Residents and local leaders in College Park, Maryland, laid out a vision in the city's 2002 Sector Plan for development along U.S. Route 1 that is walkable, bikeable, lively, and functional; enables new and existing businesses to complement one another; and manages traffic while serving as a gateway to the community and the University of Maryland.

However, after four years of implementation efforts, the vision was still not being realized. The city requested assistance through EPA's Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program to understand the disconnect between the vision for the corridor and the development that is occurring, and to get the tools to achieve the vision. 

Drawing on best practices from around the country, the consultant team worked with local partners to develop options for the city and county to help move the Route 1 corridor toward the vision. Achieving the Vision: Options for the College Park US Route 1 Corridor (2006) lays out these options. The report was approved by the City Council. 

In the months following the report's approval, the city of College Park implemented two of the key options in the report: preparing a form-based code to better direct the redevelopment of the commercial corridor, and undertaking a transportation demand management study to identify measures for reducing traffic congestion, including the feasibility of a Route 1 trolley.

Find more resources about corridor enhancement and redevelopment on the Smart Growth and Transportation page. 

• Achieving the Vision: Options for the College Park US Route 1 Corridor (PDF)(75 pp, 5 MB)