Proposed redistricting plans for District 1 would leave Laurel's boundaries intact

The redrawing of district lines that will lay out the boundaries for Prince George's County Council's nine members is not expected to have a major effect on District 1, which includes Laurel, but the district could lose its only Metro station to District 3.

At a meeting on the issue Sept. 19 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, in Beltsville, District 1 County Council member Mary Lehman told those in attendance that she did not have a problem with most of the changes proposed for the area she represents.

"The changes proposed for District 1 are not much at all," said Lehman, whose district grew by 2.6 percent. "I have a total of 98,000 people in my district and if the proposed changes are approved, I'll gain about 100 people."

Every 10 years — when U.S. Census figures are released — federal, state and county district lines are redrawn to reflect population changes. The county's population went from 801,000 residents in 2000 to 863,000 in 2010, with the biggest gain in District 6, which includes Mitchellville, Kettering and the Woodmore community.

In Prince George's County, all of the nine districts have to be within a 5 percent range of each other in terms of the total number of people in each member's district. A three-member Redistricting Commission, appointed by the council, was given the task of making that happen. They presented their recommendations to the council this month for consideration.

"This was a mammoth and difficult task to balance the population growth," said commission member David Harrington, a former Maryland state senator and former County Council member who attended the meeting Monday. "Our work on the commission is done, but I'm sure the council will engage in heated debate on this."

Prior to making their recommendations to the council, commission members held a public hearing in April to hear residents' ideas on how the district lines should be drawn. According to Harrington, their priority was to not split up large areas in the way that College Park, whose residents are divided into Districts 1 and 3, currently is. He said they had considered taking northern College Park out of Lehman's District 1 and moving it to District 3. But after hearing from residents, the commission killed that recommendation.

"(Northern) College Park was in District 3 years ago, but citizens told the commission that they'd prefer to be a two-council district with two voices," Lehman said.

Laurel's boundary lines are not expected to change in the redistricting process, but there was discussion on how the massive, mixed-use Konterra development, planned for the outskirts of Laurel, will affect District 1's make up in the future.

The commission has recommended that the Greenbelt Metro Station be moved out of District 1 and placed in District 3, with the rest of Greenbelt, something Lehman opposes.

"I feel like for economic parity, it should stay in my district because it's the only Metro rail in my district, and I'd like to keep it," Lehman said. "If it doesn't stay in District 1, District 3 will have the New Carrollton, College Park and Greenbelt stations. My constituents are closest to the Greenbelt Metro Station and would be the most affected by development planned at the station."

Harrington admitted that Lehman made good points and predicted that she has a "great" case to be made for keeping the Greenbelt Metro station in her district as the recommendations are hashed out by council members.

"Having three metro stations in District 3 was something we discussed, and I'm sure that will be a major discussion with the council," Harrington said. "District 3 would have three of the area's largest municipalities (Greenbelt, New Carrollton and College Park) in one district, plus the major Metro stations that expect to see major development in the future. The council person (who represents the area) would take the lead on that development."

A point not lost on Lehman.

"If development happens, it would bring in economic dollars to the district, and I want to advocate for my constituents who walk to the Greenbelt Metro station on what (development) would work," Lehman said. "It was suggested that I take all of Greenbelt, but the city has 25,000 people, and to take all of it, I'd have to give up Beltsville, Hillandale and Adelphi, which I want to keep."

She added, "I'm from Greenbelt, so I would never do anything to hurt the city, but I do plan to address this issue head on. I plan to talk to Greenbelt's mayor and City Council members, and try to make my case."

The County Council will hold a public hearing on redistricting Sept. 27. Council members have until Oct. 11 to introduce some form of redistricting legislation that will be further discussed and tweaked in council sessions. If by Nov. 30 the council has not adopted a redistricting bill, the recommendations of the commission will automatically go into effect.