Delegate Charcutian urges free fares, advertising for businesses and residents near Purple Line construction

Delegate Laurie Charcutian, sponsor of House Bill 527, asked the Environment and Transportation Committee on Feb. 14 to give a favorable report on a bill that would offer short-term free ridership and advertising support to people and businesses located within a quarter mile of the Purple Line light-rail corridor.

Charcutian said the Purple Line has long-term public benefits but that people who live closest to the work have paid disproportionate costs during construction, including lost business revenue, unsafe pedestrian conditions and other disruptions.

“The way that the public–private partnership was set up and a lot of the management… this what would have been a couple of years of inconvenience has now become 12 years of delay,” Charcutian told the committee. “There’s businesses that have actually closed because of Purple Line construction.”

The bill as introduced would: 1) provide three months of free ridership for residents within a quarter mile of the Purple Line, and 2) grant free advertising space to businesses within the same distance. Charcutian said both elements are intended as tokens of recognition for the local disruption and as a promotional effort to introduce nearby residents to transit service once it opens.

Local business owners and community groups testified in support. Lenny Zagai, co-owner of Caffa Cafe on Bonifant Street in downtown Silver Spring, told the committee the cafe has been a longtime community hub and said HB 527 “will provide very good things for especially for legacy businesses that created Downtown Silver Spring.” Maria Moran, a Long Branch resident of 15 years, testified that construction has caused vehicle damage, delayed commutes, and daily pedestrian safety risks. She told the committee she supports the bill as “a modest gesture of gratitude.”

Sheila Somashekhar of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, which conducts corridor research from the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, urged the panel to pass the bill and to consider extending benefits such as advertising for a longer period to support small-business recovery. The coalition’s written remarks said some businesses reported revenue losses “up to 75% during the most intensive periods of construction.”

Committee members pressed the sponsor about program details. Delegate Jacobs asked whether small-business grant funds MDOT recently launched have reached local businesses; business witnesses reported receiving an earlier corridor-wide grant of about $5,000 but not larger recent awards. Delegates also asked whether the sponsor anticipated amendments after conversations with MDOT; Charcutian said she had received suggested language and expects to file amendments incorporating department feedback, including possible changes to the length of free ridership (MDOT had proposed a shorter term in its written input).

The sponsor and witnesses said the bill does not replace other mitigation or restitution efforts and does not attempt to fully compensate residents and businesses for long-term harms; instead, they described it as an administrable program that would recognize local sacrifices and help businesses draw customers back when the line opens.

The committee heard support from small-business owners, corridor advocates and residents; no formal action or vote occurred during the hearing. Charcutian said she would work with MDOT and the Maryland Transit Administration on amendments to address operational concerns such as eligibility, duration and advertising definitions.