Metro's board of directors this week approved Forest City and Urban Atlantic as the official developers for the 39-acre New Carrollton Metro station site slated for a massive transformation from a sprawling parking lot to a village of shops, residences, offices and potentially a hotel.
The approval is the first step that allows the development team to move forward with the agency and Prince George's County in creating a plan for the site. Forest City and Urban Atlantic submitted their qualifications with other bidders in the fall.
Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, who has made development a top priority, said he has big expectations for the site.
"I expect this development will be a national model for future [transit-oriented development] design, functionality, and sustainabilty as well as lead to other developments at Prince George’s County Metro stations," he said.
Metro is approaching the New Carrollton development a little differently than the agency has in the past. Instead of asking developers to draw up a proposal and cost estimate, the agency asked developers to essentially submit their resumes and qualifications for the job. From there, the site will move forward as a collaborative effort between Metro, the developer and local officials.
