WTOP: A few years ago, the New Carrollton Metro Station was surrounded by nothing but parking lots, adjacent to more parking lots.
But on Tuesday afternoon, politicians and Metro employees gathered next to Metro’s newly opened Maryland headquarters, as well as a massive apartment complex that’s a few months away from opening. About 1,200 workers will come to work every day at the new headquarters.
“What is happening here is just a continuation of success,” said Gov. Wes Moore (D) , who acknowledged County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) by citing a rap lyric, “in the words of DJ Khaled, all you do is win.”
But for Metro General Manager Randy Clarke, the opening of this new office building helps Metro consolidate itself into a better, more affordable building.
“Last time I was here, there was half the buildings going on,” he joked, taking note of the progress that other projects have made at the site.
“You’re only probably five years away from when you have thousands of people within a couple blocks all interacting around arguably one of the best regional transit hubs in America,” Clarke said. “I mean there’s a lot happening at New Carrollton. This has a chance to be just an incredible mobility hub for this region.”
Among the 1,200 or so employees coming here to work every day will be the management staff of Metro Transit Police, as well as Metro Access, parking and customer service call centers.
“That is an economic anchor for this region,” Clarke boasted.
Moore described the development center as being bigger than just some new offices and apartments.
“This is not just about how we are moving people to opportunity, but how we are moving opportunity to people,” the governor said.
“We have the ability to bring people who can not only live here, but work here, make sure that they are able to also shop, and have all the amenities that we’ve looked for, for so long,” Alsobrooks said. “This also just connects us to the region in a very powerful way and makes possible everything else we’d like to see come to Prince George’s.
“This has walkability, ‘bikeability,’ so it’s a whole new home for many who will be moving into Prince George’s County and helping us to grow, not only our commercial tax base, but to grow our community,” she said. “This is now the premier transit hub on the eastern seaboard.”
Still to come is the more than $20 million federal grant to rebuild the train hall a few hundred feet away.
“You’re going to have Amtrak coming in. You’re going to have MARC coming in. You’re of course going to have Metro coming in, and this will be the link to also the Purple Line,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) noted. He said thousands of more jobs are still on track to move to this area.
“We are on the move,” Van Hollen said. “It’s another example of how Prince George’s County is on the move.”
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Photo: Gov. Wes Moore (D) addresses the crowd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority headquarters building in New Carrollton. Photo by the Executive Office of the Governor.
