Henson Creek Village Area Study

The study area is a small geographic area within the 2006 Approved Master Plan and Sectional Map Amendment for the Henson Creek-South Potomac Planning Area boundary. Approximately two-third of the study area was identified in the master plan as the “Henson Creek Transit Village” and includes the current Livingston Square Shopping Center (see project boundary and streetview map). The master planenvisioned the Henson Creek Transit Village as a “pedestrian-oriented village focused on a two- to three-block section of Livingston Road between Palmer Road and Old Fort Road.

Since 2006, little reinvestment has occurred in the area. The existing Livingston Road is predominately occupied by auto oriented and vehicular service businesses anchored by the Livingston Square Shopping Center where the Giant supermarket is currently located. Other uses such as storage facilities, an office building, and laundromats, used auto parts and other light industrial uses are scattered throughout the study area. More than one-third of the study area is covered by environmental sensitive features such as Henson Creek Stream valley, floodplain and wetlands (see environmental map).

This study will evaluate the potential of Henson Creek Village Study area to attract and support new commercial and residential investment based on the current and anticipated market, and the tools and opportunities presented by Prince George’s County’s 2018 Zoning Ordinance to create a “Main Street.” This main street refers to a place, a focal point of activities where residential development, retailing, socialization coexist in a pedestrian-oriented mixed-use setting. The study will identify key infrastructure improvements necessary to support and attract such investments. It will also explore the potential to activate the Henson Creek Stream Valley Park as an asset for regional educational and recreational attraction. The final document will provide a realistic market-supportable road map towards implementation, identifying strategies and actions, and key actors in creating a pedestrian-oriented, main-street Henson Creek Village Center.

Objectives

To conduct a targeted and focused economic and market analysis to determine commercial and residential needs and deficits in the Henson Creek Village study area that could be met by re-investment and redevelopment in the study area.  Also, to identify the viable niche market and real estate products and commercial uses that can re-energize this location as a destination.

1. To provide market-driven recommendations and development intensities within the construct of the 2018 Zoning Ordinance, an urban design vision that creates an attractive, welcoming, user-friendly, and desirable destination.
2. To identify the infrastructure improvements necessary to support and attract new residential and commercial uses, including, but not limited to, complete and green streets, off-road bike and pedestrian trails, environmental assets, stormwater and flood control, and transit infrastructure.
3. To develop implementation strategies and an action plan that outlines the roles and responsibilities of public and private stakeholders.