Single-staircase buildings offer a potential solution to several of the housing challenges Maryland faces. Modern fire safety requirements and building materials make it possible to build single-staircase buildings safely, and this study will help us update our state’s housing policies to reflect these advances.
Category: Testimony & Letters
MD Testimony: HB38, School Zones and Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances
Providing sufficient housing that people can afford is essential to ensure that Maryland is providing opportunities for all to live and thrive in our communities. For this reason, we ask you to support HB 38.
HB 38 will provide information that will help Maryland better understand where education investments are most needed, and will prevent school capacity from becoming an indefinite barrier to needed housing production.
MD Testimony: Local Transit Sustainability Act, SB 20/HB 432
Testimony on SB 20
Local Transit Sustainability Act
Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
Date: January 27, 2025
Position: SUPPORT
The Coalition for Smarter Growth supports SB 20. Our organization advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.
The Locally Operated Transit Systems – Mandatory Funding – Inflation Adjustment (Local Transit Sustainability Act) will provide greater reliability to services on which many Maryland workers and residents depend.
Maryland is one of the top states in per capita transit ridership. In the area where our organization works, locally operated transit systems are essential:
- Montgomery County Ride On served 18.5 million passenger trips last year. This was a 20% ridership increase from the previous year, and the second highest growth among mid-sized transit systems nationwide.
- Prince George’s County The Bus serves 10,000 miles of routes in the county and 10,000 riders per day.
Despite recovering ridership and fare revenue since the pandemic, Maryland’s Locally Operated Transit Systems – and their many riders – depend on regular state support.
SB 20 would provide predictability for local agencies and communities with needed adjustments for inflation.
We ask for a favorable report for SB 20 by the committee. Thank you.
MD Testimony: Transportation Investment Priorities Act, HB 20 & SB 198
Testimony on SB 198
Transportation Investment Priorities Act of 2025
Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
Date: January 27, 2025
Position: SUPPORT
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) supports SB 198. Our organization advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. The Transportation Investment Priorities Act will ensure Maryland’s transportation investments are aligned with state policy goals and that funding decisions are transparent and data driven.
We applaud MDOT’s current effort to modernize the Chapter 30 project scoring program. SB 198 would ensure that these efforts guide future administrations in spending Maryland’s transportation dollars wisely and with accountability.
In neighboring Virginia, the Smart Scale project funding and prioritization program is regarded as a national success story, because it has resulted in more cost effective projects and solutions. Equally important, because it doesn’t spread funds thinly across too many projects with the result that many never get built, SmartScale has ensured that the selected projects are fully funded and are built more expeditiously. These key components of Smart Scale are likewise contained in MDOT’s proposed administrative measures and SB 198 legislation to improve the Chapter 30 process.
SB 198 ensures consideration of land use, environmental impacts, and demand management solutions. It improves the connection between the state and localities to jointly ensure that local land use decisions are linked to transportation projects that the taxpayers can afford and make sense. At a time when tax resources are scarce, SB 198 will ensure that our state transportation dollars are spent wisely.
We ask for a favorable report for SB 198 by the committee. Thank you.
MD Testimony for Metro Funding Modification Act (HB 467 / SB 384)
Testimony on SB 384
Metro Funding Modification Act of 2025
Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
Date: January 27, 2025
Position: SUPPORT
The Coalition for Smarter Growth supports SB 384. Our organization advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.
The Metro Funding Modification Act will ensure that critical tri-state capital funding for WMATA is adjusted for inflation, contingent on similar commitments by the District of Columbia and Virginia. The WMATA rail, bus and paratransit systems are foundations of the economy and community livability of the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.
WMATA has made significant progress in addressing its infrastructure and equipment state of good repair needs, thanks to the 2018 deal reached by Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia to provide $500 million annually in dedicated capital funding. However, this was not indexed to inflation, and WMATA’s lost purchasing power threatens to increase the deferred maintenance backlog in coming years.
WMATA service today is faster, more frequent, and more reliable because of the three states’ investment in WMATA. WMATA strategic planning, maintenance, transparency, and communications are much improved, ridership is bouncing back strongly, and customer satisfaction is at an all-time high. Our Metro has also made our region more economically competitive by attracting and retaining cutting-edge companies and next generation employees. Vacancy rates for offices near Metro are significantly lower than in office parks, reflecting the desirability of Metro station locations.
However, without timely action by the State of Maryland (and its partners DC and Virginia), inadequate capital funding for Metro will result in declining service reliability, worsening customer experience, and increased safety risk. These risks threaten worker commutes, transit-oriented business centers in Montgomery and Prince George’s, and household affordability that underpin the economy and make these areas desirable places.
Maryland can be a regional leader by passing SB 384, making the common-sense step of indexing existing dedicated state Metro capital funding to inflation.
We ask for a favorable report for SB 384 by the committee. Thank you.
MD Testimony in Support of HB 80 / SB 190 – Transit-oriented development bill
Testimony on HB 80
Land Use – Transit-Oriented Development – Alterations
House Environment and Transportation Committee
Date: January 27, 2025
Position: Support
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) strongly supports HB 80. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. HB 80 would facilitate transit-oriented development around Maryland rail stations and transit corridors. Below are some of the reasons why.
Transit-oriented development (TOD) plays a critical role in resolving two key Maryland challenges: housing and transportation – Workers and families benefit from expanded transportation and housing options – and greater affordability.
- Transit commuters typically save over $13,000 per year by driving less and owning fewer household cars.
- State-owned TOD sites could support 5,000 new housing units in the Baltimore region and 3,000 new housing units along the MARC Penn Line.
Maryland’s economy and state and local finances have benefitted greatly from TOD – and continued development of underutilized sites would add to these annual benefits
- In the Maryland suburbs of DC, development just on WMATA-owned property at Metrorail stations provides $66 million annually in local and state tax revenue. Currently active projects in Maryland will result in an additional $51 million in annual tax revenue. A further 13 million square feet of joint development is planned by WMATA in Maryland.
- WMATA estimates that full build-out of its available properties across the tri-state Metrorail system would provide $340 million in annual tax revenues and $8.6 billion in potential annual economic impact. Twenty-four out of the 40 stations with these development opportunities are located in Maryland.
- MARC Penn Line sites could generate $800 million in new state and local revenue.
HB 80 would help ensure that legacy zoning provisions not intended for TOD sites do not stand in the way of market demand for accessibly located housing and services – The bill would remove minimum parking requirements (allowing developers to decide) for transit-oriented developments within proximity of rail transit stations. This is considered a national best practice to ensure housing affordability and remove market obstacles.
Lastly, in a period of state fiscal constraint, transit-oriented development is a transportation solution that often takes advantage of existing infrastructure, leverages private investment and provides significant returns.
We ask for a favorable report for HB 80 by the committee. Thank you.
MD 214/Central Ave. safety workshop comments (Prince George’s)
RE: MD 214/Central Ave. 12/10/24 safety workshop comments
TO: Mulowa K. Kajoba, Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) Project Manager, mkajoba@mdot.maryland.gov
FROM: Cheryl Cort, Policy Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth
DATE: December 16, 2024
Dear Project Manager Kajoba:
Thank you for holding a public input workshop regarding MD 214/Central Avenue. We have been working with community members in this corridor for several years. We are excited to see important safety measures be contemplated by SHA. We are hopeful that they can be implemented as soon as possible, taking advantage of quick build low cost solutions.
Regarding the MD 214 12/10/24 display boards “Improvement Opportunities,” we wish to add some comments to this excellent list. Overall, we hope to see retrofits that create a 30 MPH design speed/operating speed roadway, which is the posted speed limit in portions of the corridor. A design speed of 30 MPH better reflects the Metro station local center designation by the County’s General Plan, and better utilizes the state’s investment in the Metrorail system.
- Construct missing sidewalk – Yes, and Old Central Av. at Zelma should be closed.
- Tighten curb radii – All intersections should be assessed for tighter turns (15′ turning radius standard or 25’ effective radii for truck/bus routes), and driveways can be narrowed or closed across public ROW too. These and other measures should narrow crossing distances and slow vehicle speeds to benefit pedestrians.
- Remove channelized turn lanes or improve sight distance for pedestrians and drivers – Yes, closing off slip lanes would be a big help for pedestrians, and slow vehicle operating speeds.
- Add new signals or pedestrian hybrid beacons – Yes — Cabin Branch Rd should be a top priority for a new signal, but should be done with travelway narrowing and other measures to slow operating speeds to ensure compliance with the signal and posted speed limit of 30 MPH (near Cabin Branch Road).
- Implement road diet to add buffered bike lanes – Yes, the traffic volume of 30,000 vehicles/day does not justify a six lane roadway, thus the oversized road encourages drivers to greatly exceed the posted speed limit of 30 MPH. This urban area — by 2 Metro stations, a high school, local businesses should have an urban roadway designed to encourage slower, safe operating speeds and safe, easy crossings for people walking, biking and riding transit. A road diet configuring the roadway for four rather than six lanes is sufficient to address vehicular traffic.
Further, travel lane widths can be narrowed consistent with PG DPW&T’s Urban Street Design Standards of 10’ for general lanes and 11’ bus routes.
We support a buffered bike lane as a good use of the excess space, however these lanes should be vertically separated to ensure both safety for cyclists and visually narrowing of the roadway to reduce operating speeds to safe levels. The new AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities can help address the most appropriate design to match this high-volume location. Interim, less expensive protected bike lane elements that can be deployed quickly should be done as soon as possible to improve roadway safety, followed by more expensive permanent measures.
Better walking conditions created by buffered bike lane: We note that a buffered bike lane will also improve the safety and comfort for people walking along the road. In our walk audit of Central Avenue, Central High School students identified the discomfort of walking on a sidewalk next to high speed traffic as a problem, and also occasional vegetation or standing water as a partial obstruction of sidewalks and crossings, and narrowness of some sidewalk segments.
- Provide bus stop connectivity – Yes, this is a problem in several places along the corridor but is acute for students who ride the bus to and from Central High School. SHA should make a special effort to solve for safe access for these students, and other bus stop users.
- Provide bus stop amenities [my addition] — add a bench and shelter to the Cabin Branch Rd stops. If SHA does not normally do this, it should work with agencies like MTA to install facilities to give students and other bus riders a more comfortable trip.
- Replace and upgrade signs – yes, and look at ways to consolidate, narrow and close driveways unnecessarily intruding on the public sidewalk and roadway creating extra or elongated conflict points.
- Add lighting – yes.
Making Capitol Heights more bike friendly: Establishing protected bike lanes to Central Ave. will greatly enhance bike connectivity in the corridor. The Central Ave. Connector Trail will also do this, but is not in conflict with bike lanes on Central Ave. Repurposing travel lanes to bike lanes is a good way to improve safety for drivers, bikers & pedestrians.
Quick build, low cost, tactical measures: Many interventions can be done quickly at low cost but deliver big benefits to safety, and can even lower maintenance costs over time. Given the budget constraints faced by Maryland, deploying low cost tactical measures within months or the next year will have major benefits to safety and support transit-oriented development. As more funding is available, more permanent retrofits can be implemented. Other jurisdictions often use this approach – quick build temporary safety measures right away, followed by more expensive permanent elements later.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Please keep us informed as this important project moves forward.
Better Buses Coalition Letter in Support of Georgia Ave. Dedicated Bus Lanes (Montgomery)
Dear Secretary Wiedefeld, GM Clarke, County Executive Elrich, Council President Stewart, and Director Conklin:
The undersigned organizations representing the Montgomery County Better Buses Coalition are writing regarding the MD-97 (Georgia Ave.) dedicated bus lane proposal. We are encouraged by the success of the pilot project and ask you to make the dedicated lanes permanent.
Testimony: U St Police Station Zone Modification (Support)
We urge the Zoning Commission not to further shrink the housing capacity of the site, and to accommodate its other essential uses – a new police station and fire station. This is an important public land site for needed affordable housing. The proposed text amendment is a reasonable approach to making the most of the opportunity for new housing, supporting new public facilities, while also being respectful of the desires of nearby neighbors.
Annual Northern Virginia Joint Transportation Meeting (Comments)
Re: NoVA transportation needs to prioritize transit funding and service enhancement, roadway safety, alternatives to road capacity expansion, and climate action
Chairs and directors of Northern Virginia transportation agencies:
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) appreciates your gathering together to hear from the public and stakeholders and share information on current projects and programs. CSG has worked on Northern Virginia transportation and land use for the past 27 years, advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, as the most sustainable and equitable way for the region to grow and provide opportunities for all. Please accept these written comments on behalf of CSG, as unfortunately we cannot attend in person.
Right now, Northern Virginia has four main needs in transportation. Residents and workers need you to:
- Expand transit, and Increase Metro and local transit funding, both capital and operating. The region and the state’s prosperity depend on officials securing a dedicated funding source for this critical service and infrastructure. Our continued prosperity also depends on funding the necessary improvements that regional leaders are planning, such as the Metrobus visionary network, the DMV Moves action plans that are underway, VRE, and bus priority corridors.
- Prioritize making arterial roads safer for Northern Virginia residents and workers walking, riding bikes and scooters, and accessing transit stops. The region has the funds, it just needs to shift money planned for hundreds of miles of new highway and arterial lanes to instead address safety. A secure transportation network must also fund climate resilience investments to deal with increased flooding, sea level rise, and heat, and to prioritize safer, less polluting modes of travel like transit.
- Ensure that major corridor improvement projects – such as I-495 Southside – have objective studies that fully evaluate alternatives rather than starting with a conclusions-first approach. We should not be making multibillion dollar, 50-year decisions via poorly structured studies. We are disappointed that VDOT has decided – yet again – to only evaluate build alternatives for widening and HOT lanes, and not meaningfully consider a comprehensive transit, travel demand management and land use solution.
- Follow through on your climate change commitments. Virginia transportation agencies oversee the largest source of planet-warming pollution in the state, yet residents do not see accountability in plans and policies – and little urgency in agency actions. VDOT’s Carbon Reduction Strategy, for example, sets no targets or performance measures. Statewide funding decisions have used the additional federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money to worsen the climate change impact of Virginia’s transportation system.
Recent analysis by the organization Transportation for America shows that Virginia will pollute 1.3 million more tons of carbon dioxide through 2040 as a result of state, local and MPO-level decisions to prioritize even more money for highway expansion. Meanwhile, a number of other states instead used this additional funding to address maintenance backlogs, fund cleaner affordable travel modes, and reduce emissions.
Numerous analyses show that electric vehicles – while essential – will not be enough to slash greenhouse gas pollution to safe levels. Northern Virginia localities and agencies must ensure that communities can meet their daily needs with less driving and more affordable, convenient and sustainable options. If Virginia did this statewide (e.g., a 20% decrease in per capita vehicle miles traveled due to more accessible communities and travel options), it would save households $1,280 per year in transportation costs, avoid 105 crash deaths, save 761 lives due to better health outcomes, reduce load on the electric grid, and slash GHG emissions.
CSG recently prepared a brief for regional officials of actions that you can take now, which we attach.
With the incoming federal administration, even more responsibility will rest on your shoulders to fund transit, provide safe streets, and reduce climate pollution. We ask you to act quickly on these four priorities.
Thank you,
Bill Pugh, AICP CTP
Senior Policy Fellow