New Urbanism principles – in which consumers rely less on automobiles to move around cities and instead use bicycles and mass transit options to participate in daily work and personal activities – are taking root throughout sections of the United States, including Maryland.

Rendering of the proposed Lutherville Station.

The escalating cost of land and the desire to foster “smart growth” development are among the reasons the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) together with the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) recently published a report calling for an increase in “denser, mixed-use communities around transit hubs between Washington and Baltimore.”

According to MDOT, there are currently 14 designated TOD sites connected to the MARC line and Baltimore Metro rail system, with the plan focusing on six train stops “with the potential to create thousands of new jobs and yield more than $800 million in tax revenue for the State.”

The Penn Line Transit-Oriented Development Strategy Plan focuses on 170 acres of undeveloped State-owned land at the Seabrook, Bowie State, Odenton, BWI Airport, Halethorpe, and West Baltimore stations. Longer-term opportunities are envisioned at Aberdeen, Edgewood, Martin Airport, and Perryville.

The TOD plan for Odenton projects the creation of 900 new housing units and 1,360 new jobs while adding nearly 120,000 new MARC trips each year. The Bowie State University site is expected to yield more than 400 housing units and an additional 42,000 MARC trips.

The development of Lutherville Station, led by Mark Renbaum of MLR Partners, has been pushing for Baltimore County to recommend that the State designate a site adjacent to the Lutherville light rail station as a TOD.  Fully built out, Lutherville Station would become the second TOD in Baltimore County and would accommodate new multifamily units, retail space, a commercial office building, green space, a community dog park, and a five-story parking garage.

Transit-oriented development, Renbaum said, is about as “smart” as smart development gets by integrating land use and transportation planning to support sustainable growth and enhance overall quality of life. TODs promote higher-density mixed-use development and help “curb sprawl” by making areas more compact, walkable, and livable.

Renbaum adds that TODs can provide a “massive economic boost” by serving as the catalyst for attracting investment and improving neighborhoods.

“TODs reduce traffic and pollution by encouraging the use of public transportation, decrease traffic congestion and place housing, jobs and amenities near public transportation hubs, making it easier for people to access without needing a car,” Renbaum said.

Metro Centre at Owings Mills, developed by David S. Brown Enterprises, is currently the only TOD in Baltimore County. The project currently features more than 560,000 square feet of commercial office space, 150,000 feet of retail space, 1,700 apartments, a 229-room Marriott hotel and a branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. The future South Campus is configured to support development that mirrors these figures, in addition to more than 5,700 parking spaces.

David S. Brown Enterprises is also credited with developing the only TOD in Baltimore City at Symphony Center, which combines multifamily units with commercial office and retail space.

According to research compiled by Reconnecting America, by 2030 “a quarter of all households looking to buy or rent are likely to seek higher-density housing located adjacent to transit.” Worsening traffic is also contributing to the desire to shorten or eliminate commutes to work, the study concludes.