Where is the Development in Prince George’s County?
August 4th, 2009 | by Clay Gump | Published in Transportation | 3 Comments
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According to this diagram created by Metro its not in Prince George’s County. A good post from Greater Greater Washington points out that this map from metro shows a distinct lack of development near metro stations in Prince George’s County.
The most visually evident conclusion: Prince George’s County is completely failing to take advantage of its existing Metro infrastructure.
About the only area in our county to show a increase in development near metro is College Park. So kudos to us. It is befuddling however how we can have a metro station for over twenty years and still be waiting on the bulk of the development to take place nearby.
Of course there are also success stories like this one from the Post detailing new apartments in Hyattsville right next to Metro.
The 260-unit complex sits across the driveway from the Prince George’s Plaza Green Line station. It is the first apartment complex on Metro property in Prince George’s County, Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said.
The transit-oriented development aims to curb car use by putting public transportation, offices, restaurants and shops within walking distance of home. Such developments can mean less pollution and more personal time for commuters who otherwise would sit in traffic, said Andy Kunz, director of NewUrbanism.org, an Alexandria-based nonprofit group that promotes progressive urban design.
If Mrs. Wylie is serious about having Faculty and Staff live in College Park this what we need more of.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:46 pm (#)
Your local politicians who are afraid of density (because they believe the voters like the neighborhood just as it is) oppose developers who bring proposals for mixed use development around metro stations. That is why nothing has happened. Politicians like to talk about the traffic impacts of these mixed use projects and the fact that taller than two story buildings can be seen from the existing neighborhoods. That is why it is as it is. A sad story.
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August 5th, 2009 at 2:12 pm (#)
A lot of people like the neighborhood just as it is or often just as it was 40 years ago. Some people even want single family homes built adjacent to the metro stations. WMATA is a hugh problem; they have a terrible reputation among developers who want to develop WMATA-owned property. The stations in the County were generally built in difficult locations where few people lived close enough to object to the station.
It was known that the selected College Park metro station location on Calvert Road was the worst place to generate ridership. The Greenbelt Station site was chosen because it was convenient to the Beltway.
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August 7th, 2009 at 11:00 am (#)
I think Hyattsville is off to a great start as far as TOD. You have Metro Shops, UTC, Post Park, an office tower is slated to go behind the old Circuit City store, and Belcrest Plaza is planning to redevelop the apartments behind the mall into residential towers. The spark is there, it’s just that the economy practically snuffed it out. Also, you have Greenbelt Station mixed use on the way. The economy sapped that too. Stuff is out there, the economy just has to get going again for it to really take off.
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