Developers Prep 'People's Harbor' in Pr. George's

LONG AGO, large ships could travel up the Anacostia River and dock at Bladensburg, just across the D.C.-Maryland line in Prince George's County. But the river filled with sediment and the historic crossroads — where the British defeated American forces in 1814 on their way to attack and torch the seat of U.S. government — receded from its former prominence.

Now, as mega developer Milt Peterson is building his massive National Harbor down on the shores of the Potomac River, four architectural firms are gearing up to transform a cluster of small Anacostia River communities — Colmar Manor, Cottage City and Edmonston in addition to Bladensburg — into a place they call Port Towns, as The Post's Jackie Spinner reports. It would be anchored by People's Harbor, a mixed-use development on a two-acre site in Colmar Manor.

There's currently a design competition underway, and the Port Towns Community Development Corp. is seeking public input on proposals for the communities. On Saturday morning, there's a public meeting scheduled to discuss the People's Harbor designs at Colmar Manor Bible Church.

» "Hope Floats in Prince George's As People's Harbor Is Shaped" [WaPo]
» "Port Towns Community Development Corp." [Official Site]

Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post