Metro applauds state funding to redevelop Capitol Heights Metro Station

Infrastructure upgrades pave way for joint development as part of Blue Line Corridor

Metro today celebrated the announcement of $17 million in state funding to make infrastructure improvements at the Capitol Heights Metro Station that will make the site viable for future joint development.

Prince George's County Delegate Jazz Lewis, who helped secure the budget appropriations, made the announcement today joined by Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke, Capitol Heights Mayor Linda Monroe, and other city and county officials.

"This investment will not just bolster a vital Metro station for our community," said Delegate Lewis. "It will also uplift the work we are doing all across the Blue Line Corridor to revitalize this historic area in central Prince George's County and bring more services and amenities to our home."

"This is a prime opportunity and a win-win advancing the county’s goal to develop the Blue Line Corridor from Capitol Heights to Downtown Largo." said GM/CEO Clarke. "We appreciate the leadership of Delegate Lewis, as well as our local and state partners, to help obtain the funding that will bring the vision for a vibrant community at Capitol Heights to reality."

Metro’s ambitions 10-year Strategic Plan to advance 20 new joint development agreements includes Capitol Heights. The site will support new housing, retail and business opportunities and provide easy access to transit to get to jobs, schools, and activities around the region.

The funding will cover the $17 million in infrastructure costs identified by Metro to help protect the Blue Line tunnel, relocate utilities, create safer pedestrian connections to the stations, and reconfigure bus bays to allow development around the station.

To facilitate the project, Metro entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Capitol Heights and Prince George’s County and is partnering with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration to revise bus and traffic circulation at the station.

Metro is a leader in transit-oriented development and boasts the most robust joint development program in the country. Making better use of the land around Metro stations is a key strategic initiative that will help address the region’s housing shortage, generate new ridership and revenue for Metro, and create new tax revenue for the town and county.

The funding and infrastructure improvements will allow Metro to move forward with a request for proposals for a mixed-use development at the site. A solicitation is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.

For more on Metro’s joint development program, go to wmata.com/realestate.