Prince George's County: 2011 Year in Review
This year, we built upon the success of CSG's 2010 campaign, when we turned transit-oriented development into the new buzzword in Prince George's County politics. We published several widely read and timely reports like Invest Prince George's and Building Stronger Communities, which inspired county residents seeking community revitalization and smart, competitive investments, and won the attention of newly elected officials.
In 2011, our focus has been on implementation of TOD. Nearly 600 people attended the four forums and one walking tour we organized with our allies at Envision Prince George's to highlight the benefits and challenges of building transit communities. Expert speakers offered detailed advice and showed what it takes to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly environment. We became a go-to source for the regional media for comment about TOD in Prince George's and saw a 73 percent increase in our supporter base over 2010.
TOD must be inclusive to ensure all residents have access to jobs and affordable transportation. That's why we continued to work closely in Langley Park with CASA de Maryland and other partners to ensure preservation of affordable housing and local businesses for the vibrant community of immigrants and lower-income residents near the future Purple Line. Through our combined efforts, the issue reached the top leadership in the state.
We continued our frequent meetings with the county executive's office and County Council, WMATA, and state and federal officials. We urged joint efforts to win public and private investment in Prince George's TOD. Officials announced three significant initiatives: a major mixed-use redevelopment at New Carrollton Metro, the move of the state housing agency from Anne Arundel to New Carrollton, and County Executive Rushern Baker's $50 million economic development fund, focused primarily on TOD in inside-the-Beltway communities. We reviewed and mobilized support for the ultimate bill.
