The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) awarded six short-term planning assistance projects to help coordinate transportation and land-use planning in the region.
The board unanimously approved the Transportation/Land Use Connection (TLC) Technical Assistance Program for five local jurisdictions and one joint project intended for use by multiple jurisdictions. The program is intended to support local jurisdictions in integrating land use and transportation planning at the community level. Each project’s cost is to be capped at $20,000.
“This program provides an opportunity for the jurisdictions to take advantage of expertise and knowledge to improve land-use, to improve transit-use and take advantage of all transportation improvements in the region,” said TPB Chair Catherine Hudgins.
The six selected projects are:
Montgomery/Prince George’s Counties, Langley / Takoma Parks Pedestrian Study
Develop a pedestrian safety and mobility study to support planning efforts for the Takoma/Langley Park Crossroads Sector Plan.
St. Charles Urbanized Area, Urban Roads Standards
Provide assistance in the development of Urban Road Design Standards to better serve pedestrians and relieve congestion.
Fairfax County, Levels of Service around Transit Oriented Development
Review best practices and report on how traffic congestion should be addressed within and adjacent to transit stations.
Prince William County, Scoping Assistance for BRAC Impacts
Develop effective methods of preparing request for Department of Defense funding and to incorporate potential Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) transportation and land use impacts into the Potomac Communities Revitalization Plan.
District of Columbia, Potomac Avenue Metro Station Area Scoping
Build on past visioning efforts to develop a strategy and community process for implementation of revitalization plans in the Potomac Avenue Metro Station area.
Public Presentation on Density Issues for use in response to applications by College Park, Greenbelt, Manassas Park, and Takoma Park, and/or other jurisdictions as requested
Develop and execute a public presentation on how to incorporate density around key transportation facilities.
Mayor Kathy Porter of Takoma Park, MD stressed the need for everyone with a stake in the transportation/land-use planning process to get involved. “When the public is involved, the process may not be as fast-moving, but it does involve a better result,” she said.
The selection committee based selection on the geographic distribution, diversity, and urgency of the projects. Other criteria for selection were: consistency with other local and regional efforts, and the potential lessons to be learned from the project and applied around the region.
Although each of the six projects has a funding ceiling of $20,000, some of them might cost less than that, said Ron Kirby, COG’s director of Transportation Planning. He said he is “confident we can do all of the (approved) projects.”
The board also approved an application to the Local and Regional Corridor Planning Grant Program from the Virginia Department of Transportation to fund additional TLC technical assistance projects in Northern Virginia beginning in July 2007.
For more information on the TLC Program, go to www.mwcog.org/tlc.