Howard County

Howard County, served by four MARC Camden Line stations, has proposed TOD projects in three station areas. With the adoption of PlanHoward 2030 in 2013, the county leaders have encouraged TOD through rezoning and new design standards. The new TOD zone is established for land within 3,500 feet of a MARC station and applies to the Laurel Park, Savage, and Dorsey MARC station sites. The zoning allows the development of multi-use centers that combine office and high-density residential. Howard County has also established requirements to achieve design standards for TOD. As established by the Route 1 Manual, the County has instituted design review elements that encourage orienting buildings toward streets, minimizing setbacks, requiring wide sidewalks, encouraging attractive public amenities, and encouraging safe and convenient pedestrian travel between buildings in TOD districts. These standards are to be enforced by a Design Advisory Panel of design professionals who will review and make recommendations on the design of all projects in the in the county’s TOD zones.