Overview

The TOD Planning Grant Program is designed to spur the adoption of local land use regulations that create a regulatory environment supportive of Transit Oriented Development in Los Angeles County, as well as pre-regulatory planning efforts that can lead to the adoption of such local land use regulations.
The Grant Program is open to municipalities with land use regulatory control over property within ¼ mile of designated transit corridors and within ½ mile of designated Metrolink Stations, as measured from the station property line boundary, and Joint Powers Authorities (“JPAs”) and Councils of Governments (“COGs”) that represent such municipalities.
Since the grant’s approval in the FY11/12 budget, Metro has released three rounds of the grant. 

• Round 1 offered $5,000,000 to municipalities along the Expo Line Phases 1 & 2, Crenshaw/LAX corridor, and Gold Line Foothill Extension, and applications were due September 23, 2011.  Awards have been approved for Round 1, and a summary is here.
• Round 2 offered $1,000,000 to municipalities, COGs, and JPAs for planning at Metrolink Stations and along the Green Line South Bay Extension and the West Santa Ana Branch. Applications were due April 6, 2012.  Awards have been approved for Round 2 and a summary is here.
• Round 3 offered $10,000,000 to municipalities, COGs, and JPAs for planning at all Los Angeles County Metrolink Stations, along all existing, planned, and proposed Metro transit lines, and at Metro Bus Transitway Stations. Applications were due September 10, 2012. Awards have been approved for Round 3 and a summary is here.

Introduction

Grant Introduction – Printable version (83 KB)

Program Purpose

The TOD Planning Grant Program is designed to change local land use regulations to promote transit oriented development or to lead to model ordinances, guidelines, or other planning tools that can act as a precursor to such regulatory change. Information and forms needed to apply for the third round of funding can be found on this tab and on the Application and Instructions tabs.
The third round of this pilot program in its initial year of funding features expanded eligibility as described below. Funds will be available to awardees as grant agreements are executed (anticipated by January 2013) and will carry over into future fiscal years. The deadline for applying is September 10, 2012.

Who can apply?

Municipalities with land use regulatory control over property within ¼ mile of existing or proposed transit corridors (rail and bus transitways) and within ½ mile of existing or proposed Metrolink Stations, as measured from the station property line boundary, and Joint Powers Authorities (“JPAs”) and Councils of Governments (“COGs”) that represent such municipalities.  The entire Metro Rail and Metro Liner systems are eligible along with the LA County Metrolink system.
The table found here hyperlink gives a listing of eligible transit corridors and related cities, COGs, and JPAs.  Joint applications between cities and JPAs or COGs will be considered as long as the applicant can clearly describe the relationship and who will be responsible for completion of each task.  JPAs and COGs acting on behalf of cities must demonstrate support from the cities that will be impacted by the grant-funded study and/or regulatory document.

TOD Planning Grant Program Goals

Goals for the program include the following:

• Increase access to transit by assisting local agencies to accelerate land use regulatory change that promotes TOD principles;
• Improve utilization of public transit by reducing the number of modes of transportation necessary to access regional and local transit;
• Further the reduction of greenhouse gases through encouraging in-fill development along transit corridors;
• Support and implement sustainable development principles.

What types of planning efforts are eligible?

This program is designed to encourage regulatory changes, and planning efforts that lead to regulatory changes, that support Transit Oriented Development principles, as described in the Program Goals section above. First priority will be for funding proposals that will result in eliminating regulatory constraints to TOD projects. Such regulatory changes will result in conditions that encourage development near transit stations, provide for appropriate density given the immediate access to transit, reduce dependency on the private automobile, and provide strong pedestrian and bicycle connections between development sites and transit. Examples of such changes include: revision of general plans and/or specific plans, adoption of Transit Village districts, adoption of overlay zones, zoning ordinance amendments, parking code amendments, environmental studies in support of amending regulatory documents, and similar efforts.
Second priority will be given to funding proposals that include planning at or near station locations that may be a precursor to regulatory change, including, but not limited to, traffic modeling, density studies, and financial feasibility of various development forms. Other examples of such planning efforts include identification of opportunities for TOD-promoting regulatory changes, development of specific planning tools to adopt regulatory changes, assistance for cities to collaborate on planning for new stations and TOD-promoting regulatory changes, and development of model ordinances or other regulatory frameworks. Funding of such projects will only be considered if available funds remain after qualified first priority projects are funded. Costs of community outreach and CEQA compliance in conjunction with such regulatory changes are eligible costs.

How much money is available?

The third round of the program offers a total of $10 million. No limit per application has been set although one criterion for selection will be the efficient use of the grant in terms of dollars spent and regulatory change to be achieved. No local match is required but may be considered in evaluating the efficiency of the proposed grant effort.

Where do I go with questions?

Contact Rufina Juarez, Transportation Planning Manager, Countywide Planning at juarezr@metro.net or 213.922.7405.

Timely Use of Funds

The grant application requires respondents to develop a scope of work that can be completed within 24 months of a notice to proceed. Projects that do not make timely progress may be subject to deobligation and/or reprogramming of funds.

Application

TOD Planning Grant Program Application Materials

Agreement

Agreement Reference Documents

• TOD Planning Grant Agreement
• TOD Planning Grant Project Schedule and Budget
• TOD Planning Grant Scope of Work
• TOD Planning Grant Administrative Guidelines
• TOD Planning Grant Quarterly Progress Report
• TOD Planning Grant Milestones
• TOD Planning Grant Lapsing Policy
• TOD Planning Grant ACH Form

Instructions

Round 3 Submission Information:

A completed application package will consist of TWO (2) hard copies of the application and ONE (1) CD-R or DVD copy in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel with a copy of the complete application in PDF format. Do not spiral or machine-bound the application. Submit the completed application package before the deadline by one of the following methods:

By Mail:
LACMTA
One Gateway Plaza, MS 99-22-2
Los Angeles, CA 90012
ATTN: TOD PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM ROUND 3 – RUFINA JUAREZ

Or

In Person:
LACMTA
One Gateway Plaza, 22nd floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012
ATTN: TOD PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM ROUND 3 – RUFINA JUAREZ

Deadline:

All hard copy applications and CD-Rs or DVDs must be received by 3:00 PM, Monday, September 10, 2012. No postmarks will be accepted. No fax or e-mail applications will be accepted.

TOD Planning Grant Program Round 3 Schedule

After evaluation and ranking, Metro staff may recommend to the Metro Board the award of projects. A tentative schedule for the 2012 TOD Grant program Round 3 is as follows:

• June 29, 2012 - Application package is available
• September 10, 2012 - Applications due
• Sept. 10 – Oct. 10, 2012 - Application Evaluation Period
• November 14, 2012 - Award recommendations at LACMTA Planning and Programming Committee
• December 13, 2012 - Award recommendations at LACMTA Board Meeting
• December 21, 2012 - Awardees receive TOD Grant Agreement; 60 days to review and execute