Government
An overhead-view of a large, suburban intersection. Crosswalks exist on three of the four sides of the intersection.

Required Reading: Another pedestrian killed in Prince George’s County

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In our Jan. 17, 2019 edition, WTTG brings us a tragic, brief story of a pedestrian fatality in Prince George’s County’s notoriously dangerous south-county roadways. The Hyattsville Life & Times gets you up to speed on DeMatha hoops, and more after the jump. Motorist kills pedestrian near Prince George’s Beltway interchange – WTTG

“Investigators say the man was in the roadway when he was hit near the intersection of Central Avenue and Hampton Park Boulevard in Capitol Heights.” (Editor’s note, see photo above for streetscape context.

Berwyn Heights
A small storefront is seen at night, it features a column of rainbow-colored bricks. The inside is brightly lit, seen through large windows next to a far door.

Reporter’s Notebook: Good news for Mt. Rainier library; College Park fee review; Berwyn Heights tweaks charter

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I hope you all had a warm and wonderful snow-filled weekend. Here’s hoping it doesn’t put too much of a damper on your early-week plans. Word on the street is most Route 1 communities reported few issues with snow clearance. It always helps matters when the snowstorm is on a weekend. From Route 1 Reporter’s world headquarters in Berwyn, crews were seen at all hours working city and state roads alike.

Berwyn Heights
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.

Beltway Plaza update: Hearing pushed back as Greenbelt Council weighs proposal

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While there are concerns about density and other issues, Greenbelt’s City Council seems cautiously supportive of a proposed redevelopment for Beltway Plaza. The six-phase plan would add between 175 and 250 townhomes or quadplex units, between 875 and 2250 multi-family units, and replace the 800,000 square-foot central mall with between 435,000 and 700,000 square feet of commercial retail space to the Greenbelt Road property. 

On Jan. 11, 2019, representatives from the city of Greenbelt and the mall’s owners, Bethesda-based Quantum Cos., briefly met with the Prince George’s County Subdivision Design Review Committee to discuss the proposed redevelopment. Nothing major came of the meeting, aside from the rescheduling of a Planning Board hearing for the proposed redevelopment to March 14, 2019, to give city officials there time to consider whether or not to support the proposal. Greenbelt City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider and vote on such a resolution at its Feb.

Commercial Real Estate

Remapping Prince George’s: Council tackles zoning overhaul

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Prince George’s County officials hope to release a draft version of a new zoning map for the county by the end of 2019. If all goes according to a timeline laid out by Prince George’s County planning officials, the county could have its new zoning ordinance in effect by early 2020. 

These zoning, land-use and development rules regulate what, where and how any land can be used or developed in Prince George’s County. These regulations cover such things as the distance buildings must be set back from the road and the development review process. The county’s currently-effective set of zoning regulations dates back more than 50 years. over time they have become a confusing, tangled mess, stitched together with decades-worth of zoning amendments.

Government

Reporter’s Notebook: Government gets down to business

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Thanks again for your continued support of Route 1 Reporter! It’s getting busy out there, so let’s dive in. Now that the Christmas season is officially behind us, the local governments of Prince George’s County are diving back into their business. With a new year, comes new reflections on the future, too. Several local governments have annual council retreats scheduled. 

For instance, the Prince George’s County Council will be hosting its annual retreat on Jan.

Business

Mount Rainier Artist Lofts has serious structural flaws

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Critical structural issues are affecting a Mount Rainier mixed-use affordable housing complex for working artists. Mount Rainier city officials criticized county building inspectors for approving work they allege has since been revealed to be below-standard. As a result, Mount Rainier city officials now want to be reimbursed by county officials for engineering assessments paid for by the city and carried out to gain a better understanding of the problems facing the building. 

The building is the Artist Lofts affordable housing complex at 3311 Rhode Island Avenue in downtown Mount Rainier. It opened in 2004. It’s a four-story building that includes 44 affordably-priced live-work apartment units for artists and ground floor retail.

Berwyn Heights

Berwyn Heights gets third mayor in less than six months.

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Berwyn Heights has a new mayor in former Councilor Stephen Isler, who was sworn in at Berwyn Heights’ Dec. 12, 2018 meeting following the resignation of now former Mayor Lynn White. It is the second time since June that a Berwyn Heights mayor has resigned. 

“Last Thursday we received a message around 10 a.m. from now former Mayor White informing us she has resigned from her position as mayor and council member. We are really saddened to hear that. We were hoping to really work with her.