Joint partner to advance development at Odenton MARC Station

The Maryland Department of Transportation has selected a joint development partner to advance a major transit-oriented development at the Odenton MARC Station, the agency announced. 

The partner – a joint venture team of Homes for America and Questar Properties – will team up with MDOT, the Maryland Transit Administration and Anne Arundel County to transform a 10-acre parking lot adjacent to the Odenton MARC Station into a development that will feature new housing, retail and public spaces “centered around efficient, accessible transit.”

The Odenton MARC TOD project represents Phase 1 of MDOT’s 2024 MARC Penn Line Strategy as part of an effort to promote mix-use, transit-centered communities along a busy Baltimore-Washington commuter rail corridor.

“This is an exciting step forward to utilize state-owned property by transit stations to our advantage and create new, affordable housing units and retail space that will grow our economy,” Maryland Transportation Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle said. 

“The proposal by the selected joint development partner best aligns with the Department’s and the community’s vision for the future of Odenton.”

The planned mixed-use development, which will be constructed on the west side of the Odenton MARC Station, will create a dynamic town center that officials hope will strengthen the local economy while expanding access to jobs and services.

Projected to generate $270 million in tax revenue for Maryland and Anne Arundel County over 30 years, transportation officials estimate the Odenton station area will support up to 117,000 annual MARC trips upon completion, according to an MDOT release.

The joint venture looks to bring MDOT’s vision to reality proposing:

• 585 multifamily units (130 affordable, 20 workforce and 435 market-rate homes).
• A combined more than 200,000 square feet of retail and public amenity space.
• Pedestrian and bicycle pathways that substantially improve access to the MARC Station and surrounding community.

A 1,100-space commuter parking garage will support the development. The roughly $56 million facility will be made possible by financing from Anne Arundel County and a Maryland Economic Development Corporation partnership. 

Groundbreaking is anticipated in 2026, MDOT officials said.