SUITLAND - Prince George's County Planning Department

streets, especially in the Suitland Manordevelopment, are strewn with sizable potholesand are in disrepair. In contrast, Silver HillRoad is generally in good repair due to therecent work completed by the State HighwayAdministration (SHA) in its project to improveaccess to the Suitland Metro Station. Trafficvolume and excessive speeds are a majorconcern within the study area. Vehicular alleysare in disrepair and are in extremely poorcondition overall.Parking and CirculationThe bulk of parking is located just off thestreet, separated by a curb or sidewalk. Someparking areas are directly served from a streetand require backing out into traffic. They aredangerous to move in and out of as a resultof the traffic volume and excessive speedscommon to the major roads of Suitland. Allparking areas along the commercial corridors ofSuitland and Silver Hill Roads are unscreenedand clearly visible from the streets. The bulkof the parking lots are paved with bituminousasphalt, which is appropriate for parking uses.Several of the parking areas require patchingand resurfacing. Landscaping is scarce, but asmall number of trees have been planted alongcommercial frontage on Suitland Road, spacedapproximately 12 to 20 feet apart. The balanceof the landscaping consists of narrow strips ofgrass along lot perimeters.Mechanical EquipmentThe visibility of mechanical equipment fromroads has not been of significant concern withinthe M-U-TC area. The commercial buildingsin this area often form continuous street walls,making it difficult for a pedestrian or motoristto see mechanical equipment located onthe roof. Parapet walls on most of the otherstructures also screen mechanical equipment. Insome cases, a lack of parapets results in visiblemachinery from the streetscape.The views from adjacent properties are asomewhat larger problem. Although continuousstreetscapes are formed within shopping centers,there are larger gaps between centers whereequipment is more visible from the street. Inaddition, several vacant or underdeveloped lotsallow for unscreened mechanical equipment tobecome visible to the pedestrian or motorist.This is undesirable and should be addressed.SignsThe commercial strips of Suitland and SilverHill Roads are cluttered with numerous businessand advertisement signs. Some of the signs areback-lit, electrical signs, with a few neon signslocated in storefront windows throughout thearea. Many signs are of the lettered signboardtype, attached tobuilding walls. There isan inordinate amountof temporary signage,consisting mainly ofcloth, light signboard,cardboard, and paperconstruction. Thesetemporary signs canbe found affixed tobuilding façades, placedin storefronts, hangingon poles, and driven intothe ground. There are ahandful of freestandingsigns and only thoseof the Suitland FederalCenter are monumentalExisting sidewalk network on Suitland Road.signs of a type appropriate for town centerdevelopment.StreetscapeSidewalks and CrosswalksSidewalks run along both Suitland and SilverHill Roads. However, the sidewalk nearest tothe Suitland Federal Center on the southernside of Suitland Road ends 50 feet west of theintersection. Sidewalks on the northern edge ofSuitland Road are in generally good condition.The use of special paving elements can tie intothe masonry buildings and help define buildingentrances, and the sidewalk fronting SuitlandCorner uses brick in this manner. Along SilverHill Road, SHA has reconstructed the sidewalkssouth of Suitland Road as part of the publicinfrastructure efforts related to the opening ofthe Metro station. However, the sidewalks northof Suitland Road are in need of repair andmaintenance.12 Approved Suitland Mixed-Use Town Center Zone Development Plan