Planning Background

A comprehensive 20-year general plan, the 2014 Plan Prince George’s 2035 Approved General Plan (Plan 2035) articulates a shared vision for making Prince George’s County a competitive force in the regional economy, a leader in sustainable growth, a community of strong neighborhoods and municipalities, and a place where residents are healthy and engaged. Plan 2035 specifies indicators of success and growth management targets to measure progress toward the vision and goals described in Plan 2035. Plan 2035 seeks to strategically direct growth to designated Regional Transit Districts and Local Centers. Plan 2035 identified 26 Local Centers and eight Regional Transit Districts. The eight Regional Transit Districts are high-density, vibrant, and transit-rich mixed-use areas envisioned to capture most future residential and employment growth and development in Prince George’s County. See www. planpgc2035.org for more information about Plan 2035.

UMD WEST CENTER

Plan 2035 identifies the Adelphi Road-UMGCUMD Purple Line Station area as the UMD West Campus Center, which is defined by development that is still dense and walkable, but at much lower densities than a typical transit-oriented development around a Metro station. Campus Centers were envisioned by Plan 2035 to have an average net housing density of about 10-15 dwelling units per acre and floor area ratios between 0.5 and 3. However, residential market demand at the Campus Centers associated with the University of Maryland far exceeds Plan 2035’s recommendations for Campus Centers. Accordingly, this sector plan classifies the UMD West Center as a Local Transit Center and defines the Center’s boundaries, Core, and Edge.

Centers

Local Centers are focal points of concentrated residential development and limited commercial activity serving the County’s Established Communities. A location’s center designation is based on its access or proximity to high-capacity transit services, universities, or significant public and private investments in infrastructure. Plan 2035 further categorizes Local Centers into Local Transit Centers, Neighborhood Centers, Town Centers, and Campus Centers. Plan 2035 defined the UMD West Center as a Campus Center, in anticipation of this designation being re-evaluated through this sector plan. Campus Centers were envisioned by Plan 2035 to be transit accessible with low- to medium-density, mixed-use development oriented toward supporting university research as well as community and student housing and retail needs. As defined by Plan 2035, the Campus Center designation is inappropriate for all of the centers at the University of Maryland, College Park campus. Both the level and scale of housing needs and the development capacity for this area far exceed that envisioned by a Campus Center. Accordingly, this sector plan designates the UMD West Center as a Local Transit Center. Plan 2035 defines Local Transit Centers as “smaller-scale, mixed-use centers that are well connected by transit. Many of these areas are integrated with an established street grid and offer local-serving retail and limited office uses.

1989 Approved Master Plan for Langley Park-College ParkGreenbelt

The 1989 Approved Master Plan and Sectional Map Amendment for Langley Park-College Park-Greenbelt (Planning Areas 65, 66, and 67) is generally bounded by the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center and the Capital Beltway on the north, Cipriano Road and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway on the east, MD 410 (East West Highway) and Good Luck Road on the south, and the Prince George’s and Montgomery County line and the City of Takoma Park on the west. The planning areas contain 27.8 square miles of land. The master plan is more than three decades old and does not bear relevance to the current population and market needs. The plan does not envision, much less plan for, the redevelopment opportunities created by the Purple Line light rail system. The master plan recommendations specific to this sector plan area are negligible and outdated for the current needs and future demands for development within this plan area. The master plan does recommend an integrated transportation system composed of highways, Metrorail, Metrobus, and carpools/vanpools with opportunities for pedestrian, equestrian, and bicycle movement on trails and other public rights-of-way.