Instead of a transit-oriented complex of offices, stores and housing on 200 acres near the Bowie MARC station, the site could be developed with businesses that complement Bowie State University programs, say visiting planners.

“MARC wouldn’t be the driver, “ said Prince George’s County Councilwoman Ingrid Turner (D-Dist. 4) of Bowie. “The university would be the driver.”

The two visions are being considered as possible ways to develop a large county-owned site that borders the MARC railway line and Bowie State University off Route 197.

With either scenario, there also may be room for a possible Redskins indoor training facility and fields, an idea the county also is pursuing.

“It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” said Turner about choosing between a mixed-use project versus a training facility. “It can be both.”

A $25,000 study of the projected economic impact of a Redskins facility on the Bowie MARC site is under way but has not yet been completed.

An update about the status of the Redskins study, a summary of the visiting planners’ vision for the county site and a presentation of the Bowie State campus facilities plan are on the agenda for the Monday meeting of the Bowie State MARC Station Development Board.

The board, which is recommending development ideas to the County Council, will meet in the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission initially envisioned a transit-oriented development with offices, stores, housing and government buildings around the MARC rail station at the north end of the university.

But a visiting team of planners assembled by the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., recently toured the Bowie State campus and concluded that the relatively isolated MARC station was not enough to support a transit-oriented community like the one planned for the Metro station in New Carrollton.

In a presentation to board members Oct. 18, the visiting planners recommended attracting businesses that would dovetail with university programs, enabling students to work or do research in a facility related to their field.

A representative of Bowie State University did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Turner said an assisted-living center, for example, might complement BSU’s nursing program, while a charter school might complement its school of education.

The panel also recommended that single-family or other types of housing on the site be phased in over time because of the sluggish economy, she said.

In addition, the panel saw no real potential for retail use, except possibly for a restaurant associated with a future hotel, according to an Oct. 20 report by Bowie City Manager David Deutsch to the Bowie City Council.

Meanwhile, the Redskins are staying mum about their plans.

“The Redskins are exploring various options,” said Tony Wyllie, senior vice president of public relations for the team, on Oct. 27.

The Redskins have played at FedEx Field in Landover since 1997 but still train in Ashburn in northern Virginia. Under its contract with the county, the team must talk to county officials first before moving its training site.

vterhune@gazette.net