This grant application is for FY 2023 funding under FTA section 5303 section 20005(B) pilot program for transit-oriented development planning in the amount of $1200000 (federal portion) for a total…

The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) received a $1.2 million Project Grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants program (CFDA 20.500) on August 19, 2025, to develop a Strategic Affordable Housing Blueprint for the 21.3-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in South Carolina. With 100% federal funding, BCDCOG will advance transit-oriented development (TOD) planning by focusing on affordable housing implementation strategies across three corridor jurisdictions through station area site plans, zoning and policy development, neighborhood planning, and community outreach. The project will conclude on February 28, 2026, with an ultimate completion date of March 30, 2031.

The grant funds will support mixed-income housing planning in station areas to enable economic development, increase transit ridership, and ensure residents can access transit through safe multimodal infrastructure. BCDCOG will coordinate local and regional housing initiatives, facilitate coalition building among public and private sector partners, and provide educational outreach on affordable housing. Planning work will integrate regional affordable housing strategies with bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure to advance multimodal connectivity and accessibility while enabling mixed-use development in station areas where appropriate infrastructure exists.

Activities

Through the creation of plans for mixed income housing in station areas the project will support economic development initiatives and transit ridership by ensuring residents can thrive in place. Planning work will align regional affordable housing initiatives with bike pedestrian and transit to support multimodal connectivity and accessibility and provide residents safe access to transit stations by foot or bike. Planning work will enable mixed use development in station areas where multi-modal infrastructure supports IT and phase 3 will expand collaboration with both public and private sectors partners.

Expected outcomes

Phase 3 will advance affordable housing initiatives in the station areas using innovative tools identified in the phase 2 TOD study. Grant funds will support coordination and development of local and regional housing initiatives across the 3 corridor jurisdictions. Funds will facilitate coalition building for affordable housing initiatives and support educational outreach on affordable housing programs to community members. Funds will support work to engage and empower residents to shape their community by developing neighborhood plans for at-risk station areas in north charleston. Lastly funds will support data collection to feed the new dashboard developed in phase 2 to measure TOD progress in the corridor.

Intended beneficiaries

Displacement and gentrification were identified as a major risk to existing communities along the corridor. Phase 3 would further develop anti-displacement measures to ensure existing communities can benefit from the economic development that the transit line will attract. Phase 3 tasks will support partner municipalities in developing capital improvement programs to implement critical multimodal infrastructure that will support access to the project.