DCTA Lands FTA Transit Oriented Development Grant

Texas’ Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) was awarded $600,000 from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to conduct high-level preliminary planning for transit-oriented development (TOD) along a 25-mile segment of the existing Kansas City Southern (KCS) freight rail line in Denton County. The high-level planning project will help determine if the KCS corridor can provide mobility and economic opportunity for Denton County and the North Texas region.

The corridor study area is a separate right-of-way for freight rail and is proposed for commuter rail service that would connect to DCTA's A-train and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The funded TOD study area begins at the University of North Texas (UNT) and continues southeast through the cities of Denton, Highland Village, Lewisville, and eastern Denton County — one of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S.

The planning process will include the following:

• Corridor development policies and planning strategies
• Station development plans for up to six potential station areas
• Financial tools to encourage TOD implementation
• Land development policies to encourage transit-oriented market responses