Happy New Year!

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Thank you!
  • The TOP TEN LIST is HERE!
• Purple Line in the News
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  
  • Community Advisory Team Meetings Set for February

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Thank YOU!

A quick update to thank everyone who took a moment to send a donation during our matching campaign which has now ended. As you know, a generous donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) offered to match all donations from non-PLN board members until we reached $5,000 or until the end of the year!

Because we operate year round and our budget is tiny, even though the matching campaign has ended, if you have not had a chance to make a donation or renew one from last year, we would be grateful for your consideration. You can click the PURPLE button below to easily make an online donation.

We will have a full report of where we are on our fundraising efforts in the next newsletter. Don't forget, unless a donor wishes to remain anonymous, all our donors are listed on our website. We are grateful for all the support we receive, financial and otherwise. 

The Top Ten List is HERE!

Each new year, our Purple Line NOW team gets together to come up with the top ten biggest Purple Line happenings of the past year. Here is our list for 2022, a year of progress after a long period of delays and frustration. Do you agree with our list?!

10) Housing at Chevy Chase Library Site -- The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously for an amendment calling for housing at the redesigned Chevy Chase Library, which happens to be very close to the new Purple Line station. According to an article in Bethesda Magazine, while the bill doesn’t guarantee housing at the site, it does “allow for the possibility of redevelopment of the Chevy Chase library, including housing on the site.” How many units might be included or under what price points the housing will fall has yet to be determined. (Bohnel, S., “County Council says it supports housing at Chevy Chase Library site.” Bethesda Magazine, 12 May 2022.)

9) Report on The Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy -- The Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy is the product of a two-year planning process funded by a transit-oriented development planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The report includes strategies for affordable housing, small business preservation, safe pedestrian/bicycle access to stations, and inclusive economic growth. On September 28th, 2022 the final report was released at a public event at the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in downtown Silver Spring. 

8) Maryland Secretary of Transportation Greg Slater Leaves Post -- In January, we said goodbye to Greg Slater and hello to our new Secretary of Transportation, James F. Ports, Jr. We are grateful for Secretary Slater’s steady hand during a tumultuous time for the Purple Line project. His hard work and public dedication helped steer the team through the loss of the previous builder and ultimately naming the new builder. Many of you may remember his willingness to show up when asked to answer tough questions, as he did for our forum last year.

7) Sleaford Tunnel Opens -- October brought treats in the form of the opening of the Sleaford Road underpass and pathway opening to the public. This is a popular bicycle and ped route for people in the neighborhood to access nearby Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

6) New Builder Sets Tentative Opening Date -- In January of 2022, with the signing of the new builder came a newly projected opening date of Fall 2026. With construction finally resuming, the target date was welcome news.

5) Labor Organization and Concessionaire reach settlement – Early this fall, the contractor and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) reached an agreement, paving the way for crews to ramp up construction between now and the end of October. We were happy that both parties were able to negotiate a reasonable outcome so the project could move forward.

4) Approval by Board of Public Works and Reaching Financial Close with New Builder -- The final piece to officially approve the new builder -- after all the interviews, meet and greets, discovery, and research -- was gaining the approval of the Board of Public Works which happened in January 2022. In July, it was announced that financial close was reached with the new builder, the last bit in the long process of bringing on board the new entity, Maryland Transit Solutions.

3) Maryland Wins Grant for Development Near Purple Line -- Maryland was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant for development in and around the Purple Line corridor. According to the Washington Post, "The money from the Federal Transit Administration is to be used to plan for mixed-use development, the preservation of existing retail, affordable housing and access for cyclists and pedestrians along the 16-mile line that will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties." 

2) Approval for $1.7 billion TIFIA Loan -- In March, Maryland’s 16.2-mile Purple Line project was approved for a $1.7 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan through the Build America Bureau. The project had previously been approved for a $874.6 million TIFIA loan in 2016; this loan replaces and restructures the previous loan.

1) Major construction resumes -- All the top stories that made our list were impactful to the future of the project, but none more so than when construction finally resumed earlier last fall along the corridor after a long two-year slow-down. Nothing beats seeing crews out along the future path of the light rail!

In reality, many of these happenings were interlocking, making it difficult to rank impact or importance. And, because it is a Top Ten List, we had to focus with so many stories from which to choose!

For example, we were delighted to read the support Maryland's newly elected governor, Wes Moore, has for the possibility of a future Red Line in Baltimore. Perhaps a ground-breaking for a future Red Line will make the Top Ten list one day soon! And, who could forget the Purple Line making an appearance on Google Maps?! Perhaps we'll save some of the others for an "Honorable Mentions" edition of the Purple Line NOW News.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the parting of some long-time Purple Line advocates. NCSG Director Dr. Gerrit Knaap announced his official retirement at a December celebration hosted by the Purple Line Corridor Coalition. Montgomery Councilmember Hans Reimer and Prince George's Councilmember Dannielle Glaros, whose advocacy helped to steer the project through some tough times during their tenure on their respective councils, will be sorely missed. We also want to remember three dedicated supporters of the project who passed away in 2022, notably Linda Anderson, Tawanna Gaines, and Neil Greene. They are missed by all of us here at Purple Line NOW.

And with that, we wrap up 2022 and look forward to a new year fill with progress and potential as we move closer to opening day. Thank you again for all you do for our community. Happy New Year!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Community Advisory Team Meetings Set for February

The Community Advisory Team Meetings (CATs) have been rescheduled for February. You can find more information on the MDOT MTA website closer to each meeting.

February 2, University Boulevard, 6 pm

February 7, Bethesda/Chevy Chase, 6 pm

February 9, Silver Spring, 6 pm

February 16, College Park, 6 pm

February 21, Long Branch, 6 pm

February 23, Riverdale Park - Glenridge/New Carrollton, 6 pm

February 28, Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside, 6 pm

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  •  In Case You Missed It!
• Purple Line in the News
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Remembering Tawanna Gaines
  • Community Advisory Team Meetings Postponed
• Construction News & Project Features
  
  • Maryland Wins Grant for Development Near Purple Line
  • Call for Progress Photos!

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

In Case You Missed It!

Thank you to everyone who took a moment to send a donation as we kicked off our Matching Campaign last week. If you missed our last newsletter, we explained the reasons for asking, and they are pretty scary (at least to a nonprofit that runs on a slim budget!) We have reprinted our appeal below for those who may have missed it, and if you can, we hope you will consider Purple Line NOW this holiday season.

All of our donors are listed on our website -- THANK YOU!

Don't forget -- any donations from (non-PLN Board Members) individuals are automatically DOUBLED (!) between now and the end of the year or until we reach our goal of $5,000, thanks to a very generous anonymous donor who has stepped up to make giving to Purple Line truly impactful! We are excited that in the first few weeks of the campaign, we are edging up to 10% of our goal! You can click the PURPLE button below to easily make an online donation.

We hope you will take a moment to consider the following request from us here at Purple Line NOW. We have a great BIG surprise to announce, too, but first, some details!

At our quarterly Board meeting on October 28, Tina Slater, Purple Line NOW’s Board Treasurer, reported to the assembly that our checkbook is at the lowest level she has seen in her long tenure with us and emphasized the need for a robust fall fundraising campaign. 

After Tina gave us the hard news, we asked our Board members to donate before we launched our public campaign. They have been generous not only with their time, but with their financial support, and we are grateful to each of them. To make our ends meet, however, we have to cast our fundraising net wider, and you have never let us down. 

Every fall, we look to you to help us through the slim winter months and provide enough funding for us to continue our work into the spring. Because Purple Line NOW does not do any special event fundraising, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to see us through.

To help us reach our goal, we are THRILLED to announce that an anonymous donor has offered once again to match all individual donations from non-Board members!

That means, if you give $25, your donation will count as $50. If you give $250, your donation will count as $500 -- starting right now and going through the end of the year, your donation in any amount will be doubled by our anonymous donor who will match all donations from individuals until the end of the year or until our goal of $5,000 is reached!

As we head into the holiday season, we want you to know how grateful we are for your support, some of you for years, some of you new to us – all appreciated and critical to our continued mission of making the Purple Line a reality for our community.

If you are new to us and wonder exactly what we do with your donation, our November newsletter last year explains it best. Have a read and feel free to email with any questions you have.

Thank you for all you do for us and for our community. We are grateful.

**If you do not see your name on our Donors List, we hope you will consider helping us continue our work!** 

(Unless you tell us otherwise, your name will be listed on our website and in publications for a year following your donation.)

THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

Duncan, I. "Maryland wins $1.5 million federal grant for development near Purple Line." Washington Post, 17 November 2022.

Beachum, L. and Wiggins, O. "Former Maryland Delegate Tawanna Gaines dies at 70." Washington Post, 15 September 2022.

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Remembering Tawanna Gaines

We were saddened by the news that former Delegate Tawanna Gaines passed away last week. She was a crucial Purple Line ally during her tenure and her efforts helped to ensure that the benefits of mass transit reach a wider range of communities. As a delegate, Ms. Gaines helped to organize Purple Line efforts in Annapolis and Prince George' county and remained an advocate for the project in the years since. We wish her family comfort at this difficult time.

Community Advisory Team Meetings Postponed

The Community Advisory Team Meetings (CATs) have been postponed until early 2023. We will keep on top of the news around the corridor and keep you in the loop via this newsletter while we wait for those meetings to resume.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Maryland Wins Grant for Development Near Purple Line 

Maryland was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant last week for development in and around the Purple Line corridor. According to the Washington Post, "The money from the Federal Transit Administration is to be used to plan for mixed-use development, the preservation of existing retail, affordable housing and access for cyclists and pedestrians along the 16-mile line that will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties." You can read more about where development is being planned at the linked article.

Call for Progress Pics!

With construction ramping up in a big way, we would LOVE to see YOUR photos of construction happening in your neighborhood. Snap a few and send them to us -- we will try to publish as many of them as we can (with your permission!) Send to [email protected]. 

Photo courtesy of Ralph Bennett

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • An Important Announcement from Purple Line NOW
• Purple Line in the News
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Community Advisory Team Meetings Postponed
• Construction News & Project Features
  
  • Call for Progress Photos!

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Our newsletter today is primarily focused on our fall fundraising campaign.

We hope you will take a moment to consider the following request from us here at Purple Line NOW. We have a great BIG surprise to announce, too, but first, some details!

At our quarterly Board meeting on October 28, Tina Slater, Purple Line NOW’s Board Treasurer, reported to the assembly that our checkbook is at the lowest level she has seen in her long tenure with us and emphasized the need for a robust fall fundraising campaign. 

After Tina gave us the hard news, we asked our Board members to donate before we launched our public campaign. They have been generous not only with their time, but with their financial support, and we are grateful to each of them. To make our ends meet, however, we have to cast our fundraising net wider, and you have never let us down. 

Every fall, we look to you to help us through the slim winter months and provide enough funding for us to continue our work into the spring. Because Purple Line NOW does not do any special event fundraising, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to see us through.

To help us reach our goal, we are THRILLED to announce that an anonymous donor has offered once again to match all individual donations from non-Board members!

That means, if you give $25, your donation will count as $50. If you give $250, your donation will count as $500 -- starting right now and going through the end of the year, your donation will be doubled by our anonymous donor who will match all donations from individuals until the end of the year or until our goal of $5,000 is reached!

As we head into the holiday season, we want you to know how grateful we are for your support, some of you for years, some of you new to us – all appreciated and critical to our continued mission of making the Purple Line a reality for our community.

If you are new to us and wonder exactly what we do with your donation, our November newsletter last year explains it best. Have a read and feel free to email with any questions you have.

Thank you for all you do for us and for our community. We are grateful.

**If you do not see your name on our Donors List, we hope you will consider helping us continue our work!** 

(Unless you tell us otherwise, your name will be listed on our website and in publications for a year following your donation.)

THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

Iannelli, N. "Study on Maryland’s Purple Line looks to limit gentrification." WTOP, 29 September 2022.

Shaver, K. "As Purple Line construction resumes, the fight against gentrification is on." Washington Post, 30 September 2022.

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Community Advisory Team Meetings Postponed

The Community Advisory Team Meetings (CATs) have been postponed until early 2023. We will keep on top of the news around the corridor and keep you in the loop via this newsletter while we wait for those meetings to resume.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Call for Progress Pics!

A reader wrote us last week asking for more pictures of progress from around corridor and we are happy to oblige! With construction ramping up in a big way, we would LOVE to see YOUR photos of construction happening in your neighborhood. Snap a few and send them to us -- we will try to publish as many of them as we can (with your permission!) Send to [email protected]. Thanks in advance.

In the meantime, here are some photos of work being done this week, courtesy of MDOT MTA:

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Some Sad News
  • Can You Consider a Donation to Purple Line NOW?
• Purple Line in the News
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  
  • Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy
• Construction News & Project Features
  
  • Who Are All These Groups and What Do They Do?
  • Call for Progress Photos!

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Some Sad News

We here at Purple Line NOW, all of our board and team, were saddened to learn of the passing of two of our long time supporters and friends, Linda Anderson and Neil Greene. Our thoughts are with Linda's spouse Dave, and the rest of her family. We also keep the family and children of Neil Greene in our thoughts and send them our deepest sympathy. Both of these kind and generous souls hold a special place in our collective memory here and they will be missed.

Would You Consider a Donation to Purple Line NOW?

Each month, we rotate onto our Donors List those who have made a financial contribution to Purple Line NOW in the previous month. If that includes you, your name will stay on that list for a full year following your contribution. Thank you, thank you! Our budget is skinny and we do a whole lot with a little!

**If you do not see your name on our Donors List, we hope you will consider helping us continue our work!** 

We use every donation we receive to continue our newsletter, continue offering regular webinars, continue being a strong liaison to help connect you to people who can solve your issues, and continue our strong advocacy for the project in every way possible. If you would like to know more about who we are, why we are asking for donations, and what we do with your gift once it arrives on our doorstep, you can read all about it in our November newsletter.

Thank you so much for your consideration! Unless you tell us otherwise, your name will be listed on our website and in publications for a year following your donation.

THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

Iannelli, N. "Study on Maryland’s Purple Line looks to limit gentrification." WTOP, 29 September 2022.

Shaver, K. "As Purple Line construction resumes, the fight against gentrification is on." Washington Post, 30 September 2022.

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Report: The Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy

The Purple Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Strategy is the product of a two-year planning process funded by a transit-oriented development planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The report includes strategies for affordable housing, small business preservation, safe pedestrian/bicycle access to stations, and inclusive economic growth. 

On September 28th, 2022 the final report was released at a public event at the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in downtown Silver Spring. To view the report, click here. Additionally, a Q & A with PLCC's Gerrit Knaap and Washington Post reporter Katie Shaver can be found here.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Who Are All These Groups and What Do They Do?

Every year, as new folks move into our communities or those here become more aware of the coming Purple Line light rail, we get questions about who all these groups are -- many with the word "purple" in their title -- and what they do. So, if you are confused by all the acronyms surrounding the Purple Line, here's a quick primer! 

1) PLN (Purple Line NOW)

Since you are already receiving our newsletter, you probably know all about us, but just as a refresher, PLN was incorporated in 2002, though many on our team have worked on behalf of the Purple Line for a decade or two before that!

We are a coalition of business, labor, environment, neighborhood, and civic organizations that work with local, state, and federal government officials in pursuit of our mission to build the Purple Line. Our mission is to ensure the completion of the Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton, integrated with a hiker/biker trail between Bethesda & Silver Spring. We have one quarter-time executive director, but operate mostly on the elbow grease of a large and dedicated team of volunteers. We are governed by a Board of Directors with balanced representation from each county along the corridor.

2) CATs (Community Advisory Teams)

MTA has divided the 16-mile Purple Line corridor into eight areas, each represented by a Community Advisory Team (CAT). The MDOT MTA has committed to maintaining open dialogue with the communities surrounding the Purple Line via CATs with the objective of building a long-term relationship through completion of the project. The CATs are member-driven teams with representatives appointed from neighborhood and civic associations adjacent to the alignment. There are also representatives from business associations and local governments. Purple Line NOW Board and Team members sit on many of these CATs and bring information back to our organization regarding issues and hurdles a particular community might be experiencing. In the past two years, MDOT MTA has scheduled these meetings in the spring and fall, and in light of the pandemic, over the past year, has hosted them online. Materials, questions, and answers, from each meeting are usually available online and Purple Line NOW News tries to publish the highlights from each meeting in its biweekly newsletter.

3) MDOT MTA & the Purple Line Team

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is the lead agency, the Purple Line’s owner, and they work in close coordination with other transportation entities, governments, and parks and planning commissions. For the Purple Line, MTA works closely with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the Maryland State Highway Administration, and local municipalities in the project area. If you have concerns or questions, you can email them directly at [email protected].

4) P3 (Public-Private Partnership)

In this case, a P3 is essentially a partnership between MTA and PLTP to build and operate the Purple Line. The main benefit to using a P3 model is the private capital and alignment of concessionaire incentives with reduced costs and better performance while giving more flexibility to efficiently build and operate the line.

5) PLCC (Purple Line Corridor Coalition)

The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC), formed in 2013, is a multi-sector collaborative led and administered by the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) in partnership with a coalition of community organizations, state and local governments, nonprofits, philanthropies, and businesses. Purple Line NOW is a separate entity (we receive no funding from PLCC), but we work closely with them, along with many other organizations, to achieve the goals set out in the Agreement. A few years ago, Maryland received a $2 million federal grant to help work on some of the goals of the Agreement, especially in the area of economic development, accessibility to the Purple Line stations, and keeping housing affordable along the Purple Line Corridor. NCSG administers the grant.

6) PLTP (Purple Line Transit Partners)

PLTP is a public-private partnership (P3) who will build, operate and maintain the Purple Line. The team will operate and maintain the Purple Line for 30 years after opening. The entity is responsible for designing, building, operating, and maintaining the Purple Line under the supervision of the owner, the state of Maryland. The term "concessionaire" is used because it is a public-private partnership between Maryland and a consortium of companies rather than a single lead vendor. PLTP hired Maryland Transit Solutions (MTS), which is the entity is responsible for building the project.

Have any questions about who handles what aspect of the design, construction, or maintenance of the line - or anything else Purple Line-related, for that matter? Just drop us an email ([email protected]) and we'll find an answer for you!

Call for Progress Pics!

With construction ramping up in a big way, we would LOVE to see your photos of construction happening in your neighborhood. Snap a few and send them to us -- we would love to publish them with your permission! Send to [email protected]. Thanks in advance!

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.