State aid ($500,000) will be used to conduct a feasibility study for constructing a parking garage or other improvements at the Burtonsville Park and Ride Lot in support of FLASH service on the US 29 corridor and to facilitate reactivation or redevelopment of the adjacent commercial property. Planning for the access and egress routes to the park-and-ride may also include advancing the concept for a road diet on Old Columbia Pike between the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center and the Burtonsville Town Center Shopping Center to better link these commercial properties, reduce impervious area, and improve safety. The Burtonsville Station is the northernmost FLASH station in Montgomery County and is well-situated for park-and-ride access with direct ramps to US 29 and strong east-west connections via Maryland 198. With this strategic location, the park-and-ride can serve residents of Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard County, increasing transit ridership and lowering traffic demands on US 29 through Montgomery County. Expansion of this park-and-ride is needed to accommodate future ridership at this station and is part of longer-term plans to extend FLASH service into Howard County and to provide all-day service in Burtonsville. The location can also serve as a hub for interconnecting local services to nearby communities like Cloverly, Ashton, Laurel and Maple Lawn. Expansion of public parking capacity at this location may also facilitate a more compelling development vision for County, State and privately owned properties in this part of Burtonsville.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed in FY22.

It is estimated that by 2040 there will be a need for 1,000 park-and-ride spaces at the Burtonsville Park-and-Ride to serve the FLASH service and the current capacity of the park-and-ride lot is only 475 spaces. This parking also serves Metrobus and MTA bus services and supports County employee commuting. The park and ride lot has strong access to US 29, but access from Old Columbia Pike and Maryland 198 relies upon connections through adjacent commercial development. The Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center is immediately adjacent to the park-and-ride lot and the rear of the center faces the FLASH station. The Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center has struggled to retain and attract tenants since the opening of the Burtonsville Town Center, directly across Old Columbia Pike, and the completion of the Burtonsville overpass on US 29. The center is currently home to only two small businesses on a 16 acre site. With such low occupancy, the shopping center has become a source of community concern. Reconfiguration of the park-and-ride lot and its access routes, may be an important element of reactivating or redeveloping the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center and better integrating development on the approximately 36 acres of land between Old Columbia Pike, US 29, Maryland 198 and the Pepco transmission lines.

An additional $4.5 million in State Aid is available to begin implementation of recommendations from the feasibility study.

The County Executive asserts that this project conforms to the requirement of relevant local plans, as required by the Maryland Economic Growth, Resource Protection and Planning Act.