COMMUNITY PILOT PROJECT
5021 LAKELAND ROAD: AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Creating lasting affordable homeownership by, for, and with community.
In 2022, a severe storm destroyed a single-family home at 5021 Lakeland Road, leaving the parcel vacant. Together, we will reimagine the site for community-centered redevelopment.
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, the City of College Park, and the University of Maryland’s Department of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and A. James Clark School of Engineering, the project will create a permanently affordable homeownership opportunity that reflects the needs and values of the Lakeland community.
The project, the first of its kind, reflects a shared commitment to equitable development, demonstrating how local partnerships can transform underutilized land into lasting community assets while expanding access to affordable homeownership in College Park.
SITE HISTORY: HISTORIC LAKELAND IN PHOTOS
The story of this project begins long before the Trust acquired the property. Located in Lakeland, a historically African American neighborhood in College Park, Maryland, the site is part of a community with a rich and resilient history. In the early twentieth century, Lakeland emerged as a vibrant, welcoming neighborhood situated along the streetcar line connecting residents to downtown Washington, D.C., within walking distance of the University of Maryland, College Park, and adjacent to the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad.
Its strategic location made the neighborhood an attractive place for families seeking both economic opportunity and a strong sense of community.
Original home on the parcel built. Photo depicts intersection of the Lakeland Road and 51st Avenue, circa 1910. The mailbox of the home is visible on the righthand side of the photo.
Lakelanders and guests dye eggs during Easter celebration at Embry AME Episcopal Church. The original home on the site is visible in the photo.
A powerful storm destroys the home on the parcel.
The City of College Park purchases 5021 Lakeland Road at the request of community members. The remains of the home on the parcel are stripped to its foundation.
The College Park City-University Partnership purchases the property, and conveys the rights to develop to Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. The City of College Park provides $100,000 from the proceeds of the sale to the site’s development.
Civil engineering students from the University of Maryland at College Park work with members from the Lakeland community to develop the site design for the project. Students hosting two design workshops, and presented drafts during the School of Engineering’s Capstone Expo.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Summer 2025
August 2025: Partnership, City, Habitat, and Lakeland Civic Association develop project plan
Fall 2025
October 2026: City engages with UMD Civil Engineering students, students begin site research
October 2026: Partnership presents to City Council project plan
Winter 2026
February 2026: Project team presents at City Council to request Ordinance for the sale of 5021
Spring 2026
April 2026: Project team hosts first community engagement listening session with Civil Eng. students
April 2026: Public Comment Period passes and Ordinance gets approved with unanimous vote from Council
Summer 2026
April 2026: Project team hosts second community engagement session with Civil Engineering students
April 2026: City sells property to the Partnership via the Community Preservation Trust
May 2026: The Partnership, via the Trust, sells the improvements to Habitat
May 2026: UMD Architecture students join project project
May 2026: International Town Gown Association presentation on project
August 2026: First community design workshop with Architecture team at College Park Aviation Museum
Fall 2026
September 2026: Community design work session with UMD Architecture Team
October 2026: Project team provides updates to council
November 2026: Project team submits permit proposal to DPIE
Spring 2027
March 2027 [Projected]: Permit notification received from DPIE
April 2027: Groundbreaking ceremony, construction begins
Summer 2027
July 2027: Community build with Habitat on project site
Fall 2027
September 2027 [Projected]: Homebuyer selection begins
Spring 2028
April 2028 [Projected]: Welcome new homebuyers
PROJECT PARTNERS
RESOURCES
Civil Engineering Student Design Charette Presentation 03/09/26
Council Presentation 02/26/26
Council Presentation 10/21/25
IN THE NEWS
College Park City Council Approves Sale of Lakeland Property for Affordable Housing
The Diamondback
March 26, 2026
“I remember the storm that day for this particular property and walk by it frequently,” Jordan said. “It’s wonderful to see this project give the life to the property after it has sat unused and in such a wonderful way involving so many different organizations.”
Community-Led Homeownership Project:
5021 Lakeland Road
Kabir Cares
October 20, 2025
“At tomorrow night’s City Council meeting, we will receive an important presentation from the Community Preservation Trust regarding a proposed permanently affordable home at 5021 Lakeland Road in the historic Lakeland community.”
House Nearly Split in Two After Storms Hit College Park, Maryland
WJLA
July 13, 2022
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (7News) — “The City of College Park and other Prince George’s County communities continue to clean up Wednesday after Tuesday’s storms left significant damage.”