TLC Technical Assistance Projects
Transit-Oriented Development
- City Core Planning and Development: Strategic Action Plan Near the VRE Rail Station (City of Manassas Park, VA)
- Identification of Appropriate TOD Strategies for the Landover Metro Station Area (Prince George's County, MD)
- Marketing the Redevelopment Potential of TOD (City of Manassas Park, VA)
- MD-355 / MD-85 TOD Study (Frederick County, MD)
- US 29 / Cherry Hill Area TOD Scenarios (Montgomery County, MD)
- Waldorf Urban Transportation Improvement Plan (Charles County, MD)
- Wiehle Avenue Station Multimodal Mobility Needs Analysis (Fairfax County, VA)
City Core Planning and Development: Strategic Action Plan Near the VRE Rail Station: City of Manassas Park, VA (2007)
The City of Manassas Park applied for technical assistance to create a vision for a livable, walkable, mixed-use city center focused on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) mass transit systems. 
The city wanted to integrate mixed-use, transit-oriented development into their planning efforts, but as a small jurisdiction with limited resources, planning a livable community stretched their abilities.
The consultant focused on three development principles in the vision for Manassas Park: corridor, town center, and node.
The consultant offered ten “main street” corridor recommendations for Manassas Drive, including consistency of street trees, increased sidewalk widths, curb cuts dimensions, and suggested building setback requirements. Each of these recommendations accommodates vehicular transportation, while creating a pedestrian-friendly environment and a sense of place.
The town center development principle focuses on development around Park Center and the Manassas Park City Hall. The consultant proposed creating a grid network of streets to enhance pedestrian activity and movement, as well as maximize the use of land in proximity to the Manassas Park VRE Station.
The consultant recommended creating “nodes” at key intersections: Manassas Drive and Centreville Road (Route 28), Manassas Drive and Euclid Street, and Manassas Drive and Signal View Road. The eastern and western nodes will serve as gateways to Manassas Park. The central node at Euclid Street would serve to compliment the “main street” corridor recommendation above. Nodes draw pedestrian activity and provide an active community gathering place. This project was completed for $20,000.
Please follow the links below to review the consultant presentation and final vision for this project:
City of Manassas Park Consultant Presentation: Traditional Neighborhood Design Principles
City of Manassas Park Strategic Action Plan
Identification of Appropriate TOD Strategies for the Landover Metro Station Area: Prince George's County, MD (2008)
The Prince George’s County Parks and M-NCPPC submitted an application to the TLC technical assistance program for aid in the formulation of strategies to guide future development of the area surrounding the Landover Metro Station. The consultant’s vision for the Landover Metro Station area focused on developing a Main Street Corridor, surrounded by a supporting street hierarchy and appropriate development patterns.
In developing a station area concept plan for the Landover Metro Station, the consultant reviewed several local examples of successful station area development: Alexandria, Bethesda, King Farm, and Silver Spring.
The consultant developed ten goals for development around the Landover Metro Station. These goals include creating a sense of arrival through a Station Square adjacent to the Metro Station, defined with retail at street level. Another goal focused on developing a Main Street that connects with the Station Square and Metro Station so that they are highly visible when arriving by Metro. The consultant suggested that the area contain a variety of housing types for a range of incomes, such as apartments, townhomes, and single family detached homes. The consultant also suggested the goal of providing streetscape improvements that are friendly to pedestrians, including lamp posts, street trees, and minimal curb cuts. This project was completed for $20,000.
Please follow the link below to review the final report document and presentation.
Landover Metro Station Area - Poster (3.2 MB)
Landover Metro Station Area - Presentation (2.2 MB)
Marketing the Redevelopment Potential of TOD: City of Manassas Park, VA (2009)
This project built off previous technical assistance received by the City to formalize a vision for the developable land around the Manassas Park Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Station. In 2008, the City of Manassas Park worked with the TPB to formalize a vision for the remaining areas around the VRE station and the main corridor through the center of the city. To further their vision to attract potential investors and developers to develop and redevelop available parcels of land, Manassas Park developed the scope for this project to assist the City with the development of a strategic marketing plan. A plan was created to help the City target potential developers and look for redevelopment opportunities that integrate transportation and land use planning.
The consultant developed a marketing and communications strategy to market the potential of transit-oriented development (TOD) in the City of Manassas Park. To understand the existing conditions, a brand and materials audit was performed, along with a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats workshop that included key city staff and stakeholders. The consultant conducted benchmarking studies of other similar suburban towns that have successfully implemented TOD, as well as executive interviews with developers and City decision makers. The consultant developed a messaging platform and, most importantly, a strategic marketing and communications plan for the City of Manassas Park to use a framework for implementing a marketing and communications campaign to attract potential developers.
The strategic marketing and communications plan provides a sound foundation for the City to articulate its pivotal role and to lead a broader effort to develop brand potential around its development opportunities. The marketing plan incorporates strategies for business outreach, a public information program, marketing outreach, media/public relations, and place-making. Due to the comprehensiveness of the plan, the consultant provided a prioritized list of the key strategies that can take be undertaken by the City immediately and that should provide the City with the greatest impact given its limited resources. This project was completed for $20,000.
Please follow the link below to review the marketing plan developed for this project.
Marketing TOD: Strategic Communications/Marketing Plan (1.9 MB)
MD-355 / MD-85 TOD Study: Frederick County, MD (2009)
Strategies for enhancing transit oriented development through short-term bicycle, pedestrian, and transit improvements and by through long-term land-use recommendations. The final product included recommendations for implementation and incorporation of study findings into an upcoming small area plan. This project was completed for $60,000.
Please follow the link below to review the final report and materials developed for this project.
MD 355 / MD 85 Transportation Oriented Design Study (5 MB)
Presentation Graphic: Mixed-Use Development Examples
Presentation Graphic: Transportation Oriented Design Typologies
Presentation Graphic: Varying Density Examples
Presentation Graphic: Multimodal Transportation Improvements
Presentation Graphic: Streetscape Examples
US 29 / Cherry Hill Area TOD Scenarios: Montgomery County, MD (2011)
Montgomery County sought a TLC grant to examine the results of a transit-oriented development (TOD) planning scenario for the Cherry Hill Employment Area of the county, which is located east of US 29 and south of Cherry Hill Road, adjacent to the White Oak Neighborhood. In particular, the study focused on two vacant parcels if land, commonly referred to as the Percontee Sand and Gravel lot and the County’s Site II, as well as the Federal Research Center of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which houses roughly 5,500 employees and has plans for expansion. The planning exercise had three main components: (1) a literature review examining TOD best practices, particularly in relation to a large federal campus; (2) a transit sketch-planning analysis; and (3) a land-use scenario testing analysis. The work done on this TLC project will feed into an update the County’s Master Plan for the East County Science Center, which contains the study area for this TLC project. This project was completed for $50,000.
Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.
US 29 / Cherry Hill Transit-Oriented Development Scenario Planning Report (3.3 MB)
Waldorf Urban Transportation Improvement Plan: Charles County, MD (2009) 
This project involved the assessment of proposed conceptual transportation network and the development of an implementation plan for public and private investment for construction. By reviewing the layout, functionality, and interconnectivity of all transportation modes, the County hopes to create a completely integrated transportation network capable of sustaining a walkable community. This project was completed for $30,000.
Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.
Waldorf Urban Transportation Improvement Plan (6 MB)
Wiehle Avenue Station Multimodal Mobility Needs Analysis: Fairfax County, VA (2010)
This TLC project used a multi-modal evaluation tool, previously developed the TLC project completed in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, DC, to evaluate an array of potential projects to accommodate the mobility the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, local bus, and auto users at the new Metrorail Station at Wiehle Avenue in Reston. This project was completed for $45,000.
Please follow the link below to review the final report developed for this project.
Wiehle Avenue Multimodal Level of Service (MMLOS) Study (5.9 MB)