More than a decade after an asbestos problem forced the closure of a public housing facility for seniors, Prince George’s County finally has the go-ahead to redevelop the McGuire House in Oxon Hill.
County Executive Jack Johnson recently announced that U.S. Housing and UrbanDevelopment has given the county’s Housing Authority approval to begin the $20 million project. The plan calls for the demolition of the eight-story, 192-unit building and the construction of a 120 rental units in its place.
Johnson spokeswoman Denise Roberts said Monday that the county expects to have a contractor for the demolition in place by late February or early March, but it is uncertain when construction will begin. McGuire House has been vacant and boarded up since 1995.
Maryland-based Amatucci Group is responsible for the redevelopment, Roberts said and funding sources for the project include Housing Authority bonds.
“What was once a blemish that seemingly would not heal will soon become one of the most-coveted addresses for our low-income seniors seeking to live in serenity and comfort,” Tommie Thompson, executive director of the county’s Housing Authority, said in a statement.
As part of the redevelopment plan, the county is transferring ownership of the site to the Amatucci Group after years of exploring other possibilities, Roberts said.
The Housing Authority “wanted to rehabilitate the place, but they found so much asbestos, it couldn’t be done,” Roberts said. “Once they found that they could not rehabilitate the building, then what they started to do was to look for financing for the redevelopment.”
After being turned down by HUD, the state and private organizations for redevelopment funding, Thompson determined that the only way for the project to proceed was to transfer the land to a private entity, Roberts said.
Because McGuire House was a public housing facility, Roberts said the county needed HUD approval to demolish and transfer the property.
Johnson said the new facility will be privately owned, but still cater to low-income seniors.
