On September 29, 2025 we discussed the potential of the Bowie State University MARC station area to be a vibrant transit-oriented community.
We were grateful for the diverse mix of elected and government officials, community members, and Bowie State University staff who attended the event. We were thrilled that the entire District 23 Delegation – Sen. Ron Watson, Del. Adrian Boafo, Del. Kym Taylor, and Del. Marvin Holmes attended. Also joining us was District 22 Del. Nicole Williams and County Council Member Ingrid Turner. We also welcomed a number of County Executive Braveboy administration officials, including Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Iris Boswell and Planning Board Chair Darryl Barnes.
We appreciated the comments from the joint development partnership:
David Zaidain, Maryland Department of Transportation
Dr. Aminta Breaux, Bowie State University
Judy Danso, Prince George’s County Revenue Authority
Scott Gottbreht, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
We especially want to thank President Dr. Breaux and the many Bowie State University staff who hosted us and helped imagine the opportunities and benefits of a vibrant, walkable mix of homes and businesses connected to the University. We have attached the tour handout and here is the link to MDOT’s request for proposals from MDOT.
Ms. Lakisha Hull Director, Prince George’s County Planning Department Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission Wayne K. Curry Administration Building 1301 McCormick Drive, Largo MD via: gopgc@mncppc.org
Dear Director Hull:
Thank you for your active engagement with the public on the preparation of Go Prince George’s. We wish to provide some initial comments on the draft Go Prince George’s in advance of its formal consideration. First, we wish to express our overall enthusiastic support for the greatly revised Master Plan for Transportation, a welcome move towards a multimodal, complete streets approach to transportation. Here are some highlights of exciting elements of the draft plan:
Urban Street Design Standards are integrated into Functional Classification of roadways — this is a crucial guide for how road engineers decide how to design a road. This is an important advance to achieving full implementation.
Urban Street Design Standards are applied to both designated regional and local centers streets, and beyond. We strongly support this approach.
Road diets – roads downsized from 6-8 lanes to 2-4 lanes, per Urban Street Design Standards. This is a major advance for fostering safer streets, connected communities, and economic development. Right-sizing these roads are essential to attracting transit-oriented development, such as along the Central Ave./Blue Line corridor.
Bicycle facilities are fully integrated into each road designation – this is a significant improvement. Example: Facility Recommendations (section 3).
Bus priority (Transit policy – Policy TR) policy and cross-sections are included, along with 5 high capacity routes identified. Bus priority, however, is not consistently mentioned in section 3. Bus lanes are identified for MD 458 for example which we support, but not for MD 410.
Recommendations for improvements:
Eliminate Vehicle LOS (level of service) for Local and Regional Centers, and other appropriate areas. We recommend the following language:
Policy RH 4: Eliminate vehicular LOS requirements within all Local and Regional Centers. This strategy amends Table 21 of Plan 2035, applicable recommendations of the 2009 Countywide Master Plan of Transportation, and the Transportation Review Guidelines.
The above proposed language will replace the draft’s vague policy – “Policy RH 4: Establish realistic and appropriate traffic level-of-service (LOS) standards for the determination of adequacy of roads and highways within a first-tier suburb.”
Our Policy RH 4 recommendation is taken from the West Hyattsville-Queen Chapel Sector Plan, which states: “TM 1.17. Eliminate vehicular LOS requirements within the West Hyattsville Local Transit Center. This strategy amends Table 21 of Plan 2035, applicable recommendations of the 2009 Countywide Master Plan of Transportation, and the Transportation Review Guidelines.”
This recommendation was also suggested in a draft of the West Hyattsville plan to be considered for application within all Regional Transit Districts and Local Centers. We agree.
Add intersection design guidance as a separate strategy. We appreciate the many mentions of intersection features as important to complete streets, and in notes for specific facilities. However, a policy or strategy devoted to the complexity of intersection design would help advance many of the plan’s goals. Intersections are the most challenging aspect of street design in an urban environment, thus warrant specific attention.
Regarding “Policy CG 7 Regularly refine and update the County’s adopted Urban Street Design Standards to reflect best street design practices.” We recommend the following additional strategy:
Strategy CG 7.4 Work with DPW&T and MDOT to identify and establish best practices for intersection design guidance.
Design speed of 20-25 mph for Urban Streets should be cited as a specific goal and receive explicit attention. We ask the plan state 20-25 mph design speed be used as a key metric to guide roadway design decisions. Design speed is not mentioned in the draft, even though it states “Intended Functional Operating Speed: (20-25 mph)” and maximum speed limit of 20 or 25 mph. Solving for a 20-25 mph street as an overarching goal provides a framework that is more comprehensive than listing individual tools and practices that help reduce vehicle speeds to intended speeds.
Use vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per household as a key measure for development review. The draft cites the Plan 2035 identification of VMT as an important measure, but the draft makes no mention of using vehicle miles travel as a part of the development review process to assess the traffic and pollution impacts of each project. Using VMT per household helps create understanding of traffic network impacts, location efficiency, and mitigation needs. CSG has done this kind of analysis here and here. Scoring each new development for its VMT per household performance will help identify developments most beneficial to the county, the transportation network, and the environment. It will also call attention to mitigation needs for less location-efficient projects.
From the beginning the VDOT study has been fatally flawed by a conclusions-first approach – defining their purpose and need as “extending express toll lanes” which forecloses other alternatives. Moreover, they have not provided all the information necessary for an informed decision – particularly the traffic impact on connecting roads. Given the missing information and strong concerns expressed by Fairfax, Prince George’s, Alexandria, Charles, WMATA, and state legislators in Virginia and Maryland, this project is not ready for inclusion in the regional plan.
On June 5, 2025, an all-star panel discussed county efforts to create more walkable, bikeable, transit-accessible communities with new county and state plans.
Speakers: Prince George’s County Planning Director Lakisha Hull; Carm Saimbre, Maryland State Highway Administration; Prince George’s District 3 County Council Member Eric Olson; and chair of TIEE; Veronica O. Davis, national transportation expert, and author of Inclusive Transportation; moderator: Bernard Holloway, RISE Prince George’s.
The discussion featured Go Prince George’s, a new draft master plan for transportation in the county. This plan implements the newly adopted Urban Street Design Standards for activity and transit centers, and shifts focus to transforming the county’s transportation network by creating more travel options, focusing on the movement of people versus solely the movement of vehicles. A joint hearing by the County Council and Planning Board will be convened in fall 2025. Residents and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments on the draft.
The June 5 discussion also included progress by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) to elevate its focus on addressing pedestrian and bicycle safety. Documents about the Complete Streets policy, statewide progress on implementation of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, and other safety plans can be found here.
Prince George’s new draft Transit Vision Plan is also open for review. To learn more click here.
On May 22, 2025, RISE Prince George’s and CSG hosted a discussion on the county draft Transit Vision Plan (TVP), which seeks to create a more vibrant and connected county for all. The Transit Vision Plan is a five-year strategic framework for improving the county’s public transportation, developed through extensive public input. The county is seeking input from the public – go to an upcoming public meeting and check out the website.
Event materials – click here to view the presentation and video recording.
RE: Support for the Flats at Glenridge Station, DSP-23008 & DDS-24002
Dear Chair Shapiro and members of the Board:
Please accept this testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG). CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. We work extensively in suburban Maryland, focused on Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
We would like to express our support for the Flats at Glenridge, DSP-23008 & DDS-24002. The proposed 245-apartment building, with a small amount of office space, offers families affordable homes right next to the Glenridge Purple Line station, along with close proximity to retail, including a supermarket. The site is less than a quarter mile from the station and MD 450, and by direct connection would be about 300 feet from the station.
This proposal is the first major step towards implementing the vision for a walkable Glenridge Transit Village outlined in the Annapolis Road Sector Plan. The apartment building offers amenities like a playground and a plaza with landscaping. Most importantly, these 245 homes give moderate and low income families the opportunity to live next to a rail transit station, and local-serving retail.
This affordable transit-oriented development helps more people rely on sustainable transportation options and reduce the need to drive or own a car. We appreciate the unit mix offering a variety of unit sizes, including many 3-bedroom apartments.
The project provides important contributions to county and community goals, including:
Affordability – the proposal will provide homes affordable at and below 60% of median family income. These are quality, new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom homes to address residents’ need for low-cost housing. Transit-accessible housing also reduces household transportation costs;
Environmentally-friendly location – allowing more families to live here in a compact, walkable environment reduces traffic, pollution and crashes by giving households options to walk and ride transit more, and drive less;
Better communities with transit-oriented development – more homes in this location, inside the Beltway and next to rail transit and existing retail, helps to transition this area to the envisioned Glendridge Transit Village where more homes and businesses can be focused in a walkable, transit-oriented environment. A vibrant, walkable Glenridge Transit Village will benefit nearby neighbors who can enjoy better retail options, a more human-scaled environment, and transportation choices.
We recognize that the site is currently wooded, but it is a fragment surrounded by development. Allowing more people to live here, steps away from frequent rail transit at this inside the Beltway location means less driving, traffic and pollution for households who otherwise might have to live elsewhere. Additionally, the project will fund offsite forest conservation to offset trees removed from the site, while providing modern stormwater management onsite to control runoff and water quality.
We have two recommendations for improving this project:
Securing a direct walk pathway from the building to the Purple Line station entrance.
Reducing parking and allocating that space and cost savings to other benefits for residents. The large amount of parking — 337 spaces for 245 units is a 1.37 ratio. Development standards reduce by half the required amount due to the site’s proximity to transit.
Conclusion
We urge the Planning Board to approve this application as a major step forward for the Glenridge Transit Village and the benefits it will provide to the larger community and county.
Send a message to the Prince George’s Planning board by Tuesday, March 11, 12 noon
We’ve advocated for the Purple Line. We’ve advocated more affordable housing – especially at rail transit. Well, here it is! The first new affordable apartments steps away from the Glenridge Purple Line station. Please join us in voicing our support!
This proposal for 245 affordable apartments, right next to the Purple Line, is the first step towards realizing the planned Glenridge Transit Village. It will provide homes for low and moderate income households in a location that will reduce how much residents have to drive and spend on transportation.
Much more needs to be done by the county and state to transform this very suburban, automobile-dominated area into a walkable community, but this project is a good first step. We’re asking for the amount of parking to be reduced for this project and for a direct walking connection to the transit station. And, we will be pressing the county and state to make it safer to walk and bike to this and every Purple Line station.
We recognize that the site is currently wooded, but it is a fragment surrounded by development. Allowing more people to live here, steps away from frequent rail transit at this inside the Beltway location means less driving, traffic and pollution for households who otherwise might have to live elsewhere. Additionally, the project will fund offsite forest conservation to offset trees removed from the site, while providing modern stormwater management onsite to control runoff and water quality.
RISE Prince George’sis a group of county residents and allies advocating for policies and practices that build shared, sustainable prosperity in Prince George’s County by creating safe, walkable, inclusive and transit-oriented communities. Platform brief 2025.
LISC – DC is a mission-based investor, convener and technical assistance provider. We work with a wide variety of partners to build neighborhoods where every person, regardless of race or income level has the chance to live and thrive. Briefing 2 pager
Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers(HAND) is a nonprofit membership collective working across the private, public, and social sectors to collaborate in the production and preservation of affordable housing in the Capital Region of Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond. Representing the ecosystem of partners who bring equitable communities to fruition, HAND works to disrupt the systems that perpetuate inequity in the communities we serve. We do this by embedding racial equity into our operations, practices, and programming, and activating our membership through policy forums and advocacy designed to drive impact for Black and brown communities residing at the sharpest intersections of inequity. HAND One Pager
The Capital Market(TCM) is a community-based farmers’ market that: provides healthy, affordable food options to our neighbors in the Capitol Heights neighborhood and surrounding vicinity; supports the growth of local-businesses and farms owned and operated by people of color; advocates for equitable and culturally-aware food systems.
Sowing Empowerment & Economic Development, Inc. (SEED) provides food, clothing, education and training while promoting self-sufficiency and empowerment directly to low- to moderate-income families and communities. Through community services, education and community development, SEED will create environments where all individuals are empowered, all children are nurtured, families are strengthened and communities are transformed. SEED is also the developer of 250 units of affordable housing on the Purple Line Corridor’s Riverdale Road Station in partnership with Lincoln Avenue Communities. SEED brochure
Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP) develops innovative affordable housing, revitalizes neighborhoods, and equips people to achieve their housing and financial goals. Our vision is that every person lives in high-quality affordable housing in a thriving community. HIP handout
The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) is a public-private-community collaborative working to leverage Maryland’s largest transit investment in the 21st century to ensure equitable change for all who live, work and invest in the corridor. PLCC flyer
Coalition for Smarter Growth advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. Blueprint for a Better Region
The sponsors are 501(c)(3) organizations and this is a permitted educational activity. By law, these organizations do not endorse or work on behalf of any candidate for public office.
Pictured: left to right: Pastor Mike Dickson, Solid Rock Church; Stanford Fraser, RISE Prince George’s; Sheila Somashekhar, Purple Line Corridor Coalition; Steven Palmer, HAND; Albert Slocum, candidate; Moisette Tonya Sweat, candidate; Kyle Reeder, The Capital Market and RISE Prince George’s; Marcellus Crews, candidate; Bryan Franklin, LISC; Stephanie Proestel, HIP; Cheryl Cort, CSG; David Bowers, Enterprise; Marcus Robinson, LISC; Bernard Holloway, RISE Prince George’s. Photo credit: Lesia R. Bullock, HIP
