Gragg Cardona, Mosaic to develop 100 acres by Bowie State MARC station
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
By Hannah Ziegler | Staff Reporter, Washington Business Journal | Jul 21, 2026
Maryland and Prince George's County leaders on Tuesday announced the lineup of developers that will transform nearly 100 acres adjacent to the Bowie State University MARC Station into a mixed-use community.
BSU MARC Community Partners LLC, an affiliate of D.C. developer Gragg Cardona Souadi LLC, will serve as the master developer for the 93-acre county-owned site adjacent to the station, which is envisioned as a “campus village” for Bowie State.
The Maryland Department of Transportation, meanwhile, picked Mosaic Development Partners JV and Campus Apartments, both of Philadelphia, as the state’s joint development partner for a 4.6-acre parcel on the north side of the rail station.
The joint development will bring housing, recreation, commercial and retail space and innovation hubs for entrepreneurs within walking distance of a “safe, reliable and accessible transit system,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson said at a news conference on Tuesday.
At the same event, County Executive Aisha Braveboy said that choosing two majority Black development companies with an existing footprint in Prince George’s to lead the project is a feat of “economic empowerment development.” The development team also includes several women-owned, minority-owned and county-based businesses, including WRE Innovations, Impact Capital Partners and MCN Build.
“This is how you elevate your community,” Braveboy said. “You elevate by bringing development, and you elevate also by looking inward at the talent in your community to be part of and lead that development. That’s what this project is all about.”
MDOT will contribute up to $1.5 million to support the Mosaic and Campus Apartments’ master plan, with funding earmarked for an extended MARC platform, a new pedestrian bridge connecting the station to the Bowie State campus and improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure, the department said in a news release. The project will also receive support from a recent $250,000 federal earmark of $250,000 that aims to advance the joint development.
While drafting the master plan for the state site, Mosaic and Campus Apartments will also begin an initial project phase focused on affordable housing around the MARC station. MDOT estimates the joint redevelopment will support more than 400 total housing units at full buildout. The site is mostly vacant, aside from a MARC station parking lot.
“For far too long, the land surrounding transit stations has been used just to store cars,” Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller said. “Today, we’re creating places where people’s memories can be stored, careers can be built and families can be raised.”
The Revenue Authority of Prince George's County released a request for proposals in November seeking a master developer for the county site. Judy Danso, the executive director of the authority, said that BSU MARC Community Partners “demonstrated the experience, the creativity, and commitment needed to transform this extraordinary site into a destination that reflects the aspirations of Prince George's County” when her office was reviewing proposals.
The Bowie State MARC Station is on the MARC Penn Line, the bustling commuter rail corridor that connects D.C. to Baltimore. It is steps away from the campus of Bowie State, Maryland's oldest historically Black college or university and is the 10th largest college or university in Greater Washington by enrollment. The university had 5,970 students enrolled in the fall of 2025.
The redevelopment at the Bowie State MARC Station marks a “milestone” for the university in expanding access to its campus, increasing enrollment and enhancing economic development opportunities, Aminta Breaux, the university's president, said Tuesday.
“This moment connects our proud history to a bold future,” she said.
A separate mixed-use project, also being developed by Mosaic Development Partners, is underway on 1.6 acres of Bowie State-owned land at the intersection of Laurel Bowie and Jericho Park roads, south of the MARC station. That 173,000-square-foot project, dubbed the Gateway, will have 205 units of student housing and ground-floor retail, including a possible new Busboys and Poets location.
Redevelopment at both state- and county-owned and private land near the MARC station is expected to add up to 42,000 annual MARC trips at full buildout, MDOT said in a news release. The development could also support up to 670 construction jobs and generate $108 million in state and local tax revenue.
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