Bowie State mixed-use, transit development takes step forward

A development project around Bowie State University’s commuter rail station took a step forward with the selection of contractors, state and Prince George’s County leadership announced Tuesday. 

“Transit-oriented development is about access. Access to jobs, housing, education, healthcare, and the opportunities that help people build better lives,” Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday. “When we create vibrant, walkable communities connected by reliable transit, we make it easier for Marylanders to reach opportunity and for opportunity to reach every Maryland community.”

The Maryland Department of Transportation chose Mosaic Development Partners JV and Campus Apartments to aid in the development of state-owned land around the Maryland Area Regional Commuter station in Bowie. The county chose BSU MARC Community Partners, LLC as the development partner for its adjacent land.

Transit-oriented development projects are dense, mixed-use development projects within a half-mile radius of a public transit hub, the Transportation Department said. Maryland currently has 19 stations designated for current and future transit-oriented development, including this one.

Collectively, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Prince George’s County government control approximately 100 acres around the station, making it one of the largest transit-oriented development projects along the MARC Penn Line that stretches from Prince George’s County into Cecil County.

The project is second piece of the department’s 2024 MARC Penn Line Transit-Oriented Development Strategy, which seeks to repurpose underutilized land through mixed-use development. Thus, the state expects to support nearly 700 construction jobs, 400 housing units and reap $108 million in state and local tax revenue.

Mosaic Development Partners JV and Campus Apartments are to conduct a planning process for the broader area around the station, including a 4.6-acre site owned by the state along the northern side of the rail corridor.

The Department of Transportation will contribute approximately $1.5 million to support infrastructure planning — including an extended train platform and a pedestrian bridge connecting the station to the university’s campus — and an evaluation of opportunities for long-term redevelopment in the surrounding area.

BSU MARC Community Partners, LLC was selected as the master developer for the approximately 93-acre part that the county owns. The plan for that land includes multifamily and senior housing, single-family homes, retail and commercial development, and office space. Prince George’s is contributing $1 million, MDOT said.

“This transformative investment represents far more than a transit project. It is an investment in our students, Bowie State University, and the future of the region,” Aminta H. Breaux, president of Bowie State University, said in a statement. “This development advances our vision for Bowie State to continue serving as an anchor institution that expands opportunity, strengthens communities and contributes to the economic vitality of our community.”

A completion date has not been set while the design is being finalized, the Transportation Department told The Daily Record.

This story has been updated.