The Boulevard at the Capital Centre
A defunct open-air shopping center in Lake Arbor, Prince George's County, Maryland, built on the former site of the Capital Centre sports arena.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Boulevard at the Capital Centre was an open-air shopping center in Lake Arbor, Prince George's County, Maryland, near the Largo Town Center Washington Metro station. Although the complex used a Largo postal address, its site was associated with the wider Lake Arbor and Capital Centre area. It occupied the former location of the Capital Centre, an indoor sports and entertainment arena that had been home to the Washington Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, and the Washington Capitals. The retail project emerged from redevelopment plans for the former arena site in the early 2000s. Construction began in 2002, following efforts to assemble tenants and reposition the property as a substantial retail destination. The center opened in 2003 with more than 70 establishments and was promoted as a middle-class shopping and dining venue. Its location beside the Largo Town Center Metro station gave it access to regional public transportation and helped make the project part of a broader effort to reuse a prominent but underdeveloped site in Prince George's County. The Boulevard's tenant mix included retail stores, restaurants, and service businesses. One of its better-known restaurants was Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles, a short-lived chain associated with the performers Gladys Knight and Ron Winans. Over time, however, the center struggled to maintain the quality and variety of tenants anticipated at its opening. More desirable retailers departed, vacancies persisted, and some replacement businesses were smaller or more downmarket operations, including T-shirt and cellular-phone shops. These changes weakened the center's original middle-class positioning. The property also developed a serious public-safety problem. Five people were killed at the shopping center between 2005 and 2009, and 101 automobile break-ins were reported there in 2008. In response to concerns about disorder and safety, management planned restrictions on unsupervised teenagers at night. Crime-related coverage reinforced the perception that the project had not achieved the stable, family-oriented environment envisioned by its developers. The shopping center closed in November 2017 as the site was cleared for a major mixed-use redevelopment. Plans called for the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, luxury apartments, restaurants, and a new shopping center. Demolition of approximately 290,000 square feet of retail space began in July 2019 to make way for Carillon, a lifestyle-oriented mixed-use development. The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center was completed and opened on June 8, 2021. The Boulevard therefore became a defunct retail brand and a transitional phase in the long redevelopment of the former Capital Centre site.
History
The Boulevard at the Capital Centre was created as part of the redevelopment of the former Capital Centre site in Prince George's County, Maryland. The Capital Centre had been a major indoor sports and entertainment venue and had served as the home arena of the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals. After the arena site became available for reuse, developers proposed a retail-centered project intended to restore activity to the property and create a new commercial destination for the surrounding community. Planning and tenant recruitment took place in the early 2000s. Contemporary reports described a project that was being reshaped during its planning process, with developers working to secure retail commitments and establish an online presence for prospective shoppers and tenants. Groundbreaking occurred in 2002, with dozens of retailers reportedly committed during the construction phase. The center opened in 2003 as an open-air complex beside the Largo Town Center Washington Metro station, which was then the eastern terminus of the Blue Line and is also served by the Silver Line. Its transit access and location near established residential communities were central to its intended appeal. At opening, the Boulevard contained more than 70 establishments and was conceived as a middle-class shopping and dining venue. Its businesses covered retail, restaurants, and consumer services. The complex also attracted attention through Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles, a restaurant concept associated with the two entertainers, although the location and chain were short-lived. The center's performance deteriorated over the following years. Several of the more desirable retailers left, while replacement tenants included T-shirt stores, cellular-phone shops, and other lower-priced or service-oriented businesses. Vacant storefronts remained a recurring problem. This shift in tenant mix made the property less consistent with its original middle-class positioning and contributed to its reputation as an underperforming retail development. Public-safety issues became another defining part of the center's later history. Five people were killed at the mall between 2005 and 2009, and 101 car break-ins were recorded in 2008. The reported crime contributed to concerns among shoppers, residents, and officials. In 2008, the property planned to restrict unsupervised teenagers at night, an action intended to address disorder but also indicative of the challenges faced by the center. The Boulevard closed in November 2017. Its closure was not merely a retail shutdown but part of a larger plan to replace the complex with a mixed-use district anchored by the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. Proposed additions also included luxury apartments, restaurants, and a new shopping center. In July 2019, demolition began on roughly 290,000 square feet of retail space for the Carillon lifestyle-oriented development. The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center was completed and opened on June 8, 2021. The Boulevard's short life consequently represents one stage in the continuing transformation of the former Capital Centre property from an arena site into a medical, residential, dining, and lifestyle district.
- 2021
Replacement medical center opens
[1]The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center opened on June 8, 2021, as a major component of the site's redevelopment.
- 2019
Retail-space demolition starts
[1]Demolition of approximately 290,000 square feet of retail space began for the Carillon mixed-use development.
- 2017
Retail center closes
[1]The Boulevard closed in November to make way for a larger redevelopment anchored by a regional medical center.
- 2008
Security concerns intensify
[1]The property faced extensive public-safety criticism, including reported car break-ins and plans to restrict unsupervised teenagers at night.
- 2003
The shopping center opens
[1]The Boulevard at the Capital Centre opened with more than 70 establishments beside the Largo Town Center Metro station.
- 2002
Construction begins
[1]Work began on the planned open-air retail center after developers recruited a substantial group of prospective tenants.
- 2001
Redevelopment planning and online promotion begin
[1]Developers promoted plans for a retail complex on the former Capital Centre site and considered an online presence connecting prospective shoppers with stores and venues.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as a middle-class open-air shopping and dining destination serving Prince George's County, with an accessible location beside the Largo Town Center Metro station.
Shopping center · 2003
Open-air retail center
The core offering was a multi-tenant open-air shopping and dining environment with more than 70 establishments at opening. The center combined apparel, consumer services, restaurants, and other neighborhood-oriented retail uses rather than selling products under a single proprietary brand.
Restaurant
Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles
A restaurant associated with entertainers Gladys Knight and Ron Winans operated at the shopping center. It was identified as a short-lived chain presence at the Boulevard and was not a continuing offering after the center's later decline.
Controversies
2008
Crime and public-safety problems
The center became associated with serious public-safety concerns. Five people were killed there between 2005 and 2009, while 101 car break-ins were reported in 2008. The incidents contributed to reputational damage and management's consideration of nighttime restrictions for unsupervised teenagers.
Brand decisions
2017
Closure and conversion to mixed-use redevelopmentStrategyBackground
Persistent vacancies, a weakened tenant mix, and the site's redevelopment potential led to plans for a new medical, residential, dining, and retail district.
Action taken
The shopping center closed in November 2017 and the property was designated for redevelopment.
Aftermath
Retail buildings were subsequently demolished, with the site redeveloped through the Carillon project and the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center.
2008
Consideration of nighttime teen restrictionsOtherBackground
Management faced concerns about crime, disorder, and the center's nighttime environment.
Action taken
The mall planned to bar unsupervised teenagers from being present at night.
Aftermath
The policy became part of the center's broader response to public-safety problems, although the retail development continued to struggle.
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