Greenbelt
A large suburban strip mall is seen from above, at an angle. A sidewalk of street-facing retail, including a Shoe Show store, can be seen across a small two-lane circulator roadway.

Phase One of Beltway Plaza Redevelopment Takes Shape

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Detailed plans for an ambitious redevelopment of Beltway Plaza will soon be weighed by the Prince George’s County Planning Board. If approved, construction at the site could begin within a year. 

The six phase redevelopment would eventually demolish the mall and add between 875 and 2,250 multi-family husing units and would replace the 800,000 square-foot central mall with between 435,000 and 700,000 square feet of commercial retail space. 

The first phase calls for the construction of a three multifamily apartment buildings with a total of 750 units, a 92-room hotel and a 27,000 square foot recreation center. The last time we heard about this project, the mall’s ownership group — Silver Spring-based Quantum Cos.  — was soliciting feedback on the finer details of their detailed site plans. A diagram shows a proposed overhead layout for a six-phase redevelopment of Beltway Plaza in Greenbelt.

Crucially for any retailers inside the mall: the current mall structure will not be touched during the first phase of the redevelopment. Rather, the first phase is focused on a sparsely-used parking lot on the northern side of the mall, fronting Breezewood Drive. 

The plans recently received the conditional blessing of the Greenbelt City Council, with some reservations from City Council members, according to the Greenbelt News Review. 

The project goes before the Prince George’s County Planning Board at its Sept.

News

Langley Park Renters Sue Landlord, Alleging Discrimination, Inhumane Living Conditions

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Editor’s note: Route 1 Reporter is supported by its readers. If you like the reporting, please support Route 1 Reporter on Patreon. Hispanic renters at two Langley Park apartment complexes sued their landlords in federal court Monday, alleging violations of federal housing discrimination laws over what they say are inhumanely disgusting living conditions because the property owners have failed to make required repairs. 

The apartment complexes are the 488-unit Bedford Station, located at 1400 University Boulevard, and 101-unit Victoria Station, located at 1407 Merrimac Drive, in Langley Park. Through holding companies, both apartments are ultimately owned by Arbor Realty Trust, a New York-based real estate investment firm. Representatives for the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Route 1 Reporter. The suit was brought by CASA, a Langley Park-based immigrant civil rights advocacy group, on behalf of eight residents living in the complexes. 

The suit alleges the apartment owners engaged in a systemic pattern of boosting their income by buying apartment properties in low-income areas and performing minimal – if any – maintenance on the properties.

Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier might endorse Medicare for All Act

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Mount Rainier City Council is considering joining a growing list of local governments to endorse a congressional plan to expand Medicare. The measure to support a partisan congressional proposal – the Medicare for All Act is a proposal from Democratic legislators – is notable in Prince George’s normally non-partisan city governments.