Metro's Underutilized Resource: Its Real Estate

Map It:  Capitol Heights   Cheverly   Naylor Road 

SOME VISIONARIES IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY see a Chicago-like skyline rising from a piece of undeveloped land near Andrews Air Force Base — a mini-city that would contain millions of square feet of office and residential space. But with no Green Line extension to Westphalia in sight, that plan could sit on the drawing board for years.

Might developers concentrate on land already adjacent to existing Metrorail stations? There's land available and Maryland officials, peeved at Metro's real estate development practices, want the transit agency to reform the way it promotes development at stations, as The Post's Lisa Rein and Lena H. Sun reported on Sunday. A new report details the problems with Metro's development protocols. Write Rein and Sun:

The report blames Metro's hands-off approach for a "paucity" of interest from developers, confusion in communities near stations because of "interminable reviews often at odds with community concerns," and "frequent disconnect" with local governments. It calls Metro's process broken.

While some areas around Metrorail stations have been touted as real estate success stories — like Arlington County's Ballston-Rosslyn corridor with its high- and mid-density developments clustered near transit centers — other station areas, particularly in Prince George's County are relatively undeveloped, with quite a bit of Metro-controlled property sitting barren or being used for surface parking lots.

Let's take a look at some aerial photography of some of the problem stations, courtesy Google Maps. Above is the Cheverly station on the Orange Line, where we noted you can't get a pint of beer at a local watering hole, because there isn't one. Below left is Capitol Heights on the Blue Line and below right is Naylor Road on the Green Line. They may be friendly to commuters, but in their current form, are not friendly to transit-oriented development. If things change, there is the promise of millions in new revenue to the cash-strapped agency.

» "Metro Fails to Nurture Development, Report Finds" [WaPo]

EARLIER:
» "Green Line to Westphalia?" [Free Ride/Express]
» "Prince George's Sees Andrews As Hub of Development" [WaPo]