October 21, 2010

M-NCPPC PRINCE GEORGE’S PLANNING DEPARTMENT AWARDED FEDERAL SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT  

Will Fund Transit-Oriented Development Plan for Green Line Corridor 

UPPER MARLBORO, MD. – The Prince George’s County Planning Department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) announced today that it has been selected to receive an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under a program aimed at stimulating a new generation of sustainable, livable communities throughout the country.

 The HUD “Sustainable Community Challenge Grants” are designed to help support local planning projects that integrate affordable housing, good jobs and public transportation.  The grants are part of a $68 million joint HUD-U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) effort to support local and regional partnerships that connect housing, employment and economic development with transportation and other infrastructure improvements.

  M-NCPPC is one of just sixty-two partners selected for the HUD-DOT program from over 3,700 applicants from across the United States, and the ONLY partner to be selected from the State of Maryland.  Funding from the Sustainable Community Grant will be used by M-NCPPC’s Prince George’s County Planning Department to prepare a corridor action plan for four stations at the southern end of Metro’s Green Line in Prince George’s County. 

  Development activity along the Green Line is widely considered to have the potential to spur inter-jurisdictional transit-oriented development (TOD), a priority economic development strategy of the County.  However, a plan is needed to understand the economic and market forces in the immediate and surrounding areas and develop specific implementation strategies to attract growth reflecting the types and intensity of development appropriate for stations along the corridor.  With the involvement of stakeholders from the State and neighboring jurisdictions (including the District of Columbia government, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, National Capital Planning Commission, Maryland Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Community Development, the Office of the County Executive for Prince George’s County, the Human Services Coalition of Prince George’s County, Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, the Office of Economic Adjustment and the U.S. General Services Administration), as well as the advice of a technical advisory committee, M-NCPPC intends to produce a “Metro Green Line Transit-Oriented Development Corridor Action Plan” consistent with regional and county growth plans that will provide a clear blueprint for mixed-use transit-oriented development aimed at increasing the county’s share of regional job growth and promoting healthy lifestyles for its residents.

 “M-NCPPC is honored to accept this important federal grant that helps cement our position in the forefront of quality land use and transportation planning in the region, the State and the country,” said Prince George’s County Planning Board Chairman, Samuel J. Parker, Jr., AICP.  “Transit-oriented development around the County’s metro stations is a top priority identified by the majority of stakeholders through the recent Envision Prince George’s initiative and Action Plan,” he continued.    “We congratulate our staff on seeking out national support and attention to address this vitally important economic development issue, and we look forward to a Plan that will benefit our County and our region for years to come.”

 A complete listing of HUD-DOT Sustainable Communities Awards is available at www.hud.gov/sustainability.  For additional information on the M-NCPPC Prince George’s County Planning Department and its projects and programs, visit www.pgplanning.org. 

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