Metro to Put Up Three Prime Sites for Development

As part of its yearly drive to bring in money for its long-term transit projects and spur residential and retail development, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has released three prime and long-unavailable sites alongside existing metro stops to private developers, and bids on these lots must be sent to WMATA by November 17. The three sites now up for bidding are: (1) a former air conditioning facility (14,000 sf) alongside the Navy Yard metro station in Southeast, located at Half and L Street SE, plus a 4,000-sf lot next to the metro entrance; (2) seven acres of a park-and-ride lot and bus terminal near the Capitol Heights metro stop in Prince George's County (this land would be sold instead of leased to a developer if the county decides to allow condos there); and (3) eight wooded acres near the Backlick Road VRE site (recently rezoned from industrial to commercial and residential use). The leases on all these sites will be for 60 years. WMATA will evaluate the bids starting November 17, and if a developer is selected for a site, the local jurisdiction will then review the proposal.