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What is Being Proposed in Greenbelt West

This article is the second in a series of articles to ensure that Greenbelt residents are aware of the development and redevelopment proposals that are being considered for Greenbelt West. Greenbelt West is that area of the City west of Kenilworth Avenue, east of the Metrorail tracks and between the Capital Beltway and Greenbelt Road.

As mentioned last week, three separate development/redevelopment proposals have been brought to the City’s attention. The first one is commonly known as Greenbelt Station which includes the developable land west of Cherrywood Lane between the Capital Beltway and Greenbelt Road and is the subject of this article. It covers approximately 170 acres and is divided into a North Core, which is adjacent to the Greenbelt Metro Station and within the City’s boundaries, and the South Core, which fronts on Branchville Road and is the site of the old A.H. Smith Sand and Gravel operation and is not in Greenbelt.

The proposed usage in the North Core is a dense, urban-type, mixed-use development to take advantage of proximity to the Metro Station and the Capital Beltway. It will actually be built on what is now the Metro parking lot. The City has negotiated a limit on the density of the North Core as follows: 1.2 million square feet of commercial office space, 1.1 million square feet of retail space, a 300 room hotel and 1,267 residential units. These limits are lower than the densities that were previously approved by Prince George’s County. Those densities were 1.74 million square feet of office space, 1.4 million square feet of retail space, a 550 room hotel and 760 residential units. At this time, it is not clear when the North Core will be built.

The South Core property is moving through the planning process at this time. Builders such as Pulte Homes and Bozzuto are interested in building this project right now. Based on the latest discussions, 983 residential units are proposed, consisting of 340 townhouses and the balance split between condominiums and rental apartments. Also proposed is a primarily neighborhood retail center to be not less than 80,000 square feet, which is about one-third larger than Roosevelt Center. This center is expected to have the types of stores a person needs on a regular basis, such as a small grocery store, dry cleaners, convenience store, etc.

A Concept Plan reflecting the above for the South Core was before the City Council at its January 23, 2006 meeting along with an annexation agreement. The Council supported both by a vote of 3 to 1. The Concept Plan contains nearly 60 conditions to ensure the development is to the City’s liking and it will come before the County Planning Board on February 2, 2006 for consideration. The annexation will be finalized on January 26, 2006, if it is not petitioned to referendum.

If plans for the South Core proceed, a road to connect the South Core to the North Core and also provide access to the Greenbelt Metro Station is to be built. This road is referred to as the North –South connector road. The City has been asked to provide public financing assistance for the construction of the road, if the area is annexed. The likely method of financing is called Tax Incremental Financing ( TIF). The use of a TIF or other financing mechanism will be the subject of a future article.

There will be future opportunities for additional public input on the South Core plans. Detailed site plans must be prepared. The City’s development agreement with Greenbelt Station gives the City approval authority for the site plans in addition to the County.

If there are questions about this article, please forward them to the Planning Department at 301-345-5417 or email pcd@greenbeltmd.gov. The next article will describe the development concepts for the rebuilding of Springhill Lake.