Welcome to Downtown Largo and the Hard Sell

My granddaddy had a saying that putting a kitten in an oven doesn't make it a biscuit. The Metro station at Largo Town Center was recently renamed 'Downtown Largo', and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has announced its new headquarters will be built there. Downtown Largo?

With all due respect to Prince George's County, MD County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks, M-NCPPC, and the county's marketing team, Largo is not a town for it to have a downtown, uptown, midtown, sidetown, or whatever. A 'town' is defined as having two characteristics: defined boundaries and its own government -- neither of which Largo possesses. I get county leaders and residents wanting to put the best face forward when promoting Prince George's County and its communities as places to live, work, and play. But all too frequently there comes a point when advertising boils over into hyperbole that overpromises and underdelivers. The new hospital center and now M-NCPPC moving its HQ there are truly notable developments. But outside of attending a Commanders' game, those of us who don't live or work in Largo or its adjacent neighborhoods, including Kettering, the town of Capitol Heights (!), Landover, Lake Arbor, or parts of Mitchellville, have zero incentive to travel there regularly. (The former Largo Town Center, which was an attempt at rebranding the Blvd at Cap Center -- itself conceived as a destination for replacing the Capital Centre -- and immediate surroundings never really caught on.) I have absolutely nothing against Largo or the county's newfound energy for its development. It's a very nice community with a LOT of upside. I would be comfortable living there. I'm only saying the hard sell's unnecessary. I would rather see the effort that's put into hype redirected into ventures whereby residents, local businesses, corporations, and organizations can buy in and exercise their voices in a sustainable future for Largo and communities throughout Prince George's County.