Prince George’s County is accelerating its massive Blue Line Corridor Initiative, an ambitious effort to transform the classic suburban sprawl of Downtown Largo into a dense, walkable, transit-oriented “downtown” hub centered around the Metro station.
The Promenade at Lottsford is a transformative new lifestyle destination rising in the heart of Downtown Largo, just steps from the Largo Metro Station. Designed as a vibrant, transit-oriented community, the project will introduce approximately 750 Class A residences alongside 40,000 square feet of thoughtfully curated retail, creating a fresh and dynamic place to live, shop, and gather.
Historically, Largo has been dominated by car-centric layouts, surface parking lots, and major arterials like Central Avenue. The county has secured over $45 million in direct corridor funding (part of a larger $400 million state allocation) to pivot Largo into a multi-modal destination that links housing, entertainment, and commerce via safer pedestrian infrastructure.
The redevelopment focuses heavily on retrofitting the street grid along key arteries, specifically Lottsford Road, McCormick Drive, and Central Avenue:
- Complete Streets: Reconfiguring wide suburban roads into “complete streets” that integrate dedicated bike lanes, frequent intersections, and narrowed block lengths to naturally slow traffic.
- The Connector Trail: An 11-mile multi-use pedestrian and bicycle trail designed to seamlessly link the surrounding residential neighborhoods directly to the transit core and the sports/entertainment districts.
- The Civic Plaza: Positioned at the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building on McCormick Drive, this serves as the inaugural anchor project—acting as a flexible community green space featuring a main lawn, stage, and public art walk.
While the long-term vision aims to rival the major transit-oriented developments (TODs) of the D.C. metro area, local tension remains. High-profile debates over the immediate usage and layout of public spaces—such as the fencing and planned “reimagining” of the newly completed $10 million Civic Plaza—highlight the operational hurdles of balancing state funding guidelines with county executive oversight.
The planning department is using temporary placemaking demonstrations and interactive community design workshops to test street closures and pedestrian flow along McCormick and Lottsford. These real-world trials will shape the permanent 20-year zoning and infrastructure rollout for the 650-acre downtown zone.
