Prince George's County Seeks Developer To Build 93-Acre 'Campus Village' Near University
A wide swath of land near the commuter rail station at Bowie State University is being targeted by county and state officials for a mixed-use makeover.
Prince George’s County released a request for proposals last week looking for a developer to plan and build out what it calls Campus Village, a mixed-use district on a 93-acre, wooded site it owns next to the Maryland Area Regional Commuter train station at BSU.
It comes after Maryland released its own RFP in August looking for a master developer of an adjacent state-owned site next to the station. That 4.6-acre site is made up of surface parking and undeveloped land. Development proposals were due Oct. 14.
Responses to the RFP for Campus Village are due Jan. 30. The Revenue Authority of Prince George’s County has scheduled a press conference for Friday to further discuss the Campus Village solicitation.
For Campus Village, the county is looking for a mix of uses, including “diverse housing options,” retail, office, space related to university uses, and community amenities.
The solicitation envisions “walkable, mixed-use communities” with “active ground floors” that have connections to nature-centric elements of the area like the trail network.
“I anticipate a lot of exciting plans emerging because I can’t think of a more perfect location for the development of a vibrant urban core village project,” Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said in the release.
“Campus Village encompasses all the elements — including easy-access transportation where business, residential, and entertainment can coexist seamlessly and complementarily.”
The county's release says its revenue authority has earmarked $1M “to advance the infrastructure and due diligence work required” for the development.
For its nearby site, Maryland has sought a master developer to take control of the 4.6 acres through a long-term ground lease. The developer would plan a multiphase, mixed-use district while starting development on a first phase “focused on affordable or mixed-income housing.”
Each request for proposals alludes to the existence of the other solicitation. Maryland’s RFP says its developer will be expected to coordinate with Prince George’s to “ensure compatible design, phasing, infrastructure, and circulation patterns across the broader station area.”
The Maryland and Prince George’s County development properties are near another site slated for build-out. BSU is planning a convocation center for large events, including sports competitions, as well as office and learning space, on 3.6 acres it owns on the other side of the train tracks.
Bowie State, which landed the No. 11 spot in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 ranking of the country's top historically Black colleges and universities, has nearly 6,000 students enrolled this semester.
The Bowie State MARC station was highlighted as a strong redevelopment opportunity in a study the Maryland Department of Transportation put out last year on the development potential along the Penn Line, which runs from D.C. to Baltimore.
A 10-acre parcel adjacent to the next stop on the line, Odenton, was also identified as a site that would be prime for development in the near term.
On Monday, MDOT announced it selected a joint development partner for the site to the west of Odenton station. The awardee, a joint venture between Homes for America and Questar Properties, is set to work with the state and Anne Arundel County to build 585 units, 30K SF of retail, 180K SF of public amenity space and multimodal transportation infrastructure.
“Odenton and Bowie State present the strongest opportunity to successfully deliver TOD that contributes to the State of Maryland's priorities and generates wide- ranging economic benefits,” the report says.
“Investment in Odenton can accelerate Anne Arundel County's vision for a more active town center, while TOD at Bowie State can serve as a catalyst for additional investment and expansion of Bowie State University, a public HBCU.”
