City Council voted 5-2 to support the Beltway Plaza Preliminary Plan of Subdivision (PPS) at their February 10 regular meeting. Although only Mayor Colin Byrd and Councilmember Rodney Roberts voted against supporting the current version of the PPS, the plan spent more than two hours under intense scrutiny from the council at large. The PPS would see Beltway Plaza Mall transformed into a mixed-use development containing both residential units and retail space.
At the center of the night’s debates were the conditions that Quantum Companies, the owner of Beltway Plaza Mall and applicant for its redevelopment, would be expected to agree to in order to secure the support of the city. While city staff has been actively negotiating these stipulations with Quantum, councilmembers had not been given the chance to review the latest revisions prior to convening, according to Councilmember Edward Putens.
Roberts admonished the PPS for what he saw as a lack of emphasis on school adequacy, referring to this perceived oversight as “a disgrace to the city and the county.” He also argued that the indoor public recreation space – increased from 20,000 square feet to 25,000 – was still not enough to service the 2,500 multi-family residential units planned for the redeveloped site.
Additionally, Roberts took issue with a new revision changing the cap on rental units from 75 percent to no more than 2,000, and called the figure “too many.”
Councilmembers Leta Mach and Judith Davis also expressed uncertainty regarding the PPS requirements for residential unit use. Of particular concern was a new condition requiring Quantum to do no more than consider implementing alternative unit types, such as senior housing, and only if a market study conducted by the applicant deemed these options marketable. Council and McNamee Hosea attorney Matthew Tedesco, representing Quantum, discussed the alternative possibility of Quantum funding a market study conducted by the city.
At another point, Putens and Davis debated the wording of a condition that would see Quantum explore a shuttle service between Greenbelt West and other areas of the city. Putens said that he wanted the condition to require that Quantum put forth “some real, concentrated effort to make something happen,” while Davis rebutted that citywide transport services would be “an extremely expensive proposition.”
Council was most united in its expressed concern about a new revision that removed a condition requiring Quantum to “submit a plan to the city that addresses how the needs of current Beltway Plaza tenants will be addressed.”
Tedesco stood by the current state of the PPS and its appended conditions, arguing that Quantum’s vision accounts for not only all relevant legal requirements, but also the concerns of every involved party. He described Quantum as both “fully vetted into the process” and committed.
During the public comment period, several audience members took the podium in defense of Quantum and in favor of the redevelopment.
“If we don’t do this, we are in the position of being eclipsed by everything around us,” Greenbelt Community Development Corporation President Susan Walker said. “And God help Greenbelt at that point.” This sentiment was echoed by several Beltway Plaza Mall retailers, including Laugh Out Loud Station’s owner Regina Bethea. “I really think that it’s about change, and it’s about other developments leaving us in the dust,” she said. “All of the other communities – if they’re going to be improving their locations, improving their places and bringing in tenants and bringing in money to their communities …. We’re not doing the same thing. Beltway Plaza is due for a change.”
The PPS is scheduled to go before the Prince George’s County Planning Board for review on Thursday, February 20.