The Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management Department worked in partnership with stakeholders and local residents to plan for a Multimodal Transportation District (MMTD) in the University of South Florida (USF) area of Hillsborough County. The goals of this effort are to facilitate the use of multiple modes of transportation that will lead to a reduction in automobile use and vehicle miles traveled, to create opportunities for long ‐term funding of multimodal improvements, and to help meet community objectives for encouraging infill and redevelopment. The designation of such districts recognizes the inherent integral relationship between transportation, land use, and urban design, and the degree to which these elements affect each other.
The USF Area was selected for many reasons. First, because it is a growing regional activity center with a diverse and dense mix of residents, students and employees, with access to a variety of places including the university campus, other schools, hospitals, parks, public services, and commercial centers. Second, some multimodal improvements are already in the works. These include the Fletcher Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study and related improvements, 22nd Street enhancement project recently completed that provides a model for other corridors in the area, and the new “MetroRapid” Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service scheduled to begin soon along Fletcher and Nebraska Avenues. Third, roads are congested with vehicles, and redevelopment is hindered by costly mitigation requirements for roadway Level of Service (LOS). Last, there are transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians in this area, indicating that improvements of these modes will be used if provided.