Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) representatives, elected officials and local dignitaries participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of WMATA’s office building at New Carrollton on March 21. The event marks the continued transformation of New Carrollton as a transit-accessible hub for office space, housing, and retail. WMATA's newest office building brings together WMATA's call centers for customer service, MetroAccess, and parking under one roof and serves as the headquarters for WMATA Transit Police. The 324,00 square foot building is LEED Gold certified and is currently occupied by approximately 1,200 employees.
The opening of the WMATA building at New Carrollton follows the opening of WMATA’s headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza last year and will be followed by the opening of the WMATA building at Eisenhower Avenue later this year. The three office buildings represent WMATA’s commitment to the jurisdictions served by the transit system and are consolidating WMATA's workforce into fewer buildings to promote efficiency and responsible financial stewardship.
“WMATA is excited to welcome our employees to this state-of-the-art building that serves as an anchor for all of the amazing economic development happening at New Carrollton,” WMATA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke said. “This building represents WMATA stepping further into a sustainable future and we thank all of the leaders here today for their partnership in bringing new life to this uniquely transit-accessible corner of Prince George’s County.”
Several other projects at New Carrollton are underway, including a project to improve and expand the transit hub funded by a federal RAISE Grant awarded last year. The project will support the construction of a new train hall, prepare the site for the arrival of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration’s Purple Line and create new trails and walkways to improve pedestrian and bike access to the station.
Construction at New Carrollton is also underway on The Margaux, a mixed-use joint development partnership between WMATA and Urban Atlantic that will soon offer 291 housing, which will be affordable due to low-rate financing provided by Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. The Margaux will join the already-completed Kaiser-Permanente office building and The Stella, a 382-unit apartment building.
“Today marks another major milestone in WMATA’s office consolidation strategy approved by the board in 2018, saving the transit agency over $100 million over the coming two decades,” said WMATA Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg. “These new, transit-accessible and environmentally friendly buildings are already benefitting our workforce, making WMATA an even more attractive place to work. The new buildings also provide better transparency and access for the public with state-of-the-art technology that facilitates hybrid board and other public meetings.”
