Category: Transit-Oriented Development

Testimony: Transportation priorities in the Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) FY 2027 – FY 2032, for Prince George’s County

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

September 25, 2026

Hon. Aisha N. Braveboy, County Executive, and Hon. Krystal Oriadha, Prince George’s County Council Chair

Wayne K. Curry Administration Building, 1301 McCormick Drive, Largo MD

RE: Transportation priorities in the Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) FY 2027 – FY 2032, for Prince George’s County 

Dear County Executive Braveboy and County Council Chair Oriadha:

The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. We also support and work closely with RISE Prince George’s, a group of county residents and allies advocating for policies and practices that build shared, sustainable prosperity in Prince George’s County by creating safe, walkable, inclusive and transit-oriented communities. The following letter reflects the views of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

Recommendations for Prince George’s and the Maryland CTP:

  1. Support  continued commitment to WMATA and local transit operations in the FY27-32 Consolidated Transportation Plan (CTP):  We commend Maryland for continued funding of WMATA, the Purple Line, and Prince George’s County’s locally operated transit system (The Bus). We also recognize the additional capital funding needs of WMATA starting in FY28 that were identified in the DMVMoves Plan endorsed by Prince George’s County. Maryland will need to allocate an additional $150 million per year to support state of good repair and system modernization. We ask the county to work with its legislative delegation and MDOT to develop a funding solution for DMVMoves. 
  2. Support continued Complete Streets investments: We commend the state’s robust and needed investment in Complete Streets and Pedestrian Safety Action Plans. These are especially important for Prince George’s, given its disproportionate share of fatal traffic crashes in the state. These investments are essential to get the most out of the state’s infrastructure to ensure safe travel and economic activity. We support the $66.6 million six-year allocation to implement design and construction of PSAP projects. We support moving forward with $21 million for the MD 410 (East-West Hwy) corridor near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station to improve safety, including the elimination of channelized right-turn lanes, sidewalk construction, pedestrian refuge areas and curb extensions. We are actively working to make the most of the MD 214 (Central Avenue) PSAP and eager to see significant walk, bike and traffic safety improvements along the Central Ave./Blue Line Metro corridor. We also support the creation of a shared-use path to be coordinated with the county’s Central Ave. Connector Trail project. The MD 201 PSAP is an important investment to not only address safety along the corridor but to ensure better access to the new Riverdale Purple Line Station. CSG also appreciates the inclusion of the MD 414/St Barnabas Rd complete streets project in the CTP.
  3. Ensure adequate analysis of alternatives and engagement for VDOT’s 495 Southside Express Lanes project before it can go in the region’s long-range transportation plan: The Virginia Department of Transportation is presenting a revised preferred alternative to local jurisdictions. The new Express Lanes concept does a better job protecting the future option to build Metrorail across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge; however, it leaves a number of concerns and questions unanswered. These include traffic impacts at the new bottleneck in Prince George’s where the Express Lanes end and impacts of greater traffic volumes on local roads like MD 210. We are glad to see that VDOT is committing to mitigate traffic impacts on local roads as part of the project, but local communities need this information in advance of commenting on the project. Likewise, many local residents and officials asked VDOT to consider other alternatives like near-term bus lanes and an expanded Travel Demand Management program for the corridor. Prince George’s County and MDOT should ask VDOT to conduct and share analysis of project traffic impacts on local roads with local jurisdictions and MDOT before VDOT takes the project to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board.
  4. Use the current pause on the Medical Center Drive interchange expansion to pursue better approaches for Downtown Largo and Central Avenue corridor connectivity:  We urge the county to work with the state to fully reconsider this problematic roadway capacity expansion project which is programmed for $12 million for engineering, right of way and utilities over the next six years. The proposed designs for an expanded Medical Center Drive and I-495 Interchange undermine nearby transit-oriented development plans and would do little to improve already poor pedestrian access. There are better solutions to support the growth of Downtown Largo and the revitalization of the stadium site. We ask that the county work with the state to make the construction of the Central Avenue Connector Trail and the trail’s Capital Beltway bridge connecting Largo to Morgan Boulevard Metro station a near-term priority. We commend the ongoing PSAP efforts for MD 214. We ask for the redesign for pedestrian safety and access be extended to Downtown Largo. These are important parts of the solution for greater access and connectivity. 
  5. Reconsider the pipeline of unfunded highway capacity expansion projects: Prince George’s and the State of Maryland cannot afford to keep investing in ever bigger roads and intersections that chase spread-out development while neglecting enhanced transit, walk and bicycle facilities, and safer, better connected streets for existing communities. Induced demand also means that these projects generate more traffic and car-dependent development over time – making the situation worse in the long-term. The draft CTP has a number of road widening projects for Prince George’s with no funding on the horizon. The county should use this opportunity to reconsider them and pursue less costly alternatives: safety and operational interventions, improved commuter transit service, bus priority and BRT, and travel demand management programs. We ask Prince George’s and SHA to remove these road capacity projects from the CTP while considering alternative approaches: MD 5 (Branch Ave.) capacity expansions, US 50 capacity expansion study, MD 450 widening, and MD 197 widening. These funded (or partly funded) projects should also be reconsidered: MD 210 grade-separated interchanges, and MD 4 (Pennsylvania Ave.) new interchanges near Westphalia.
  6. Support TOD investments at Bowie State University MARC and further planning around Seabrook MARC station – we commend MDOT for advancing the TOD joint development site at Bowie State University MARC station with the selection of a developer. We look forward to its completion. WSTC is studying TOD potential at the Seabrook MARC station, and ask the county to support follow-up initiatives for future TOD in coordination with MDOT. 
  7. Support MDOT process to improve Chapter 30 project prioritization – CSG is glad to see MDOT’s pilot for a clearer process that helps Maryland communities like Prince George’s get good projects implemented while addressing state priorities like safety, sustainability, and giving residents travel options beyond driving. We were pleased to see Prince George’s also support last year’s legislation by MDOT to improve the Chapter 30 process. 

Again, we appreciate the priority that MDOT has made to transit and complete streets. We urge the county and MDOT to work to revise roadway capacity expansion projects to address safety, create cost-effective multimodal travel environments, and avoid endless cycles of expanded capacity. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Cheryl Cort, DC & Prince George’s Policy Director

Bill Pugh, Transportation & Climate Policy Director

CSG in the News: Local advocates testify on Friendship Heights Sector Plan Update

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Jad Donohoe, the senior vice president of The Donohoe Companies; Carrie Kisicki, the Maryland Housing Advocacy Manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth; and Natalie Avery, the executive director of the Friendship Heights Alliance were among those who voiced support for the plan at Monday’s public hearing.

Testimony: Support upzoning Wisconsin Ave. Metro corridor (DC)

Testimony: Support upzoning Wisconsin Ave. Metro corridor (DC)

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

CSC’s July 23, 2026 letter in support for Office of Planning’s Supplemental Report III recommendations, DC Zoning Case No. 25-13

July 23, 2026

Mr. Anthony Hood, Chairman, Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia

441 4th Street, NW, Suite 210S, Washington, DC 20001

RE: Support for Office of Planning’s Supplemental Report III recommendations 

In Zoning Case No. 25-13 — Proposed Zoning Text and Map Amendments to create and map – new Wisconsin Avenue Mixed Use zones for Friendship Heights and Tenleytown Metro station areas

Dear Chair Hood and Members of the Zoning Commission:

Please accept this testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. We are a nonprofit organization advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

We wish to express our support for the recommendations in the Office of Planning’s Supplemental Report III. The data and analysis provided by OP provide a sound rationale for the recommendations for the three questions examined at the request the Zoning Commission. 

We have advocated for strengthening the form-based approach to zoning, rather than relying on a discretionary Design Review process. A Design Review process discourages new development due to the added risk of delay and uncertainty associated with a contested case. If the Zoning Commission plans to move forward with the use of Design Review for the new Friendship Heights and Tenleytown Metro zones, we support OP’s recommendations, which offer a more appropriate way to encourage quality redevelopment. 

Specifically, we support:

  1. Large lots of 15,000 SF and above in the Friendship Heights and Tenleytown Metro zones will be subject to Design Review by the Zoning Commission. Below 15,000 SF lot size, projects should be reviewed as matter of right projects. These smaller projects would still be reviewed for compliance with the zones’ urban design requirements, but not as a contested case. This approach is consistent with guidance of the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework. OP’s rationale in the Supplemental Report III offers a detailed analysis of lot sizes and potential impacts. We concur with OP’s conclusion that 15,000 SF for lots in the two new Metro zones is an appropriate threshold for Design Review, if the Zoning Commission chooses to apply a Design Review requirement.
  2. Affordable housing projects are exempt, if they meet high affordability levels — 33% affordable for very low and extremely low income households, and are affordable for the life of the building. We support this exemption because affordable housing projects are far more sensitive, and less tolerant of the uncertainties created in the development review process. If we are serious about bringing more affordable housing to high opportunity neighborhoods like these ones – where little exists – we must do more to remove barriers. This exemption is a helpful step to lower barriers in the development review process. 
  3. Historic properties can be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), and do not need a separate Design Review at the Zoning Commission. Appropriate design review can be provided by HPRB, since the project would already be subject to review at HPRB, and subject to the requirements of the zone that the project occurs in. A second review by the Zoning Commission would be largely duplicative. 

These recommendations will help advance increased housing, and affordable housing options in this high-opportunity Metro corridor. This rezoning helps implement the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework and offers the potential for thousands of new homes, and the benefit that comes with that — attracting new shops, restaurants, and services around two Metro stations in Friendship Heights and Tenleytown, and the Wisconsin Avenue transit corridor. This significant upzoning advances the District’s goals to create more housing, and more affordable housing, especially in high opportunity and transit-accessible areas. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cort

DC and Prince George’s Policy Director