Economic Development and Housing Economic Development: Market Context and Analysis Strategic Location Annapolis Road is strategically located within the Washington metropolitan area, which has one of the strongest economies in the nation. Located inside the Capital Beltway (I-495), Central Annapolis Road is less than a half hour’s drive from downtown Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis.
Extraordinary Access Further enhancing the corridor’s development potential is its extraordinary access with major highway and transit connections to local, regional, and super-regional destinations. The New Carrollton Metrorail Station lies approximately one-half mile from the Veterans Parkway (MD 410)/ Annapolis Road (MD 450) intersection providing superior intermodal access to the greater metropolitan area. A station on the Purple Line is also proposed at this intersection strengthening connections to College Park, Silver Spring, and Bethesda.
Planning Context Several county planning efforts will benefit Central Annapolis Road. As discussed in Chapter 1, The New Carrollton Transit District Development Plan envisions New Carrollton Station as a premiere mixed-use metropolitan center with high-density, Class-A office and residential development. The area is envisioned to accommodate up to 5,500 new housing units, 6.1 million square feet of office/retail space, an extensive system of civic, park and open spaces, and an efficient street and circulation network. Approximately 1,000,000 square feet of retail, 500,000 square feet of commercial office space, and 1,000 residential units of this development are proposed to be located along Annapolis Road between the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Veterans Parkway (MD 410). This segment of the Annapolis Road Corridor envisions highway-oriented uses gradually being replaced by a medium-density, mixed-use node between Riverdale Road and 85th Street, and medium-density residential development with ground-floor retail between Riverdale Road and Harkins Road. 24 | Chapter 2: Existing Conditions
Central Annapolis Road’s proximity and linkage to the New Carrollton Station via the proposed Purple Line represent strong advantages. As New Carrollton evolves into a regional destination, the value of a Central Annapolis Road location will increase, particularly at the eastern end of the corridor.
Figure 2.8 Mix of Commercial Uses Along the Corridor
Once an enclosed shopping mall, Capital Plaza has been replaced by a highperforming Walmart, the closest to Washington, D.C. and the only one within the Capital Beltway (I-495). This retail node also contains a Safeway. Since a significant portion of its site remains vacant, Capital Plaza presents a unique opportunity to develop new retail space in the corridor.
Rather than a location that is past its prime as a commercial node, the eastern end of Central Annapolis Road is positioned to emerge as a more affordable and lower-density, but accessible alternative to the New Carrollton Station area. The vision for the Port Towns area immediately west of Central Annapolis Road is to achieve healthy and pedestrian-friendly communities and destinations that celebrate and build upon the area’s cultural diversity, strategic location, industrial base, and historical, recreational, and environmental assets. The Port Towns Sector Plan establishes several character areas. Of particular interest to the Central Annapolis Road Corridor is the Annapolis Road Gateway Character Area at the junction of Annapolis Road and Landover Road (MD 202). The plan calls for reconfiguring the intersection and simplifying traffic patterns to make additional land available for the development of a larger mixed-use cultural and entertainment district.
Analysis Nearly 900,000 square feet of commercial uses exist on or adjacent to Central Annapolis Road of which approximately 85 percent is devoted to retail or services. Medical and general office uses account for the remaining 15 percent (see Table 2.14 and Figure 2.8). By offering a limited selection of “shopper’s goods,” such as general merchandise, hardware, and apparel, the commercial land uses primarily serve the local community.
Figures do not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Retail and Service Fifty-five percent of the corridor’s occupied retail and service space accommodates “shopper’s goods” stores. Over three-quarters of these stores are value-oriented, such as Walmart, dollar stores, and Value Village. The corridor contains two major supermarkets and six convenience stores. There are 14 fast food restaurants, but only one full-service restaurant. The only hotel along the corridor—Comfort Inn—is located at the corridor’s gateway with the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The commercial node at the eastern end of the plan area offers a retail mix that serves the day-to-day needs of the surrounding community. The recently updated Glenridge Shopping Center contains a Giant, convenience goods and general merchandise stores, and medical offices. On the southern side of Annapolis Road sits an aging strip shopping center that features a number of locally-owned businesses including Halal’s Meat market and Bill’s Hardware as well as a newly constructed CVS and United States Post Office. The retail space was approximately eight percent vacant in 2009 as compared to an overall average vacancy rate of approximately six percent in Prince George’s County.
Table 2.14 Commercial Land Use use
square feet
Retail/Service
765,400
Medical and Office
133,900
Sources: W-ZHA; 2008 Prince George’s County Shopping Center Directory
Central Annapolis Road Approved Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment
Approximately two-thirds of Central Annapolis Road’s retail and service space is located in strip shopping centers, mostly clustered at the eastern and western edges of the plan area. To the west are the Capital Plaza, Capital Corner, and Crestview shopping centers.
Central Annapolis Road Approved Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment
Existing Conditions: Chapter 2 | 25