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Langley Park in Prince George’s County has weathered disinvestment for decades, but there are now signs that developers are interested in the area. As a so-called ‘first suburb,’ Langley Park’s proximity to DC makes it a probable site for gentrification.
Gentrification—a process where state and/or private investment transforms a low-income neighborhood into middle or even upper-income one — is often accompanied by the displacement of longtime residents.
In Langley Park, the danger of displacement is acute. As a result of COVID-19 many residents lost their jobs and local businesses were forced to shut down. And unlike other communities, the area’s residents and business owners could not access federal resources because of their immigration status, among other factors.
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Now, looming evictions and the threat of rising rents due to new development combine to place some residents at immediate risk of displacement.
As a “first suburb,” Langley Park is ripe for development
When we talk about people being displaced by gentrification, we usually think of city dwellers. But displacement can also happen in suburban areas, particularly in so-called ‘first suburbs’ built in the wake of World War II.
First suburbs are increasingly attractive to developers because of the so-called “back to the city movement.” They are adjacent to cities and thus more accessible to jobs, public transit, and nightlife than newer suburban areas. Exponential growth in rent and home prices in the city also make first suburbs attractive to those who still want to live near the city but can’t afford to live in it.
What exactly is a first suburb? An area is defined as a first suburb if it meets certain criteria: it was developed between 1945 and 1969, has aging infrastructure, outdated commercial properties, insufficient housing, and contains large numbers of working class and/or immigrant residents.
Langley Park fits this description. In 1923, the McCormick-Goodhart family purchased property in the Chillum district of Prince George’s County and called it Langley Park. The family began selling off portions of the estate in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Much of the land was developed as a planned community, and contained a mix of housing — single family homes, duplexes, and garden style apartments. Commercial activity was clustered along University Boulevard in low-rise strip malls with parking in front.
Economic and personal circumstances put some Langley Park residents in limbo
In its early years, Langley Park was a predominantly white (mostly Jewish) middle-class neighborhood. By the 1970s, the demographic composition of the neighborhood began to change, as whites moved out and a variety of other groups moved in. Today, 82% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, and 60% are foreign born.
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Although Langley Park’s immigrant population is also working class, its economic and personal circumstances are more precarious than previous waves of residents. Many of Langley Park’s immigrants have temporary protective status (TPS).
In 2018, President Trump rescinded TPS for many recipient countries such as El Salvador. Although the order was stayed by a court and TPS was eventually extended until 2021, it put many of Langley Park’s TPS holders in limbo. Many other foreign-born residents in the neighborhood are undocumented, but even residents with papers often live with people without them, putting entire households’ stability at risk.
Over time, much of the neighborhood’s rental housing stock also fell into disrepair. Landlord neglect and disinvestment was the major culprit. In fact, many people believe Langley Park now has a “rent-gap” — a concept that the late geographer Neil Smith developed to explain how disinvestment contributes to gentrification. The rent gap is the difference between actual rents (for housing and business) and potential rents. Although rents in first suburbs are often low because of disinvestment, other factors (such as government investment) can make an area attractive and entice landlords and developers to invest money on the promise of higher rents in the future.
The Purple Line begets more construction
Langley Park’s possible rent gap is primarily attributed to the proposed Purple Line station in the heart of the neighborhood, slated for the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard.
Although the project has been plagued by delays, the Purple Line will provide light rail service on an east-west axis in the Maryland suburbs, connecting Bethesda in Montgomery County, with New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. It will also be integrated into the existing Metro system, with transfer links on the Red, Green, and Orange lines.
The Purple Line has already brought numerous investments to the area. In 2013, the state began construction on the Takoma/Langley Park bus transfer station. It opened in December 2016, consolidating multiple bus stops in the area, and will serve as a key transfer point on the Purple Line.
Jair Lynch, a well-known developer in the region, also recently purchased the Villas at Langley, an apartment complex within walking distance of the proposed station.
These pressures have created anxiety among residents. The nonprofit Montgomery Housing Partnership estimates that rents have been increasing more rapidly along the Purple Line corridor than in other parts of Montgomery or Prince George’s counties.
COVID-19 makes the situation worse
Before the pandemic, business owners were already worried because construction work for the Purple Line rail bed, slated to run along the median of University Boulevard, was putting a dent in their cash flow. In some places, the construction turned six lanes of traffic into two, creating major backups along University Boulevard. Many drivers began avoiding the area, cutting into the business of restaurants, bakeries, and other shops. One local business owner said sales were down by 25%.
COVID-19 has exacerbated these pressures in two ways. First, many residents in Langley Park lost their jobs during the pandemic. Second, Governor Larry Hogan allowed a state moratorium on evictions, put in place in March, to lapse on July 25.
The governor announced $30 million in funding to be disbursed through state agencies to help prevent evictions, but that help may arrive too late for Langley Park residents, who have to apply for, and wait for assistance. Meanwhile, landlords can begin eviction processes immediately.
There are also barriers for those who want to seek help. Many residents don’t speak English and don’t know help is available. Additionally, residents who are undocumented may avoid seeking help because they fear authorities may report them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.
Since most business owners in Langley Park don’t own the properties where they run their businesses, they are subject to the same problems renters face. On top of losses related to Purple Line construction, the area’s business owners were forced to shut down for nearly three months. Those who survived still faced restrictions once the state began reopening.
Prince George’s County is currently in Stage two of its reopening, for example, which limits restaurants to 50% indoor capacity. Many restaurant owners are relying on take-out business to make ends meet. Indeed, the federal paycheck protection program disproportionately helped bigger and/or white owned businesses, meaning few business owners in Langley Park received aid.
Officials must act now to keep residents in place
There is no one remedy for the problems that face Langley Park. On the public health front, the state and county need to step up testing and other assistance for Latinx communities hit hard by the virus. Officials also need to make sure tenants and business owners know about programs designed to help them and offer assistance and follow through as they submit applications.
The county and state also need to think long-term. Dating sites area in east harlem ny. In December 2019, the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, a non-profit advocating for communities along the Purple Line route, issued a report detailing key steps that all relevant jurisdictions at the state, county, and municipal levels should take to ensure that current residents can stay put to enjoy the Purple Line’s promised benefits. The coalition recommends that both counties expand the size of their housing trust funds to encourage affordable development. It also says they should pass legislation that protects tenants’ rights and develop mechanisms that help renters buy the homes.
Additionally, the report calls on Prince George’s County to bring back inclusionary zoning in areas along the Purple Line. Given the region’s well-documented shortage of housing, new density along the line could keep rents from sky-rocketing.
Both counties may want to consider giving county and local governments the right of first refusal for low-income rental properties so they can purchase low-income buildings and maintain their affordability. DC has a similar program for tenants, and it recently passed a right of first refusal for the city, the District Opportunity to Purchase Act (DOPA).
The people who live in Langley Park, run its shops, and serve as essential workers in Prince George’s County — the Maryland county hardest hit by Covid-19 — should have a shot at staying put. They won’t be able to do so without some help.
A bit about us
Easily accessible from London and the Home Counties and part of the Colne Valley Regional Park, Langley Park has a wide variety of habitats for wildlife including woodland, heathland, wood pasture and grassland. It’s one of the best places in the local area to see a stunning variety of flora and fauna.Throughout the year Langley Park is bursting with colour and splendour. The masses of rhododendrons in the Temple Gardens bloom between March and June each year and the view to Windsor Castle from these Gardens is an impressive sight.
In summer, many species of butterfly chase around the heather and gorse on the open vista, and a variety of wildfowl can be seen on Langley Lake. The Arboretum offers year round interest with a fine collection of specimen trees.
From a royal hunting ground to extravagant pleasure gardens, Langley Park is steeped in history. Over the centuries many influential people have been linked with the park, including King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, and the 3rd and 4th Dukes of Marlborough. Within the Temple Gardens is the site of a former banqueting pavilion dating back to the early 1740s, known as The Temple. This was replaced in 1865 with the Harvey Memorial Tower, which once had a viewing platform 100 steps high with fine views to Windsor Castle.
Parkland trees such as Wellingtonia, Cedar of Lebanon and English Oak, as well as the serpentine lake next to the mansion house, reflect Langley Park’s various stages of development, with influences by the notable landscape designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Facilities include:
- Designated picnic areas, baby changing facilities and buggy friendly paths
- Pay and display car park
- Jubilee Play Garden for under 12s open all year
- Newly refurbished café
- Accessible toilets and baby changing facilities located at the cafe
- Trail guides so you can find out more about the park’s fascinating history, the variety of trees that live here, and the beautiful rhododendron gardens
- Orienteering coursetotrack your way through the park using a map, compass and clues
- Conservation volunteering opportunities
- A varied events and activities programme throughout the year
- Langley Country Park
- Billet Lane
- Iver
- Buckinghamshire
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