Decades in the making, the Konterra Town Center development took a major step forward Thursday during its official groundbreaking ceremony in Laurel.
Developers behind the project have long cast a vision for a sprawling mixed-use development featuring townhomes, apartments, shops, dining and office space at the center of the Baltimore-Washington corridor near Interstate 95 and the Intercounty Connector.
The broader Konterra project spans roughly 2,200 acres and includes plans for up to 12 million square feet of residential, retail, and mixed-use space, along with more than 8 miles of trails and parks.
“A lot of folks don’t know that we built up a large part of Konterra already,” said Caleb Gould of Gould Property Company, whose family purchased the property in 1981. “While this is the official groundbreaking, it has broken and it’s continuing to break.”
The event attracted county and state leaders, including Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy, Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Prince George’s County Council member Tom Dernoga (Dist. 1), many of whom said they had spent years working to move the project forward.
“This project is a masterclass in leadership and a testament to what happens when the private sector and the community share a vision,” Braveboy said. “This partnership proves what we can achieve when we work together towards a common goal.”
Officials described the project as part of a broader wave of economic development across Prince George’s County.
“We have over $18 billion in economic development projects happening in Prince George’s County,” Braveboy said during the ceremony. “This means more than just new buildings. It means more jobs, a stronger tax base for our schools, and a premier destination for the entire Mid-Atlantic.”
The groundbreaking marks the start of Phase 1 of the Konterra Town Center East project, which includes about 214 townhomes currently being built by Caruso Homes as part of the larger vision for a 1,400-acre walkable downtown development. No retail tenants have yet been announced.
Developers said beginning with housing was critical to attracting future retail and corporate tenants.
“We’re starting with the residential program… to attract the very best retail [and] corporate tenants,” Gould said.
Residents living near the project said they hope the development will bring new shopping, jobs and investment to the area.
“I’m excited about the opportunity of stores that will be close to the community — that’s definitely going to help the value of our economy,” said Chantell Stevenson of Beltsville, who lives less than a mile from the project.
Still, Stevenson said she has concerns about traffic, security and the types of businesses that may eventually move into the development.
“The way the economy is right now, I don’t see a lot of new businesses opening,” she said. “I’m hoping we do get upscale stores and not just smoke shops and liquor stores.”