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Committee presses agencies on floodplain, pedestrian and connectivity barriers to TOD
Summary
Council members flagged floodplain mapping and major intersections as recurring barriers to station‑area TOD; WMATA said mitigation and permitting are site‑by‑site, and local DPIE approvals will drive acceptable technical solutions.
Several committee members raised floodplain mitigation and pedestrian‑connectivity challenges that limit the county's ability to deliver TOD at certain stations. Committee member Ivy and others described sites where station platforms are not in floodplain but surrounding land is, complicating development and increasing costs or blocking grants.
Nia Rubin (WMATA) said floodplain mitigation typically requires developer‑specific technical solutions and local permitting through the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement (DPIE). "It's DPIE that will be dictating... developer project specific issue," she said, stressing that WMATA will meet site‑by‑site with DPIE but does not have a comprehensive floodplain mitigation program.
Committee members also noted major roadway crossings and poor pedestrian infrastructure (for example near the Purple Line alignments) that make walking and bicycling to stations hazardous and discourage private investment. Several speakers urged coordinated public investments in pedestrian infrastructure to make station areas safe and market‑ready.
