Joint Development Opportunities
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has a very active public/private Joint Development Program. WMATA aggressively seeks partners to develop WMATA-owned or controlled property in order to achieve the following goals:
- Promote Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) by giving priority to Joint Development proposals which contain the following smart growth principles: reduce automobile dependency; increase pedestrian/bicycle-originated transit trips; foster safe station areas; enhance surrounding area connections to transit stations, including bus access; provide mixed-use development with housing in compliance with local regulations; and offer the opportunity to obtain goods and services and enjoy active public spaces near transit stations.
- Attract new riders to the transit system by fostering commercial and residential development projects on WMATA-owned or controlled land and on private properties adjacent to Metro stations.
- Create a source of revenue for the Authority to maintain the transit system by expediently negotiating Joint Development agreements between WMATA and public or private development entities; and
- Assist WMATA local area jurisdictions in recapturing a portion of their past financial contributions and continuing to make subsidy payments by augmenting the local property tax base, as well as other local revenue.
Current Joint Development opportunities
Adjacent Construction Information
Adjacent Construction Manual
Adjacent Construction Flowchart
Overhead Protection for Escalators Toward Street
Overhead Protection for Escalators Away From Street
WMATA's 2005 Development Related Ridership Survey (DRRS)
WMATA's 2005 Development Related Ridership Survey (DRRS) updates a survey last conducted in the Washington Metropolitan Region in 1989. Forty-nine sites comprised of high-density office and residential, retail, hotel and entertainment land uses in 13 Metrorail station areas participated in the survey.
Survey findings show that rail transit use is more than competitive with the automobile now than it was in 1989 in those areas where WMATA provides good rail service and access. In addition, survey results suggest that high-density, mixed-use development environments with good transit access generate more transit and walk trips, especially for midday trips from and visitor trips to office buildings. Results also continue to show that walking distance to a Metrorail is a major factor affecting transit ridership. Both office commute and residential figures show higher Metrorail (and overall transit) mode shares the closer a building is to a rail station.
WMATA encourages readers to fully explore survey results and findings to better comprehend the relationship between land use and transit ridership.
Joint development policies and guidelines
The Joint Development Program is governed by the Joint Development Policies and Guidelines, approved in 2008.
