The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) celebrated the announcement of $17 million in state funding to make infrastructure improvements at the Capitol Heights Metro Station, which will make the site viable for future joint development.

Prince George's County Delegate Jazz Lewis, who helped secure the budget appropriations, made the announcement joined by WMATA GM/CEO Randy Clarke, Capitol Heights Mayor Linda Monroe, and other city and county officials.

"This is a prime opportunity and a win-win advancing the county’s goal to develop the Blue Line Corridor from Capitol Heights to Downtown Largo," said Clarke. "We appreciate the leadership of Delegate Lewis, as well as our local and state partners, to help obtain the funding that will bring the vision for a vibrant community at Capitol Heights to reality."

Part of WMATA’s 10-Year Plan

WMATA’s ambitious 10-year Strategic Plan to advance 20 new joint development agreements includes Capitol Heights.

The site will support new housing, retail, and business opportunities and provide easy access to transit to get to jobs, schools, and activities around the region.

The funding will cover the $17 million in infrastructure costs identified by WMATA to help protect the Blue Line tunnel, relocate utilities, create safer pedestrian connections to the stations, and reconfigure bus bays to allow development around the station.

The Capitol Heights Project

To facilitate the project, WMATA entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Capitol Heights and Prince George’s County and is partnering with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration to revise bus and traffic circulation at the station.

WMATA is a leader in transit-oriented development and boasts the most robust joint development program in the country.

Making better use of the land around its stations is a key strategic initiative that will help address the region’s housing shortage, generate new ridership and revenue for the agency, and create new tax revenue for the town and county, according to WMATA.

The funding and infrastructure improvements will allow the agency to move forward with a request for proposals for a mixed-use development at the site. A solicitation is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.