Development Near MARC Station Could Hinge On Federal Funds

State and county officials are seeking $10 million in federal grant money to help fund a major mixed-use development near the Odenton MARC station.

The funds would be used to help pay for parking garages near the MARC station, making it easier for a team of developers to build as many as 900 homes, 30,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of retail.

Officials are expected to formally apply this week for a TIGER Discretionary Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which has set aside more than $500 million for projects designed to help spur economic recovery in communities.

The $10 million is about half of what is needed to fully fund the garages, which would serve MARC commuters as well as potential visitors to the development. The rest would be paid for by a development group including Osprey Development, Reliable Contracting and Bozzuto Group.

The project has been referred to alternately as the "TOD" project or Odenton Town Square.

George Cardwell, the county’s transportation administrator, and James Peiffer, the manager of the development services group for MDOT, said county and state leaders as well as Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), have written letters of support for the federal grant money. On Tuesday, they received the endorsement of the , which views the project as a potential centerpiece to development plans throughout Odenton.

Peiffer and Cardwell cautioned, however, that competition for the federal funds is fierce, with billions of dollars in potential requests from officials in all 50 states.

“I don’t want to raise expectations, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t try,” Peiffer said.

If the project does not receive the federal grant money, Those with knowledge of the project said developers have been reluctant to foot the full bill for the garages on their own, due to the cost. 

Some version of the project could move forward with parking on surface lots, but developers would have to reduce the size and scope of the project. Officials said that option would be less desirable because it would not follow the goal of creating a dense project to serve as the centerpiece to the Odenton Town Center.

One other funding option could be to begin charging MARC commuters for use of the garages, but that is viewed as an unpopular alternative.

Peiffer said the project could be eligible for some special funding through programs tied to the federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities, or by setting up a special tax-increment financing district in Odenton.

The deadline for application of the TIGER grant is Oct. 31, with awards coming out early next year.