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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), in partnership with the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA), is developing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Design Guidelines to promote and implement ‘transit ready’ development patterns in Florida. TODs are moderate to high density, mixed-use, and walkable developments designed to facilitate transit and accommodate multiple modes of transportation.

Benefits of TOD go beyond maximizing transit ridership potential. TODs by design are pedestrian friendly, less land consumptive and increase accessibility through proximity. By reducing dependence on cars for mobility, TODs enable smarter growth, higher quality of life, and environmental stewardship. Multiple destinations are often located within close proximity to one another, thereby adding convenience as well as time and cost savings. Higher density/intensity developments also provide wider housing choices and often support housing affordability. Businesses located in TODs can optimize the use of land and building space while at the same time increase accessibility to their clients and workforce, thereby resulting in more efficient operating costs.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Design Guidelines are intended to be used as a guide to aid local governments and public agencies in planning for and implementing transit. Focusing land use and urban design policies towards transit will help to optimize future transit investments and potential transit ridership. These guidelines are proposed to be used in partnership with the FDOT to assist in promoting multimodal system planning and managing congestion on state roadways, especially on the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS). Implementation of the principles contained within these guidelines can assist local governments to comply with Florida’s Growth Management Act of 2005 requiring the mitigation of impacts to the SIS.

FDOT conducted a series of workshops throughout the state to vet the TOD Design Guidelines with local governments, agencies, and the public. Based on the input gained at these work sessions, the draft TOD design guidelines framework will be refined, and the context, purpose and use of the guidelines will be defined within a guidance document for distribution and use by local governments and agencies. The resulting guidelines will provide guidance to local governments in refining their Comprehensive Plans and Land Development Codes to support various transit technologies and TOD.       

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