On February 20, the Prince George’s County Planning Board voted to approve the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision (PPS) for the Beltway Plaza redevelopment proposed by GB Mall Limited Partnership. The approval was dependent upon conditions set out by the board, which focused mainly on bike and pedestrian accessibility within and around the site. The Greenbelt City Council also approved the PPS with a set of conditions of their own.
The next step in the process is a Detailed Site Plan (DSP) submitted by the applicant. It will include more comprehensive proposals on things like housing types and internal road systems. Ultimately, the board will have the final say on this project, yet the conditions set out by council will also be taken into account. All these conditions will be addressed either in the DSP or at a later phase in the construction process.
According to Senior Planner Eddie Diaz Campbell, the planning board felt that the PPS proposal was friendly to pedestrians and bikes within the development. Thus, the main concern of their conditions was to provide the same quality off-site in the surrounding area. Specifically, there were proposals for trails, sidewalks, bus shelters and bike amenities in connection with Greenbelt Road, Cherrywood Lane and Breezewood Drive.
The other planning board conditions focused on tree conservation, effective lighting, storm drain outfalls to avoid adverse impacts on land, and pedestrian and bike amenities within the development, like signage, crosswalks and designated bike lanes.
The conditions from council included:
- Access drives on Breezewood Drive.
- Off-site woodland mitigation in conformance with county code.
- 25,000 square feet of interior space for public recreation activities and necessary ancillary activities.
- Another noise study.
- Private recreation facilities.
- No more than 80 percent rental residential units.
- A future applicant-funded market study to assess viability of housing types, like senior and co-operatives.
- Consideration of elevated walkways where applicable and doable.
- Publicly accessible usable open space.
- A parking study.
- A study on the creation of a shuttle between the development and the Greenbelt Metro station and other parts of the city.
- Consideration of Greenbelt historical street names.
- Access for emergency and nonstandard vehicles within the site.
- The possibility of a designated police officer for the development.
In a letter to the planning board, Mayor Colin Byrd stated that “the city views the redevelopment of the Beltway Plaza property as an exciting opportunity for the city and the county, and is dedicated to continuing to work with Beltway Plaza and the county as this project moves forward.” He added that the conditions of council are vital for the city’s position of support.
Kap Kapastin, general counsel for Quantum Companies, which is part of the applicant partnership, was “gratified by the outpouring of support from the merchants of the Mall, representatives of key community groups and the Greenbelt council and planning staff.” He believes the project is “critical to the enhancement of the amenity and to the Greenbelt and Prince George’s community.” Due to the complexity of the undertaking, he expects one or more DSPs in the future.
This type of mixed commercial and residential space will be a first for the county. Yet, according to Campbell, the precedent has been set nationally as enclosed malls are in general decline. The drivers of this change are increases in online retail and a preference toward a walking access between stores and homes. He said that the Beltway Plaza redevelopment is a way to stay competitive with the trend.