Metro development on track

With several projects under way, developers are focusing on Prince George’s rail stations

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Barbara L. Salisbury⁄The Gazette Construction of retail and office space can be seen from the Prince George’s Plaza Metro parking lot in Hyattsville.

For years, county officials have complained about the lack of developed land near Prince George’s Metro rail stations, criticizing retailers and the federal government for its slow response to build commercial and residential projects nearby.

But with several transit-oriented projects under construction and others in the pipeline, officials may finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

‘‘Prince George’s County is the hottest market in the metropolitan region right now,” said Charles Deegan, vice chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board, who represents the county. ‘‘It’s pretty exciting that these projects are coming down the pike.”

Mixed-use developments are proposed or under construction at eight of the county’s 15 Metro stations, according to the authority. Addison Road Metro in Seat Pleasant has limited developable land nearby.

Development Plans The following Prince George’s Metro rail stations have definitive development plans. College Park Developers: Fairfield Residential, Manekin LLC 350 multifamily residential units, 348,000-square-foot office complex with retail. Prince George’s Plaza Developer: Taylor Development and Land Co. 300,000 square feet of office space, 154,000 square of retail, 260 residential units. West Hyattsville Developer: Centex Homes 184 townhouses, 1,122 multifamily residential units, 218,000 square feet of office space, 58,000 square feet of retail. Morgan Boulevard Developer: Garrett Morgan Boulevard Development Joint Venture 485 rental units, 460 condominiums, 84 townhouses, 153,000 square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail. Source: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Some projects are high-profile, such as the 240-acre Greenbelt Station, a mixed-use development with office, retail and residential components. In Hyattsville, developers are transforming University Town Center — formerly an office park — into a massive development with a movie theater, student housing and Safeway grocery store.

‘‘We’ve been here for years,” said Tim R. Taylor, vice president of leasing for the University Town Center. The project’s proximity to the Metro station ‘‘was the impetus,” he said.

Fairfield Residential, with regional offices in Bethesda, and Manekin LLC of Columbia are building 350 multifamily residential units and a 348,000-square-foot office complex near the College Park Metro station, while the Garrett Morgan Boulevard Development Joint Venture is slated to build 485 apartments, 460 condominiums and 84 townhouses near the Morgan Boulevard station in Largo.

‘‘Any time you’re close to a Metro, you have helped create value for your project,” said Mark Coletta, a regional partner with Fairfield Residential. The company won’t begin building the College Park project for two more years, but plans to begin construction on 302 apartments near the Greenbelt Metro station next year.

When it comes to transit-oriented development, Prince George’s has spent years playing second fiddle to other jurisdictions, officials say. But no more, said M.H. ‘‘Jim” Estepp, president and CEO of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable in Lanham.

Developers’ response to Prince George’s ‘‘has been slower, but I think that’s changing,” said Estepp, a longtime county resident. ‘‘We’re not up to par with Fairfax or Montgomery [County] yet, but we’re getting there.”

Metro-based development is ‘‘absolutely essential” to the county’s economy, Estepp said, because it retains workers, stokes the county’s economic engine and generates tax dollars.

To help retain workers, Estepp’s group and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development announced a partnership to lobby the U.S. General Services Administration to build federal office space near Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs.

About 60 percent of the county’s workers commute elsewhere, according to the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp. in Largo.

Prince George’s — the nation’s wealthiest majority-black county — last year issued a five-year economic development strategic plan that, among other things, highlights Metro development as a key to retaining workers and diversifying Prince George’s base.

Metro development has also been an issue in the county executive race. Both County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) and Democratic challenger Rushern L. Baker III said they want to see more development near the county’s Metro stations.

Estepp and others have credited the county’s recent economic boom for the surge in Metro-based activity.

Wegmans Food Markets recently announced plans to anchor the 245-acre Woodmore Towne Centre in Landover. In April, The Peterson Cos. of Fairfax, Va., developers of the $2 billion National Harbor, announced a five-hotel addition to the waterfront property in Fort Washington.

In neighboring Montgomery County, development helped transform the areas near Metro stations, with expensive housing and upscale retail.

‘‘Is that the only reason? No. Is it a plus? Absolutely,” Joseph Shapiro, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, said of transit-oriented development. ‘‘Planning and development around the Metro has been part of our economic development strategy for years now. We’ve seen new developments trying to take advantage of Metro access. We know it’s a factor for companies.”

E-mail Marcus Moore at mmoore@gazette.net.