The Takoma/Langley Crossroads overlaps the borders of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The area was named the Takoma/Langley Crossroads during the 1980s by a group of community business leaders who referenced, not only the characteristic of the intersection between the, University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue corridors, but also as an opportunity to bring the communities of Langley Park in Prince George’s County and Takoma Park in Montgomery County together. This was especially significant because until 1997, Takoma Park was a City straddled between the two counties.
Over the past half a century, the Takoma/Langley Crossroads area has developed into a densely populated place with a mixture of single-family residences, multi-family units, offices and retail spaces. For a period of almost thirty years, the region has served as a destination for immigrants from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Given the community’s diverse racial and ethnic makeup and the eclectic collection of businesses, which cater to the neighborhood’s multicultural residents, the Takoma/Langley Crossroads has become an integral part of Maryland’s International Corridor.
Challenges to Takoma/Langley Crossroads
The Takoma/Langley Crossroads suffered through a period of decline especially during the 1980s. The community struggled with blighted residential and commercial areas, as well as with the effects of the illegal drug trade. Residents in some apartment complexes in the community were subjected to open air drug markets and other criminal activity. Long time residents and the new immigrant communities were both victims of crime. Some homeowners organized to address neighborhood concerns about rising crime. The elementary school implemented bus service for children who lived in walking distance to school, as a method to ensure their safety. Police also increased their presence in the community. Apartment complexes, under new management, initiated safety measures to discourage drug activity such as installing new lighting, security doors and maintaining general upkeep of their properties. In the late 1990s, police in Prince George’s County conducted multiple raids in various communities, including Langley Park, in an effort to shut down drug activity in the county. Because of its uniqueness, Langley Park has also been presented with many challenges for how to serve its established and new residents. Organizations are working with the county government to address these issues and improve upon the community’s existing assets.
In the past, the Takoma Langley Crossroads has been an area overlooked by outsiders. Today the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community is at a point where strong community leaders are making progress and public and private investment is on the horizon. The bi-county sector plan will initiate a process to harness the community’s progress and develop a unified vision for the future of the Takoma/Langley Crossroads. The community will have the opportunity to think about the effects of change, and how best to integrate the community’s past with its future. The sector plan will be a tool to balance future growth with neighborhood priorities and preferences.
