Developers seek public input for Konterra project

Design meetings begin on Jan. 25

Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006

by Ayesha Ahmad

Staff Writer

Area residents soon will have a chance to weigh in on the Konterra town center, one of the largest projects planned for the region, at a public meeting at the end of the month.

As part of the Prince George’s County Subregion I Master Plan review process, Konterra developers are seeking public input into the land-use designations and design at a charette — a meeting to gather input on design — 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 25 and 26 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Beltsville.

The general plan transforms ‘‘what was once a moonscape of abandoned mining pits into an outstanding mixed-use center,” said Kingdon Gould Jr., one of Konterra’s landowners, in a statement at a Jan. 5 focus group meeting in preparation for the upcoming charette.

‘‘The purpose of the charette is to bring together the citizens in the area ... to get their input as to what should be, if changed, in the master plan, for this parcel,” said Judy Thacher, a West Laurel resident and aide to Prince George’s County Council Chairman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Dist. 1) of Laurel.

At the Jan. 5 meeting, Konterra representatives, developers from the Ohio-based real estate company Forest City Enterprises and their consultants met with local elected officials and residents to explain the purpose and process of the charette.

Residents expressed overwhelming concern that area transportation needs be addressed as soon as possible through this process, Thacher said.

Some initial ideas for the town center included suggestions for an artists’ colony and an on-site mode of transportation, like a monorail, since the parcel is so large.

The charette is designed to formally gather such suggestions. Konterra will be running the charette as a part of the master plan review process, which is headed by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The commission will be present throughout the Konterra discussions ‘‘to just kind of answer questions,” said Kierre McCune, master plan project planner.

Further focus group meetings will be held through February, and Konterra planners hope to submit final plans for the Subregion 1 Master Plan process in early March.

Sited on 488 acres south of Van Dusen Road and east of Interstate 95, the Konterra land is zoned for mixed-use, and sits across Interstate 95 from another 250 acres zoned for retail development.

The undeveloped property remains one of the last large such tracts of land near Interstate 95. It also figures large in plans for the Intercounty Connector, the 18-mile connector road planned to join Interstate 270 in Montgomery County with Interstate 95 in Prince George’s right next to Konterra.

The Gould family acquired the land about 20 years ago, and already has constructed related projects on other Konterra lands, including 14 office buildings at the Konterra Business Campus on Route 1 and at Sweitzer Lane.