Redevelopment Opportunities for Langley Park: The Challenge of Achieving Equitable Development
Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties and the city of Takoma Park are developing a bi-county sector plan for the Takoma/Langley Crossroads area in anticipation of future growth, redevelopment and the arrival a Purple Line light rail station. The goal of the plan is to promote transit-oriented development.
Replanning the area is intended to spur new investment in new, higher density land uses. While this plan is likely to lead to redevelopment of very low density commercial buildings and parking lots at the commercial core of the area, it also encourages the redevelopment of garden apartments surrounding the commercial core. For rental apartments in Prince George’s County, such a proposal amounts to the potential of wholesale displacement with no compensation.
Given the intent to redevelop the sector plan area at higher densities that can take advantage of the new light rail line, preservation of existing affordable rental housing and production of new mixed income housing is needed to ensure that the benefit of transit-oriented development is shared by a majority of existing residents. While increased transit services and higher quality service promise to benefit Takoma/Langley residents, if they are likely to be displaced in the redevelopment process, they are hardly benefited by the new transit services and improved urban design of the area.
Our Work to Preserve Affordable Housing in the Sector Plan
CSG is collaborating with CASA de Maryland and the American University Washington College of Law Clinical Program to develop a set of legal and policy solutions to address these issues. We seek to enact zoning, policies and laws to protect affordable housing, specifically for low income renters in the sector plan area threatened with displacement, and establish funding sources to assist in preservation. We also are working to enact policies to provide local small business opportunities in the redevelopment area.
The Takoma-Langley Sector Plan is provided by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Image from CASA de Maryland.
More Information
Langley Park Community Calls for a Prince George’s Plan that Includes Them (PDF) -- Article from Greater Greater Washington
Testimony (PDF) before a the Joint Public Hearing of the Prince George’s County Council and Planning Board regarding the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Preliminary Sector Plan.
Testimony (PDF) before the Montgomery County Council on the Takoma/Langley Park Sector Plan
