Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been awarded $17 million in Maryland state funding to make infrastructure improvements at the Capitol Heights Metro Station that will make the site viable for future joint development.
Prince George's County Maryland State Delegate Jazz Lewis, who helped secure the budget appropriations, was joined by WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke, Capitol Heights Mayor Linda Monroe and other city and county officials to make the announcement.
"This investment will not just bolster a vital Metro [WMATA] station for our community," said Maryland State Delegate Lewis. "It will also uplift the work we are doing all across the Blue Line Corridor to revitalize this historic area in central Prince George's County and bring more services and amenities to our home."
"This is a prime opportunity and a win-win advancing the county’s goal to develop the Blue Line Corridor from Capitol Heights to downtown Largo," Clarke said. "We appreciate the leadership of Delegate Lewis, as well as our local and state partners, to help obtain the funding that will bring the vision for a vibrant community at Capitol Heights to reality."
WMATA’s 10-year Strategic Plan to advance 20 new joint development agreements includes Capitol Heights. The site will support new housing, retail and business opportunities and provide easy access to transit to get to jobs, schools and activities around the region.
The funding will cover the $17 million in infrastructure costs identified by the agency to help protect the Blue Line tunnel, relocate utilities, create safer pedestrian connections to the stations and reconfigure bus bays to allow development around the station.
To facilitate the project, WMATA entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Capitol Heights and Prince George’s County and is partnering with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration to revise bus and traffic circulation at the station.
WMATA notes making better use of the land around its stations is a key initiative that will help to address the region’s housing shortage, generate new ridership and revenue for the agency and create new tax revenue for the town and county.
The funding and infrastructure improvements will allow WMATA to move forward with a request for proposals for a mixed-use development at the site. A solicitation is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.
