Retail Near Metro in Hyattsville

There are more than a dozen Metro stations in Prince George's County, but unlike at stops in Fairfax and Montgomery counties, there is no private development near the stations on land owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

That's about to change. Prince George's County officials and developers held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to mark what will be the first private mixed-use development of office, residential and retail on about 20 acres owned by WMATA at the Prince George's Plaza Metro station near East West Highway and Belcrest Road in Hyattsville.

The $160 million project will be developed in phases over the next three years. It will include a 300,000-square-foot office building and 260 luxury apartments, which will rent for $1,500 to $1,700 a month. It also will have about 130,000 square feet of retail, including a Staples, Bally's Total Fitness and Circuit City, according to the lead developer of the project, Taylor Development and Land Co. of Miami. The developer also plans restaurants and other small shops for the center.

The project comes as the area's retail offerings are starting to improve, with the multimillion-dollar renovation of the Mall at Prince George's and the addition of movie theaters and a grocery store at the nearby University Town Center project.

Construction on the retail part of the new complex will start in the first quarter of next year and be completed in the second quarter of 2007. Residential construction will start in the next month and be done in 2 1/2 years, according to MCF Investment Co. of Silver Spring, which is doing that part of the project.

Work on the large office building will begin in the first quarter of 2007, and Taylor Development officials said they are seeking a federal government agency as a lead tenant for that building. The developers will lease the land from WMATA for 99 years.

"We're excited we're at a point where we can get moving on our project and get it built," said Jennifer Rademacher, a vice president at Taylor Development.

In the same way that many Prince George's residents express chagrin that their county lacks high-end and fashionable retailers, county officials and local developers have shown frustration that their county has not seen the intense development that has grown up around such Metro stations as Ballston in Arlington and Grosvenor in Montgomery County.

Some say the uncertainty of the market in Prince George's made developers leery of doing deals. Others privately blame WMATA for being bureaucratic and cumbersome in how it does its land deals, although they said they are nervous about criticizing the agency publicly because they want to land future deals with it.

"For market reasons, developers headed to other parts of the region," said Rosalyn Doggett, a senior development staffer at WMATA.

At least five other projects are planned on WMATA-owned land in Prince George's, according to WMATA officials. There are 15 Metro stations in the county.

"Developers realize we have sizeable sites in Prince George's County," Doggett said. "There's greater interest in transit-oriented developments because people don't want to drive so far anymore."