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Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning (TOD Pilot Program) (Limited Eligibility) - FY 2024

Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation
CFDA: 20.500
Federal FON: FTA-2024-005-TPE-TODP
Office: Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Planning and Environment
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 08/02/2024 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 05/23/2024
   
Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: $10,496,164 (Confirmed)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to support local communities in integrating land use and transportation planning through comprehensive or site-specific planning associated with new fixed guideway or core capacity improvement transit capital projects. This program will fund planning projects that cover an entire transit capital project corridor or that are site-specific. All projects must meet the following requirements:

  • Enhance economic development, ridership, and other goals established during the project development and engineering processes
  • Facilitate multimodal connectivity and accessibility
  • Increase access to transit hubs for pedestrian and bicycle traffic
  • Enable mixed-use development
  • Identify infrastructure needs associated with the eligible project
  • Include private sector participation

This program also intends to fund projects that deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of the planning work to historically disadvantaged communities, consistent with the Justice40 initiative; that mitigate climate change; and that address homelessness and challenges facing environmental justice populations.

Among projects of similar merit, those that involve the following will be prioritized:

  • Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector
  • Incorporate evidence-based climate resilience measures or features
  • Address disproportionate negative environmental impacts of transportation on disadvantaged communities
  • Avoid adverse environmental impacts to air or water quality, wetlands, and endangered species
  • Enable all people within the multimodal transportation networks to reach their desired destination safely, equitably, reliably, and affordably; and with a comparable level of efficiency and ease
  • Reconnect communities and mitigate neighborhood bifurcation through land bridges, caps, lids, linear parks, investments in walking, biking and rolling assets, and other solutions
  • Address the disproportional impacts of crashes on underserved communities, including individuals with disabilities
  • Expand access to critical community services, such as education and health care, through mass transit services
  • Address the unique challenges rural and tribal communities face related to mobility and economic development
  • Increase housing supply

Refer to page 8 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding projects that will be prioritized through this program.

For the purposes of this program, a new fixed guideway project is defined as a project that is a minimum operable segment or extension to an existing fixed guideway system, or a project that is a minimum operable segment or an extension to an existing bus rapid transit system, as defined on page 3 of the NOFA file.

For the purposes of this program, a core capacity improvement project is defined as a substantial corridor-based capital investment in an existing fixed guideway system that increases the capacity of the corridor by no less than 10 percent, excluding project elements designed to maintain a state of good repair of the existing fixed-guideway system.

Projects are not required to be funded through the funding agency's Capital Investment Grant Program.

An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.

Eligibility is limited to applicants that are existing direct or designated award recipients of the funding agency. Refer to the Eligibility section for details.

Last Updated: November 18, 2024

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are states, U.S. territories, or local governmental authorities.

Applicants must be existing direct and designated award recipients of the funding agency that are the project sponsor of an eligible transit capital project or an entity with land use planning authority in an eligible transit capital project corridor.

Except in cases where the applicant is both the sponsor of an eligible transit project and has land use authority in at least a portion of the transit project corridor, the applicant must partner with the relevant transit project sponsor or at least one entity in the project corridor with land use planning authority.

Projects must be incorporated into the unified planning work programs of metropolitan areas. The funding agency encourages applicants to notify the appropriate metropolitan planning organizations in areas likely to be served by funding provided through this program. 

The funding agency intends to strongly prioritize awards in areas of high incidence rates of homelessness, in the hope of providing opportunities for localities to address housing affordability in these areas and homelessness holistically through their planning processes. Projects in areas where communities are attempting to preserve, protect, and increase the supply of affordable housing are encouraged.

In general, no more than one application per transit capital project corridor will be accepted. The funding agency will accept multiple applications for the same corridor if each application is site-specific, the applications are submitted by separate applicants with different land-use authorities, or a given application does not overlap with any other application that would cover the same site.

Previous award recipients include:

  • Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) (CA)
  • City of Oklahoma City (OK)
  • New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ)
  • City of Phoenix (AZ)
  • Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (TX)

Refer to the Award file for additional information regarding previous award recipients.

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
State Government
Application Notes:

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22, 2024.

The due date for the application has been extended to August 2, 2024. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt file.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov. Emailed, mailed, or faxed submissions will not be accepted.

Applications must include:

  • SF 424
  • Grants.gov lobbying form
  • Applicant and proposal profile supplemental form
  • Map of proposed study area showing the transit project alignment and stations, major roadways, major landmarks, and the geographic boundaries of the proposed planning activities
  • Documentation of a partnership between the transit project sponsor and an entity in the project corridor with land use planning authority to conduct planning work (if applicable)
  • Documentation of funding commitments for the proposed planning work

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

An optional webinar is scheduled for this program as follows:

June 5, 2024
2:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Project factors
  • Demonstrated need
  • Strength of the work plan, schedule, and process
  • Funding commitments

Refer to the NOFA, SupplementalForm, and Webinar files for additional application information.

Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: $10,496,164 (Confirmed)
Match Notes:

In general, applicants must provide at least 20 percent of the total project costs via cash and/or in-kind contributions. Proposals that support planning activities that assist parts of an urbanized area or rural area with lower population density or lower average income levels compared to the adjoining area are eligible to receive a federal funding share of no less than 90 percent, and applicants may request a share up to 100 percent. Proposals that address three or more activities related to the development of affordable housing will receive a federal funding share of 100 percent.

Eligible forms of cash contributions include:

  • Cash from nonfederal sources, other than revenues from providing public transportation services
  • Revenues derived from the sale of advertising and concessions
  • Amounts received under a service agreement with a state or local social service agency or private social service organization
  • Revenues generated from value capture financing mechanisms
  • Funds from an undistributed cash surplus
  • Replacement or depreciation cash funds or reserve
  • New funding

Applicants demonstrating that matching contributions for the project are committed will receive higher ratings during the application evaluation process. Applicants that have identified, but not yet committed, matching contributions; or that provide a match in which in-kind contributions constitute the primary or sole source of matching funds, will receive lower ratings during the application evaluation process.

Applicants must address whether other federal funds have been sought or received for the planning project in the application.

Transportation development credits may not be used as match.

Funding Notes:

A total of $10,496,164 is available to support awards through this program. Additional funds made available prior to project selection may be allocated to eligible projects.

Funds may generally not be used for pre-award costs, unless the funding agency has issued pre-award authority for selected projects, or unless the funding agency has issued a “letter of no prejudice” for the project before the expenses are incurred.

Funds may not be used for:

  • Project elements designed to maintain a state of good repair of the existing fixed guideway system
  • Comprehensive or site-specific planning work in a corridor for a transit capital project that does not meet the statutory definition of either a new fixed guideway project or a core capacity improvement project
  • Transit project development activities that would be reimbursable under a capital award provided through the funding agency, such as project planning, the design and engineering of stations and other facilities, environmental analyses needed for the transit capital project, or costs associated with specific joint development activities
  • Capital activities, such as land acquisition, construction, and utility relocation

In October 2024, a total of $10,496,164 was distributed via 11 awards ranging from $351,233 to $2 million through this program. In April 2024, a total of $17.62 million was distributed via 20 awards ranging from $300,000 to $2 million. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

April McLean-McCoy
(202) 366-7429
April.McLeanMcCoy@dot.gov

Agency Address
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to April McLean-McCoy.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US15451_NOFA_FY2024.pdf (307.4 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15451_SupplementalForm_FY2024.pdf (784.0 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15451_Webinar_FY2024.pdf (72.5 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15451_DueDateExt_FY2024.pdf (247.8 Kb)
Award File: US15451_Award_FY2024.pdf (2.4 Mb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The SupplementalForm file contains the required applicant and proposal profile supplemental form for the application. The Webinar file contains information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program. The DueDateExt file contains the updated due date for the application. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients.

November 18, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and appended to the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.

July 23, 2024
An announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the application has been released and attached as the DueDateExt file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Community Development
Economic Development
Environment/Natural Resources
Rural Issues
Transportation