O’Malley pitches solution for growth problem

Governor pushes bill supporting transit-oriented development

But neither move does anything to resolve conflicts within local planning offices or failure by developers to devise plans that meet the concerns of the public or their representatives.

Removing roadblocks

The Maryland legislation, HB373 and SB 204, already passed by the House, is intended to put investment in transit communities on equal footing with other transportation priorities and remove legal roadblocks to using state resources and land for such communities. The measure includes no funding and the legislature’s Department of Legislative Services said it generally codifies current practice.

But O’Malley took the opportunity during a speech in Greenbelt to advocate development in areas that largely have been bypassed, even as much of Montgomery County and a few areas in the Baltimore region have benefited from a surge in growth around Metro and other transit sites. He noted that there is development on only one of 15 Metro station properties in Prince George’s County, even though a total of 2,531 acres surrounding the remaining stations sits undeveloped.

Following in the rhetorical footsteps of former governors Parris Glendening and Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., O’Malley said smart-growth policies that encourage transit-oriented development should determine where future building will occur.

‘‘We know the challenges our state faces in regards to sustainability, with our population expected to grow by 1.1 million and 725,000 jobs expected in the next 20 years,” he said. ‘‘With thousands of acres of undeveloped and underdeveloped land within a half-mile of Maryland’s 112 transit stations, theoretically a network of transit communities could absorb all 1.1 million new residents. It gives you an idea of the existing potential for smart growth.”

But the administration bill would not help cutting through red tape under county or municipal rules. It stresses that ‘‘nothing in the bill is to be construed to limit the authority of local governments to govern land use or grant the State or a department of the State with additional authority to supersede local land use and planning authority.”

Projects stalled

Local development rules and inadequate outreach by developers, more than anything else, have been blamed for stalling or killing several ambitious development plans. Recent examples include the following:

*The West Hyattsville Commons project, which has been delayed for more than a year by concerns raised by the Prince George’s County Council about lack of pedestrian access and inadequate use of the 44-acre site for ‘‘high-quality” transit-oriented development. After negotiating with county planners, developers presented a new plan for a mixed-use complex with more than 200,00 square feet of office space and 1,400 residential units that has the approval recommendation of county planners. The county Planning Board was scheduled Thursday to consider the new proposal, which includes an expansion of retail space, more densely planned housing and direct pedestrian access to the Metro station.

*The Glenmont MetroCenter was remanded by the Montgomery County Council for additional study in January after it decided the Planning Board was wrong to conclude that new traffic would not overburden the intersection at Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road. A hearing examiner said that Chevy Chase developer JBG Cos. could not rely on construction of an intersection bypass in its proposal to tear down a 352-unit garden apartment complex at the 31-acre site and replace it with 90,000 square feet of retail space and 1,550 residential units.

*The Forest Glen joint development that WMATA was considering was scrapped last May by the Metro board in the face of opposition by community groups and public officials concerned about proposals to build up to 160 townhouses at the 9-acre site. WMATA has broken off negotiations with potential developers who responded to a 2006 request for proposals, citing a turn in the housing market, inadequate revenue to Metro and ‘‘the increasing need to ensure that pedestrian safety, and transit station access needs are more broadly addressed in coordination with the development of station area land.” The plan generated intense opposition and demands by residents for a pedestrian tunnel under Georgia Avenue. Although the joint development has been scrapped, the tunnel idea — estimated in 2005 to cost $10.5 million — lives on as part of a state traffic study of Georgia Avenue.

Developer plans to razeBowie Marketplace

A Maryland developer has announced plans to demolish and rebuild Bowie Marketplace — which is two-thirds vacant — and to add multi-family housing near the shopping center.

The new 170,000- to 190,000-square-foot complex on Route 450 will have a ‘‘lifestyle-oriented” design featuring outdoor patios and walkways and up to 350 residential units, either condominiums or apartments, said Carter Davis, an acquisition and development associate with Chevy Chase builder JBG Rosenfeld Retail.

‘‘We want to revitalize it and we need something dramatic,” Davis said during a recent presentation to the Bowie City Council. ‘‘We’re shooting higher than what we did at Free State; it’s going to be really a complete redevelopment.”

JBG Rosenfeld owned the Free State Mall on Annapolis Road, across the street from Bowie Marketplace, until February 2007, when it sold the property to Federal Reality Investment Trust of Rockville. Before the sale, JBG Rosenfeld made façade improvements, added two new tenants — Ross Stores and Office Depot — and saw anchor grocery store Giant Food increasing its size from 30,000 to 76,000 square feet.

Davis said the company will rename Bowie Marketplace ‘‘Main Street Market,” and hopes to attract high-end restaurants and bring a new vibrancy to the center by building outdoor patios.

Davis said JBG Rosenfeld also will pursue green building certification by designing the structure to conserve energy and water and by generating a low level of landfill waste, among other benchmarks.

Staff Writer Andrea Noble contributed to this report.

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