The western portion of the Blue Line Corridor in Prince George’s County, MD encompasses three small municipalities – Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant, Fairmount Heights, as well as other unincorporated areas. It spans 4,020 acres of residential neighborhoods, institutional properties, commercial and industrial areas, parks, and open spaces. The Corridor borders the eastern boundary of Washington DC.

In recent years, considerable momentum has built towards the pursuit of a transit-oriented, economically vibrant Central Avenue. Since 2021, the County raised over $400 million in state and federal dollars to support a series of infrastructure improvements and real estate projects. Additionally, over $700 million of privately led development is planned or under construction.  Much of this momentum is focused in the eastern portion of the Corridor centered around Downtown Largo, Morgan Boulevard, and FedEx Field.

Meanwhile, the western portion of the Corridor is predominantly Black, and experiences clear inequities across income, education, health, and wealth. This section features multiple vacant and underutilized plots, and two metro stops – Capitol Heights and Addison Road within a mile of each other, yet lacks essential amenities like a grocery store, bank and casual gathering spots like coffee shops, parks, trails, and sit-down restaurants. These factors combined with a 2022 rezoning transitioning hundreds of properties to allow for additional density make it an area with untapped potential.

Each of the above municipalities owns land in the Corridor. Each has expressed an interest in seeing development happen and in working together to collectively leverage their power to pursue development.

On March 7^th and March 8^th, a multidisciplinary team of ULI Washington members participated in a two-day Technical Assistance Panel (TAP). They toured the site in person, received a sponsor briefing, participated in stakeholder interviews, and brainstormed ideas to inform a placemaking vision for the western potion of the Blue Line. The Panel was impressed with the incredible community-led efforts underway and acknowledged the potential benefit of increased coordination between municipalities.

At the end of the TAP, the Panel presented a robust plan for galvanizing the community and creating a built environment that addresses their needs, summarized by the following key recommendations:

1. Create a repository of community assets across the corridor to reflect their unique community identities in the built environment.
2. Implement short-term safety improvements and invest in long-term projects that create more desirable development sites.
3. Conduct Land/Asset inventory activation exercise and coordinate resource allocation.
4. Establish a Community-Based Organization (CBO) to be a voice and advocate on behalf of the municipalities and community to promote inclusive and equitable growth.

Follow the links below for more information and to see the TAP presentation.