Prince George’s, Montgomery move forward on sector plan - Gazette

Community praises development guidelines but raises affordable housing concerns

by Elahe Izadi | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Residents praised a proposed sector plan for the Takoma⁄Langley Crossroads that would provide guidelines for improving traffic and safety, but they are worried that affordable housing will not be protected from new development.

Prince George’s and Montgomery county planners on Thursday presented their preferred scenario out of three versions revealed last month. All the options rerouted the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard and made the area more pedestrian- friendly.

Two plans were rejected because they were too expensive, could not be done in phases or created access problems for businesses, said Prince George’s planner coordinator Aldea Douglas. In one, New Hampshire Avenue would have been rebuilt to run over University Boulevard. That scenario was the most expensive and also created the greatest number of access issues.

The revised selected scenario, Green Links, builds connectors and transit centers to prepare for the Purple Line, a proposed 16-mile bus or light-rail line that would run between Bethesda and New Carrollton.

Green Links also turns University Boulevard into a ‘‘grand boulevard,” with increased green space, sidewalks and store frontage and more lighting to promote pedestrian activity and make the area safer. It also includes plans for an indoor, year-round market.

Most residents, advocates and business owners at the feedback meeting supported the plan, but many expressed concern that low-income residents would be pushed out by increasing property values and rents that could come with redeveloped infrastructure.
Dora Escobar, a Langley Park resident for 15 years who owns a check-cashing and money-exchange business, said increasing transit accessibility through bus lines and the transit center is necessary for residents who may not have driver’s licenses or own cars.

‘‘But everything has its good side and its bad side,” she said in Spanish. ‘‘I don’t want to know that the Latinos can’t live here...I don’t want to change the community.”

Action Langley Park Executive Secretary Bill Hanna said new housing and development could price current residents out of Langley Park.

‘‘To be successful, this plan has to have an absolute guarantee that affordable housing won’t be lost,” he said.

Douglas said the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is talking with advocates and County Council members on how to secure affordable housing for current residents.

‘‘We do know that’s a concern, and that will be in the plan, but it’s unclear how,” she said.

Montgomery County senior planner Melissa Williams said the county is exploring a number of options, including workforce and affordable housing units.

Resident Ruth Eschaverri said she likes Langley Park because public transportation and shopping are nearby.

‘‘There is a lot of traffic where I live,” she said in Spanish, adding that making the area more pedestrian-friendly is appealing.

Marylander Condominium board member Pedro Rosario liked the idea of large, multiuse sidewalks with retail and performance space, which would connect the Langley Park Community Center to University Boulevard.

‘‘In general, I like the plan,” he said. ‘‘I know when the time of passing the plan comes, they get pressured from people with money, and as the community, we need to take a stand.”

Kathy Porter, a former Takoma Park mayor, said although the plan cannot require private businesses to take part, providing increased pedestrian access could influence businesses to change.

‘‘The shopping areas could be improved. They’re very car-oriented,” she said. ‘‘If it were easier for people to walk, then there would be more of an incentive for property owners.”

Resident Tomasa Largaespada said in Spanish that she worries that the character of the entire area will ‘‘change completely.”

‘‘The one who creates the plan simply draws it, but doesn’t live here,” she said.
Planners anticipate finishing the preliminary plan by October, and holding public hearings beginning in May 2009. Full approval of the plan is expected in March 2010.