Vision for Konterra Town Center Comes Into Focus

By George Berkheimer

March 2006



Following a charrette process that incorporated three workshops and a focus group meeting, the developers behind the planned Konterra Town Center are preparing for the next step toward moving the idea off the drawing board and into existence.

"After we consolidate the work, we'll submit it to [Prince George's] County to summarize the process and the findings, probably by March 31," said Joseph Scanga, a principal of Calethorpe Associates, the urban design and planning firm which led the charrette.

Encompassing office, retail, mixed-use and residential zoning, the town center will occupy approximately 1,130 acres straddling Interstate 95, just south of Laurel. The developers invited the public to provide input on the development's design, appearance and functionality during four evening sessions that began Jan. 25 and ended Feb. 24. Participants made suggestions ranging from where to locate office space to what type of materials to use in sidewalks.



The Big Dig

Konterra's total area is composed of 2,200 acres and is owned by the family of Kingdon Gould III, a District-based developer. For the past two decades, the family has excavated sand and gravel from the property with an eye toward eventually developing the land. Late last year, Konterra Realty LLC entered into a joint venture agreement with Forest City Enterprises, Inc., a real estate developer based in Cleveland, to begin that process.

More than just a simple exercise aimed at giving shape to the town center, the charrette dovetails into the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)'s ongoing process of rewriting its Subregion 1 Master Plan, which includes Konterra. The new Master Plan will replace the previous plan, which dates to 1990. (The master plan's input process includes a separate charrette, scheduled to take place throughout spring 2006, that will address the section of Route 1 extending from the Washington Beltway to Laurel's southern limits.)

Dineene O'Connor, senior planner in the M-NCPPC's Master Planning Section, said the Konterra Town Center development plan anticipates 12,500 employees and 1,400 dwelling units. "That may seem lower than what is needed to create a focal point and make a new town," she observed. "The numbers could go up or down, but they give us a starting point for designing a development that the constituency wants to see and can support."



Since You Asked É

Some of the common themes that emerged from the Konterra charrette include the use of office buildings both as a buffer along Interstate 95 and as the basis of creating an identity and a gateway for the community. Many of the participants suggested Silver Spring and Reston Town Center as reference points, while others voiced their desire for a Metro station.

The town center will include hotels and a conference center, luxury condominiums, single family and townhomes, retail shops, restaurants, offices and civic amenities, such as fire department and police buildings, schools and places of worship.

Nearly all of the participants said they would prefer to see high-quality, upscale retail in Konterra's mixed-use and destination retail areas, as well as designated green space and bike/pedestrian trail connections within the town center and to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Some made specific recommendations for retail and dining options, suggesting Wegman's Food Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lord and Taylor, Carrabba's Italian Grill and McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants as suitable anchors.

Participants also foresaw a need to limit traffic within the town center. "There is a transportation imbalance in the area," acknowledged Prince George's County Councilman Tom Dernoga (District 1). "The issue is, how much [development] can you get and make work? There is already a tremendous amount of commercial and industrial activity south of here that will be sucked north to access the Inter-County Connector.

"How much traffic can you get through there? That will be the clocking point."



Ready, Set, Grow

According to Konterra Vice President Caleb Gould, the developers intend to "proceed quite rapidly" with the project.

"It's imminent," Gould said. "We will submit a concept plan for Konterra Town Center upon completion of the [M-NCPPC Subregion 1] Master Plan." Finalization of the plan is expected within a year.

"It's our interest to focus on the Contee Road interchange [at Interstate 95] in timing our town center and retail development to coincide with these improvements," Gould continued.

Wes Guckert, president of The Traffic Group in Baltimore, which specializes in traffic engineering and transportation planning, noted during the charrette that construction of the Contee Road interchange is scheduled to take place during the 20092010 timeframe.

According to Gould, the integration of components represents the biggest difficulty in bringing Konterra Town Center to life. "This is a dynamic of many pieces," he said. "The challenge lies in getting all the pieces to dovetail together in a cohesive, integrated, timely and economic form. There is also a greater component of public infrastructure to carry today than historically. It will have to work economically, function physically and meet consumer interest."

Gould added that the family expects Konterra to be built out approximately 15 years after construction begins. "We could have [submitted plans for a town center] earlier," he said, "but we felt it was important to go through this process and see what the consensus is."