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Community Workshop Key Findings
Citizen input on issues and expectations is a key step in the process to develop a Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) for the Branch Avenue Corridor. To gather this input, the Branch Avenue Corridor Project Team of the Prince George’s County Planning Department held three workshops in the community in March 2007. These workshops gave property and business owners and other interested persons the opportunity to identify issues, express their concerns and help develop a vision for the future of the area. This report summarizes community input from the three workshops.
Visions:
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A safe and crime free environment for residents, shoppers and businesses with increased police visibility and street lighting and other physical improvements to reduce criminal activity.
- An area that is characterized by upscale retail services and outdoor/sit-down restaurants along Branch Avenue, particularly at Iverson Mall, Marlow Heights Shopping Center, the Naylor Road Metro Station, and St. Barnabas Road.
- Well-maintained and visually attractive storefronts and streetscape, and development policies that discourage unappealing commercial storefronts, disconnected sidewalks, and excessive liquor stores, night clubs, and automotive retail establishments.
- An area with adequate open space, recreational programs, and updated facilities, entertainment, and cultural venues for both children and adults.
- An area well-served by topnotch educational and vocational programs and facilities.
Assets:
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Convenient access to major transportation corridors, including the Beltway (I-95/495), and to other major population centers in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
- Access to mass transit including three Metro transit stations (Naylor Road, Suitland, and Branch Avenue Metro Stations) and multiple regional and local bus routes.
- Strong sense of community, community pride, and civic activism.
- Community Centers in proximity to residents.
- Open space, parkland, and woodland—Henson Creek Stream Valley Park, the Temple Hills Community Park, and the Branch Avenue Neighborhood Park.
- Federal government facilities in the area—Smithsonian Institution facility and Suitland Census Bureau serving as major sources of employment and potential shoppers.
- Churches in the area that serve both the local and broader community.
Issues and Concerns:
- Crime—must be addressed before any change will take place.
- The frequency of electrical blackouts, lack of police visibility, and lack of lighting along both residential and major streets contribute to safety concerns.
- Loitering around the shopping mall, centers, and other businesses, and numerous incidents of criminal activities, including drug dealing and prostitution.
- Lack of quality retail options and services, including sit-down restaurants.
- Excessive liquor stores, night clubs, and automotive establishments that attract antisocial behavior.
- Excessive fast-food and carry-out restaurants.
- Tax-exempt land use, especially churches that occupy valuable commercial land.
- Trash and litter along the Branch Avenue and St. Barnabas Road commercial corridors, especially at the Metro stations and bus stops.
- Unfriendly pedestrian environments, including non-continuous sidewalks along St. Barnabas Road and Branch Avenue.
- Poor access to St. Barnabas Road and Branch Avenue from some local streets; need for more traffic management.
- Lack of timely road maintenance and repair of residential street networks, flooding and stormwater problems.
- Negative images created by dilapidated and/or outdated commercial buildings and stores along Branch Avenue, St. Barnabas Road, and Old Silver Hill Road.
- Unattractive image of numerous car dealerships along St. Barnabas Road.
- Need for affordable home ownership options and fewer rental options, noting that existing residents do not want to be driven out of the area's market when property taxes increase as a result of revitalization and redevelopment efforts.
- Lack of consistent and effective code enforcement, street tree pruning, and building maintenance in commercial and residential areas.
- Lack of community and business interaction.
- The need to protect Henson Creek Stream Valley Park, the Temple Hills Community Park and the Branch Avenue Neighborhood Park.
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