Prince George’s County is on the brink of a transformation, or at least a major transition, from a bedroom community to an attractive live-work-play environment.
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Although it has struggled to match the explosive pace of development that has occurred in more affluent areas covered in our Neighborhood Guide series, the Prince George’s County pipeline is filled with some impressive, large-scale projects like National Harbor, New Carrollton, University Town Center and Konterra Town Center.
The new 16.2-mile, $5.6B Purple Line, which broke ground last month after numerous stalls, can activate areas near stations and, like the Silver Line did for Fairfax County, precipitate transit-oriented development.
Excluding those living near transit hubs around metro stations, getting around Prince George’s County is difficult without a car. This, combined with Maryland’s second-most-populated county’s image problem, and that it remains less saturated with wealthy residents than nearby Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel counties, has historically worked against it, encouraging ambitious, aggressive developers to look elsewhere.
County Executive Rushern Baker’s current administration has been pivotal in rehabilitating Prince George’s County’s reputation and eliminating the red tape that previously checked development efforts. He has been instrumental in enhancing and leveraging local universities’ resources for the benefit of businesses and residents outside of the immediate education network.
Baker, who in June announced his decision to run for Maryland governor, has cleaned up a corrupt and inefficient local government, helped boost public school graduation rates and median incomes, and slashed crime rates in the county. His eventual successor will inherit a county much improved, but will also have big shoes to fill.
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