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June 1, 2011
Transit Hub in Maryland Gets a Second Chance
The New York Times
by Eugene L. Meyer
Oops! The Times forgets to disclose who built its headquarters building.
Many people in the mid-Atlantic region probably know this small suburban town as a train stop on the way to or from Union Station in Washington. But with Amtrak and Maryland commuter train stops, a Washington Metrorail station, buses and major highways nearby, New Carrollton seems to have everything a far-sighted developer could want.
...In a five-way competition, two companies were picked to lead the effort: Forest City Washington, an offshoot of Forest City Enterprises, a publicly traded company based in Cleveland that has nearly $12 billion in assets nationally; and Urban Atlantic, a Bethesda, Md., developer. Forest City is developing a transit-oriented project, Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, and Urban Atlantic has done $1 billion worth of similar projects, largely in the Washington and Baltimore areas.
...The project has been hampered by a widespread reputation for “pay to play” corruption in Prince George’s County, in which it is located.
The perception was bolstered last year when the departing county executive, Jack B. Johnson, was arrested on charges of taking bribes from developers. On May 18, he pleaded guilty to extortion and evidence tampering in the case.
NoLandGrab: Someone needs to explain why the "transit-oriented" Atlantic Yards project is slated for 3,600 parking spaces — and an "interim" surface parking lot that could last for a couple of decades.
Posted by eric at June 1, 2011 9:47 AM