Along most of the alignment the Purple Line is being designed on existing roadways to minimize impacts to local communities. As a result, the majority of the potential property impacts are narrow strips of land along roadways or parcels for two maintenance and storage facilities (one in each county). MTA has made it a priority to avoid impacts to private property where possible, and to minimize impacts where they are unavoidable.

During the current Preliminary Engineering and Final Environmental Impact Statement (PE/FEIS) phase, MTA performs studies to evaluate in much greater detail where the alignment might best be located and how it can be designed to avoid or minimize impacts to adjoining or neighboring property. The purpose is to assess, compare, and balance impacts and benefits of specific design details. The project is still in the early design phase so the actual number and extent of property impacts are preliminary estimates and are continually being refined and changed as design advances.

At this time there is no funding for construction of any alignment. Once the project receives the Record of Decision that completes the federal environmental review process, receives federal and State funding for construction, and has definitively established specific property impacts, MTA can begin the property acquisition process. This process will begin in the Final Design phase, 2014 at the earliest. The process ensures that residential and business properties are not acquired before the alignment has completed preliminary engineering, the impacts have been published in a Final Environmental Impact Statement, and approval by the Federal Transit Administration has been received.

View a summary of federal and state real estate acquisition process

With regard to communication with property owners, MTA has contacted or responded to residents and owners and typically a meeting has been held to describe the project, potential property impacts, project schedule, and the federal and State process involved if the project were to move ahead. Whenever we meet with a community, our drawings identify the estimated property impacts and we answer any questions from residents and businesses regarding the impacts to properties. MTA will continue to consult potentially impacted residential owners so that their input is considered.

If you have further questions please contact us at outreach@purplelinemd.com