors of eligible transit projects or entities with land use planning authority in an eligible transit capital project corridor, officials said.

"To ensure that planning work reflects the needs of the local community, transit project sponsors and entities with land use planning authority must partner to conduct the planning work," the administration noted.

FTA's TOD Pilot Program was established through the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

It was amended by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The program is authorized to continue through fiscal year 2020.