2,500 Units and the Return of Target and Giant: Re-imagining the Beltway Plaza Mall

• February 5th 2020

by Nena Perry-Brown

Earlier this week, the Greenbelt City Council reviewed and commented on a massive mixed-use development that would reimagine the Beltway Plaza mall.

The owners of the mall, Quantum Companies and Rodgers Consulting have put forth a preliminary plan of subdivision (PPS) to improve the 54-acre site at Greenbelt Road and Cherrywood Lane (map) with 2,500 residential units and 700,000 square feet of reconfigured retail, as well as 20,000 square feet of interior space for Greenbelt city recreational needs. When the PPS was originally filed last fall, the residential components included 139 townhomes and 110 condominiums, but those property types have been nixed in favor of multi-family. 

The redevelopment will also include five acres of open space including a tot lot, a biking path, and a 1.4-acre amenity core with a splash pad, an amphitheater, and a plaza. Target, Giant and an AMC movie theater are expected to return as anchors for the commercial space. There will be no below-grade parking.

At the council meeting, the development team showed a fly-through video that revealed features including a pedestrian-prioritizing woonerf and outdoor mezzanines. The final design features will be identified during the detailed site plan phase, and the buildings will be designed by multiple architects.

City staff recommended that 25 percent of the units be for-sale as opposed to rentals, or that a minimum of 15 percent of the units be for-sale if the development uses a mix of housing types like senior and affordable units. The developer responded that they are also interested in a mix of housing types, including the possibility of cooperative housing, and that the introduction of various housing types may emerge during the detailed site plan phase.

While a shuttle bus is being proposed between the redeveloped plaza and Greenbelt Metro, councilmembers expressed a desire to see the shuttle go to the Roosevelt Center in Old Greenbelt to create more circulation between the two communities. The Parks and Recreation Board also recommended that the community space be increased to 25,000 from 20,000 square feet.

A conceptual application for the development was approved last March. The Prince George’s County Planning Board is expected to review the PPS application later this month.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/2500-units-target-and-giant-reimagining-the-beltway-plaza-mall/16421.