Prince George's County Development News

[adelphi_sky]

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009
Adelphi residents ready for development
New hospital, town center among future plans
by Jonah Schuman | Staff Writer

Adelphi residents are optimistic a proposed town center on Cherry Hill Road will address the community's need for more shops, restaurants and housing after a Feb. 3 meeting with developers at Hillandale Baptist Church.

Representatives from Silver Spring-based developer Percontee Construction met with the Hillandale Gardens Citizen's Association to discuss a 185-acre plot of land they plan to transform into a town center with housing, research laboratories, business offices and retail.

Jonathan Genn, Percontee's executive vice president, said the $750 million town center, which does not yet have an official name, would be designed to serve the U.S. Army Research Laboratory on Powder Mill Road, U.S. Food and Drug Administration offices in Silver Spring, a planned research facility across the Montgomery County border and the planned Washington Adventist Hospital.

"Our proposal is to make a life sciences, mixed-use community that would have research facilities, a hotel and conference center, housing, parks and recreational facilities," Genn said. "We have been meeting with the surrounding communities to get their input as to what they'd like to see."

Genn said residents have expressed the most interest in upscale restaurants and housing for older residents hoping to move out of their single-family homes.

Because of the surrounding professional areas, Genn said approximately 10 percent of the town center will be dedicated to retail, while the rest will be split between housing and offices.

Pat Myers, president of the HGCA, said Precontee's plans fit the needs of the community.

"It's going to be a self-contained community with theaters and shops," she said. "It will have a Georgetown look. They very much want the community to welcome them."

Adelphi resident Maria Argana said she appreciated Genn and the other developers involving the community.

"He was really open, and he answered the majority of people's questions," she said. "It's going to be convenient for everybody."

Adelphi resident Henry Parks said he is opposed to the town center because he feels the county is already too overdeveloped.

"We're using land the way we use paper towels," he said. "We have clear alternatives in the form of improving existing housing. It degrades the quality of life in the county."

Genn said the success of the town center is contingent upon community involvement.

"We think it's essential to involve the residents because we want everyone to be invested in the success of it," he said. "Restaurants and shops will be more interested in coming here if they know the surrounding community is invested in it."

Genn said he hopes to have a detailed site plan for the town center approved by the end of 2010.

E-mail Jonah Schuman at jschuman@gazette.net.

[hpal3]

I would love to see percontee's site developed. That, along with the old wssc
facility adjacent to the site will completely transform that area.

I wonder if we need a "town center" thread???

[oneworld25]

Here's another view on the DC United Stadium Development:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...T2009021601148

A Bad Deal for Md. Taxpayers

By Marc Fisher
Thursday, February 19, 2009; B01

In the end, Mayor Adrian Fenty decided it wasn't worth a fight to keep D.C. United in Washington. Fenty, no fan of the deal to build a baseball stadium in the city, was even less enamored of using the District's financing power to put up a soccer stadium, which has far less ability to spark economic development.

So United has moved on to Plan C (Virginia was the team's second choice, according to executives involved in the search for a site, but governments there have been unwilling to commit public financing to sports projects). The result, an agreement with Prince George's County announced this week, is a sweet deal for United, a feel-good boost for the beleaguered county and a financial loser for Maryland taxpayers.

Let's look beyond the bright display of optimism at a news conference where County Executive Jack Johnson and United chairman Victor MacFarlane touted the 1,000 jobs and $65 million and more per year in economic activity that a soccer stadium supposedly would generate.

Away from the spotlight, Johnson was more straightforward: Don't bet on much new development springing up around a soccer stadium. "I don't think it's going to create a lot of revenue," he said on WAMU's "Politics Hour." It's not dollars that argue for building a stadium, Johnson said, but rather "public interest" and "public benefit."

Boosters talk about psychological benefits because a soccer-specific venue hosts far fewer revenue-generating events than a downtown arena or an urban baseball stadium. A legislative policy analysis concluded last fall that a Prince George's soccer stadium "would add to the state debt load and reduce the state's debt capacity."

Could Maryland raise money for stadium construction? In Washington, the Forest City development firm halted construction last week on residential buildings near the baseball stadium because the D.C. Housing Finance Agency couldn't sell bonds to pay for units the District is subsidizing. In these tough times, will bonds for a stadium sell?

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot says yes. "This is an economic development project that makes sense even in bad times," he told me. "It's going to be something like Bethesda or Ballston in Prince George's County. You'll see huge development if they put the stadium near a Metro station."

Franchot defends the most remarkable part of the Prince George's deal, in which MacFarlane, who in flusher times promised to pay the entire cost of a soccer stadium at Poplar Point in Southeast, now proposes to put up zero dollars. Franchot and MacFarlane say it's good enough that D.C. United would eventually cover about a quarter of the stadium's cost through rent payments.

There's nothing terribly wrong with public financing -- if government backing is rewarded by ancillary development that expands the tax base. The evidence so far is that that's unlikely.

The best argument for a soccer stadium in a feasibility study commissioned by the Maryland Stadium Authority is that it could enhance the image of Prince George's and increase "the overall quality of life." Alas, that nebulous benefit was more than countered by a slew of warnings:

· The location is a demographic mismatch. According to Major League Soccer, its fans are 63 percent white, 19 percent Hispanic and 11 percent black -- similar to the national profile but almost a mirror image of Prince George's County, which is 18 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic and 64 percent black.

· Soccer fans might be skittish because "there is a perception that Prince George's County may not be as safe relative to other surrounding areas," the study said. In a survey of United fans, 57 percent of whom were from Virginia and 27 percent from Maryland, most said they would go to fewer games than they do at RFK, or they wouldn't go at all. Businesses that sponsor the team also were not disposed toward Prince George's, citing its reputation for crime and a difficult local government.

· Plans to rent out the stadium for concerts might flop. New soccer stadiums in the Denver and Toronto areas were sold as possible concert venues, but each attracted only one show in its first year. (A stadium in Los Angeles has lured more.)

· Other uses of the stadium aren't likely to produce much revenue. United is pro soccer's top-drawing team, and Major League Soccer now draws more fans per game than hockey and almost as many as basketball. But even if international soccer matches, a women's soccer team and a pro lacrosse team also used the stadium, it would be dark about 300 days a year. Abe Pollin's downtown Washington arena, in contrast, hosts about 220 events a year.

United fans -- at least those in Maryland and the District -- are understandably thrilled by the prospect of a new stadium. But for Virginia fans and Maryland taxpayers, this deal takes dollars from the wrong source to build in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[hpal3]

Magna declares bankruptcy, further muddling Laurel Park slots bid
By Dylan Waugh, Capital News Service

Posted 3/05/09
Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday, raising more questions about the already-embattled Laurel Park slots bid.

The Canada-based company has defaulted on several loans, including one tied to subsidiaries Laurel Racing Association and the Maryland Jockey Club. Magna's stock is also scheduled to be delisted by the Toronto Stock Exchange on April 1, and opened Thursday at 22 cents per share on the Nasdaq composite index.

"Simply put, MEC has far too much debt and interest expense," said Magna Chairman and CEO Frank Stronach, in a statement.

Despite the bankruptcy, Laurel Racing Association's bid to put 4,750 slot machines at Laurel Park is not necessarily derailed, although the bid must clear significant hurdles.

Laurel Racing Association's first challenge is to win a lawsuit attempting to reinstate its bid, which was tossed out by the state slots commission last month for failing to include $28.5 million in required licensing fees. The group seeks to strike down the initial licensing fee requirement, meaning it would only have to meet the state's April 15 deadline to provide proof of financing for the construction and operation of the slot parlor.

If the bid is reinstated, there is still a slim chance it might find financing despite the bankruptcy.

"I don't think bankruptcy means it's the end of the road for putting slots at Laurel," said Jeffrey C. Hooke, a Bethesda-based gambling expert who predicted many companies might be interested in financing the proposal.

But Hooke was quick to qualify the odds of Laurel Park acquiring financing before the deadline as a "long shot."

"Things will be so confused and chaotic, I think they would need an extension," he said.

A representative of the Maryland Jockey Club, a subsidiary of Magna which operates Laurel Park and Pimlico, referred inquiries to Magna headquarters. Magna officials could not be reached on Wednesday or Thursday.

By restructuring debts and resolving some of its financial uncertainty, bankruptcy may provide more clarity for potential lenders.

"In a bankruptcy situation it might be even easier for Magna and the (Maryland) Jockey Club to finance the slot machine parlors," Hooke said.

Hooke has long promoted the idea of Magna taking on a "well-established partner" to help finance the Laurel Park bid. Under this arrangement, Hooke said, Magna might provide minor funding but most of the money would come from another source.

But even if Laurel Racing Association wins the lawsuit and finds a lender, Magna's bankruptcy might hurt the bid in its next step -- competing with the 4,750-terminal Arundel Mills Mall proposal for the one Anne Arundel County slots license.

"The bankruptcy would certainly diminish their credibility in the eyes of the commission," Hooke said Thursday, before the bankruptcy was official.

Laurel Racing Association submitted its bid just prior to the Feb. 2 deadline but said it withheld the licensing fees because it doubted the state's legal ability to refund the money to bidders who were rejected or failed to gain zoning approval.

In a Feb. 26 hearing in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, a lawyer for the Laurel Racing Association called the bidding process "unconstitutional," claiming it did not provide a refund provision for failed bids.

The attorney, Alan Rifkin, declined to discuss the potential impact of Magna's financial woes on his client's bid.

"The matter is in litigation and I cannot comment beyond what was presented in court," Rifkin said in an email.

Rifkin said in court last week that the fates of horseracing "cultural icons" Laurel Park and Pimlico, home of the storied Preakness Stakes, are in jeopardy if the bid is not reconsidered.

The judge is expected to rule on the lawsuit within two weeks.

Magna announced day-to-day operations for its 10 racetracks will not be affected by the Chapter 11 filing and the company has sought emergency relief to pay its operating costs. It also reached a preliminary deal to sell some of its assets, not including Laurel Park and Pimlico, to MI Developments Inc., Magna's controlling shareholder.

[adelphi_sky]

I heard a rumor that Busboys and Poets are no longer building in Hyattsville. Does anyone have the facts on this?

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

I heard a rumor that Busboys and Poets are no longer building in Hyattsville. Does anyone have the facts on this?

I wasn't aware that they were expanding to Hyattsville. Their website looks pretty cool.

[adelphi_sky]

Anybody got some updates on what's happening on Rt. 1 in College Park and Hyattsville? I see a lot of cranes now and there is something being started on the corner of 410 and Rt. 1 in Hyattsville. It's hard to find anything on these developments. I know one of them is the extension of the student housing tower on Rt. 1. The other is another student housing project. But the corner of 410 and Rt. 1 is interesting. Also, there's a rumor that Bus Boys and Poets reversed their decision to come to the Hyattsville Arts District?

[PeterSmith]

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article...1230&type=UTTM

Pr. George's Council rejects stadium study bill

Associated Press
April 8, 2009 9:21 AM
ANNAPOLIS — A D.C. United spokesman says the soccer team will look beyond Prince George's County for a new stadium location after county council members approved a letter opposing an effort to study the project.

State lawmakers from Prince George's said county council members there had voted 8-0 Tuesday afternoon to send a letter opposing a bill that would allow the Maryland Stadium Authority to study whether to build the new stadium inside their county. County Council spokeswoman Karen Campbell did not return repeated phone calls.

United spokesman Doug Hicks said the team will "continue conversations with other jurisdictions regarding a future home" for the team.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article...1230&type=UTTM

Pr. George's Council rejects stadium study bill

Associated Press
April 8, 2009 9:21 AM
ANNAPOLIS — A D.C. United spokesman says the soccer team will look beyond Prince George's County for a new stadium location after county council members approved a letter opposing an effort to study the project.

State lawmakers from Prince George's said county council members there had voted 8-0 Tuesday afternoon to send a letter opposing a bill that would allow the Maryland Stadium Authority to study whether to build the new stadium inside their county. County Council spokeswoman Karen Campbell did not return repeated phone calls.

United spokesman Doug Hicks said the team will "continue conversations with other jurisdictions regarding a future home" for the team.

8-0 vote, wtf??? there has to be more to this story than we know.

[hpal3]

About 20 Prince George's County residents protested outside the county administration building in Upper Marlboro today, calling for the removal of several lawmakers as a result of their efforts regarding a proposal to bring a Major League Soccer stadium to the county.

"We must not allow politicians who have turned their backs on us to disrespect us," said Fort Washington resident Jerry Mathis, a member of the Prince George's Business and Community Coalition, the group that organized the protest.

Mathis said residents are outraged that lawmakers supported the soccer stadium despite community opposition, and said they were especially disappointed in the actions of Council Chairwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton and Councilman Samuel H. Dean (D-Dist 6) of Mitchellville, who left a council meeting March 24 without allowing residents to voice their opinions about the stadium.

The protest was held just one day after the Prince George's County Council formally voted to oppose legislation that would allow a study of whether to build a stadium for the D.C. United team in the county. After the council vote, a D.C. United soccer team spokesman said the vote has spurred the team's owners to look elsewhere to build a new stadium.

"We're, of course, disappointed at the outcome of this vote," said Doug Hicks, spokesman for the team. "We will continue conversations with other jurisdictions regarding a future home for D.C. United."

The majority of the council had voted against the legislation two weeks ago, but Bland, who was an early supporter of building a stadium in Landover for D.C. United, said the vote wasn't final and did not put the item on the agenda last week. Several residents had attended the meeting to voice opposition to the stadium, but Bland recessed the meeting 10 minutes after it started, leaving the council chambers along with Dean, without allowing residents a chance to speak before the council.

Residents who opposed the stadium called Wednesday for Bland to be removed from office, along with stadium supporters County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) and Del. Melony G. Griffith (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro, who is sponsoring the House legislation. Waving signs, the crowd sang the Ray Charles song "Hit the Road Jack" as they marched in front of the administration building.

Officials for the council and Johnson declined to comment on the protest. Councilman Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills said he supported giving the group a chance to speak.

"In a democracy, everyone has an opportunity to express their concern. It's the American way," Knotts said. "I see no problem with people expressing those concerns. It's their right."

Bland voted along with the other seven council members Tuesday to send a letter to state leaders opposing the stadium. Councilwoman Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Capitol Heights did not attend the meeting.

Though state and local officials say the bill is now not likely to go anywhere before the General Assembly ends its session Monday, Griffith said she would still push for the proposal.

"It is still my hope that the state will allow Prince George's County to study the possibilities of adding a vibrant transit oriented development project including a stadium for the celebrated D.C. United Soccer team, to the state's future," she wrote in a statement.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.

[hpal3]

okay, maybe thats why it was voted down.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

i just dont see this stadium getting built, considering what's being asked from the citizens of p.g. county.....

[hpal3]

This was taken from the webite http://www.greenbeltstation.com/index.php. Does anyone have any updates on the status?? I thought it was on hold.


Q: When will construction begin?
A: Land work has already begun, and home construction is scheduled to begin in late Spring of 2008

[sovman]

I drive by the south end of it all the time on the way to and from the grocery store and it's looked basically the same for about a year and a half or so.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

wow! look who's in the running all of a sudden!!!!

Montgomery County may go after D.C. United

Baltimore Business Journal - by Tierney Plumb Contributor
Print Email Reprints RSS Feeds Add to Del.icio.us Digg This CommentsRelated News. Prince George's vote likely kills D.C. United stadium deal Montgomery County may go after D.C. United. D.C. United stadium bill hits snag in General Assembly


The day after Prince George's County killed a plan to study building a new soccer stadium for D.C. United, officials in Montgomery County and Frederick County — but not Howard — expressed interest in housing a 24,000-seat stadium for the team.

“I think there are some potential options in the county, and I think it’s at least worth having conversations with people about it,” said Montgomery County Councilman Mike Knapp, who is also chair of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee.

He said the Shady Grove area, which is next to public transit now, and Germantown, which could be served by transit down the line, are options for a stadium site.

“Clearly the D.C. United team is looking to have local place to have a facility,” he said. “I would entertain us at least talking to folks about it to find out the deal structure. We’ve had conversations about trying to build an arena anyway, so it’s not a new concept.”

For the past two years, the county has been looking at the possibility of building an arena to host smaller concerts and seat 6,000 to 10,000 people.

“This is better and more tangible, with a team associated with a stadium,” Knapp said. “It could replace the [arena] idea or supplement it.”

On Wednesday, Knapp suggested the economic development agency and the county executive office “pick up the phone and engage in conversation with them.”

County Executive Isiah Leggett’s office has not yet been contacted by team officials, according to Patrick Lacefield, director in the Montgomery County Office of Public Information.

Critics say the original proposal — to have the Maryland Stadium Authority float bonds for the $195 million stadium that would have been secured by D.C. United rent and future tax revenue — was a bad deal and left the state liable for any revenue shortfalls.

“We have a major budget crisis now, and it would be hard to make commitments even though it’s a long-term thing,” said Neil Greenberger, legislative information officer for the Montgomery County Council. “We have helped publicly finance numerous major projects in recent years, like the Strathmore music hall, but it came at a huge public expense.”

Howard County is not one of the counties actively looking to score the stadium.

“For the time being we are not participating in the lottery,” said Richard Story, CEO of Howard County’s Economic Development Authority.

Fairfax County Chairman Sharon Bulova’s office has not been contacted by team officials, and neither has the county's Economic Development Authority or Park Authority, according to sources.

Loudoun County’s economic development office is keeping mum on the topic, too.

“We are not able to comment on any potential projects. We aren’t at liberty to talk from a confidentiality standpoint,” said Robin Bailey, manger of business infrastructure for Loudoun County.

There have been discussions this week among the Frederick city and county offices of economic development and its chamber of commerce to see if there is space available.

They are currently using CoStar to see if they have a piece of land large enough to plant the stadium on.

“It’s one loss for a county, but we don’t want to lose it in the state,” said Helen Riddle, deputy director of economic development in the county. “We are just in the very first phase of looking around and are looking to see if we do have something that large. We are still in a looking phase to see if would be a good match for Frederick.”

The Prince George’s County Council voted Tuesday to effectively kill the team’s plan to move from the District’s RFK Stadium to a new 24,000-seat stadium in the county. The legislation is stalled in the Statehouse and likely will die without the support of the Prince George’s Council.

In the proposed deal, the Maryland Stadium Authority would have issued bonds to finance construction, and 75 percent of the total cost would be paid from sales and income tax revenue created by the project.

But some state legislators wondered if the games and events at the stadium could generate the amount of sales needed to pay off the bonds.

“The owners of the team and people who were backing the stadium did a terrible job of trying to sell it,” Greenberger said. “They need to sell it as a public good and more than something that can host 10 to 20 events a year,” he said, suggesting that it could house the Maryland state high school football championship, for example.

[indiethinker]

MoCo would definitely be a better choice than PG for this stadium. Very few DCU fans come from PGC. It would have been a disaster like FedEx.

MoCo, DC, or NoVA are all better choices. Hopefully, something can get done though.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

i have this huge feelin' that NoVa's about to step up to the plate. to be honest, putting them there would make sense, being that the majority of d.c. united's fan-base is there.

[indiethinker]

It would have to be Metro accessible if it ends up in NoVA.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

really? even if it's right in their back yard, basically? some of 'em could probably walk to the stadium, depending on where it would possibly be located.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by indiethinker

MoCo would definitely be a better choice than PG for this stadium. Very few DCU fans come from PGC. It would have been a disaster like FedEx.

MoCo, DC, or NoVA are all better choices. Hopefully, something can get done though.

You guys can have it. We need more corporate offices than sports venues anyway. It was a good choice.