Gov. Larry Hogan kept state funding for the Purple Line in a budget proposal he released Thursday, but said that could change. According to reports, Hogan said he was still deciding whether to move forward with the 16-mile light rail and the related Red Line light rail project in Baltimore.

MARYLAND -- Reports today indicate that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has initially retained state funding for the long-planned for Purple Line in his first state budget. Based on those reports, Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz applauded the decision in the following statement: “We were pleased to see that both Purple Line and Red Line funding remaining in Governor Hogan’s first Maryland budget. The Purple Line is a good deal for Maryland, good for jobs, good for the economy and good for commuters.

Coalition for Smarter Growth praises funding for the commuter line in Montgomery and PG counties; the Town of Chevy Chase has questions.

Young people and families increasingly want to live in walkable, transit-accessible communities like Rockville, with its mix of both old and new walkable neighborhoods. Empty-nesters looking to downsize are looking for new housing options that allow them to stay in and continue to contribute to the community. 

“This proposal will perpetuate more residents driving long distances to get to work rather than focusing new housing closer to transit and concentrations of jobs,” the coalition’s policy director, Cheryl Cort, wrote in a statement.