Ambitious Project Is Planned in Laurel

Each of these developments has attracted nationally prominent builders, some of whom have never done business in the county before.

Konterra, which will sit near Interstate 95 along the planned intercounty connector corridor, is one of the largest and most ambitious new urbanism developments under consideration. Officials are reviewing the master plan, which includes a town center anchored by three department stores on 753 acres. Single-family homes, a golf course and a business campus will take up some of the other 1,447 acres.

Kingdon Gould III, the District-based developer of Konterra, plans to use his project to address residents' longtime complaints about the lack of upscale shopping and dining options in the county despite its being a mecca for the region's black middle class.

"We plan to bring quality to Prince George's County and a lot of new jobs," said Hillary Cahan, Konterra's project manager.

"We're looking for Konterra to spur economic development in Prince George's County like Columbia has spurred it for Howard," Holman said.

Some county leaders say that "new urbanism" has been embraced by the county for years but that it has taken longer for developers to come on board. "I think for so long we were viewed as a bedroom community," said John Funk, a division head in the Planning Department.

Funk and Andre Gingles, an attorney for Konterra, said that for such projects to work, the government has to support them, developers have to embrace them and the market has to demand them. Gingles said the "synergies are just starting to come together" in Prince George's.

They had not in the past.

In 1990, County Council member Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Laurel) chaired a task force on new urbanism, but nothing came of the meetings, he said.

"We sometimes do a lot of lip service," Dernoga said. "In this case, I think it took a while for the economics to catch up with the idea in Prince George's."

Dernoga said that developers with subdivisions in the county have tried to sell their projects as models of new urbanism but that the projects lacked the key components needed to fit the model. "With new urbanism, you create a community," he said. "You build a system of streets, mixing in some retail . . . giving it a town feel. You have a Main Street."

Holman said projects such as National Harbor and Konterra will make Prince George's attractive to employers and young professionals, who like an urban style of living.

"These places offer what the county has been looking for -- housing, offices and an entertainment component -- all in one place."