After years of talks and plans, the Blue Line Corridor project in Prince George's County officially started construction on Wednesday.
Elected county and state leaders broke ground on the developing Largo Civic Plaza, which is part of the first phase of the $400 million Blue Line Corridor project. The Civic Plaza in Largo is set to open in December.
The project was the vision of U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks when she was Prince George's county executive. Leaders hope the corridor will lead to as much as $2 billion in investments.
“Today is a moment of pride," Maryland State Sen. Nick Charles said at the ceremony. "It’s a moment of progress and a moment of promise for Prince George's County."
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
Alsobrooks spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and recalled her efforts to convince former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to support the project. She said the former governor initially didn't want to pour money into the area because he didn't like Daniel Snyder, who owned the Washington Commanders at that time.
“We had a really aggressive conversation where I said to him, ‘Why would we leave the people who live around the FedEx field in the lurch because of whatever we feel about the owner? We have an obligation to invest there,'” Alsobrooks said during the ceremony.
Hogan appeared with Alsobrooks at a Blue Line corridor funding announcement in April 2022. At the time, both leaders said the investments would happen with or without the team being in Landover.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Although the funding is going through the Maryland Stadium Authority — a first for Prince George's County — it's not being used to build a new home for the Commanders.
A spokesperson for Hogan told News4 that he didn't want any deals that would benefit Snyder.
"He was proud to work with the then-county executive to deliver on the legislation making these transformational investments possible," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The project corridor stretches from Largo Town Center to Morgan Boulevard to Addison Road-Seat Pleasant to Capitol Heights. County leaders said it serves communities that have been left behind
“We've been pounding the pavement to get quality development in our area to attract quality business,” said Rande Atcherson from the Largo Town Center Association.
The plaza will have a lawn and stage area for community events and festivals, a playground for children, an artwalk with seating and a dog park. The corridor will eventually include a sports and entertainment zone, a library, amphitheater and youth sports fieldhouse at the conclusion of the project’s five phases.
