If you were driving by this empty plot of grass in Largo recently, you might have wondered whether a cargo vessel made some egregious error.
A handful of electric, Yves Klein blue shipping containers dot the site, and a truck was hauling in two more on Wednesday around noon. The driver parked the vehicle and its cargo, the truck bed tilted back and out slid one crate and then the next.
Ian Callender stood there with a big grin on his face. “That’s kinda cool,” he said with a hearty chuckle.
Callender, 44, and his business partner, Scooty Hallums, are behind this shipment that will help create the newest location of Sandlot, an outdoor community space. Their efforts have turned similar vacant lots across the capital region into spaces where residents can gather for casual drinks or special celebrations.
Sandlot is the first sign of a larger project, which was announced June 18, to transform this quiet corridor of Largo. Callender did not commit to a specific timeline for opening Sandlot but estimated that it would be ready by October, at the latest.
County officials partnered with Banneker Ventures, a D.C.-based real estate and development firm, to oversee the larger project, The Promenade at Lottsford, a $340 million endeavor at the intersection of Lottsford Road and McCormick Drive that they hope spurs economic development.
The project is on track to break ground in summer 2027, according to Carri Robinson, Banneker’s vice president of real estate development. Plopping down Sandlot in this space is symbolic for what comes next.
“The big picture was how can we begin to activate this site? How can we begin to start place-making and changing the perception of what people think, or really even creating a perception, of what downtown Largo is,” Robinson told The Banner in a Thursday phone call.
Banneker Ventures has other developments across the region, including the ongoing work at Capitol Heights’ Park Place at Addison Road and in D.C. Both Callender and Robinson hinted that when Sandlot has to be broken down to make way for construction of the Promenade, it could potentially move to other Banneker developments in the county.
Banneker’s efforts, and Sandlot’s choice of shipping container color, with the county are part of a larger plan to further develop the Blue Line corridor. The Promenade at Lottsford is a joint development between Banneker Ventures and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, according to officials.
County stations from Benning Road toward Downtown Largo carry around 8,800 daily riders, a Metro official said at June’s news conference. The agency estimates that the Largo project will spark a growth of 57,000 new riders annually.
For Callender and Hallums, bringing Sandlot to Largo was a personal mission to deliver more culture to the place they grew up.
They met as kids at Reid Temple A.M.E. Church and recall going to events across the capital region before they began throwing their own events.
“People have come to us and been saying, ‘Why don’t you guys bring something like this out to PG? We need this, we need this, we need this,’” Hallums, 45, said. “It’s like we heard people talking and we just wanted to answer their call.”
The idea for Sandlot started in the run up to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game hosted at Nationals Park. Hallums envisioned it as a one-off sponsorship showcase, but it grew after Callender urged Hallums to flesh it out. It initially landed in Southeast D.C. and has taken many forms. They now have four locations including across D.C. and Tysons Corner, Virginia.
“He and I said this deserves to be a permanent space,” Callender said. “Because Black folk didn’t have a place to assemble outside with a sense of ownership. There’s beer gardens or the Bullpen, but now you know the idea of having a physical space that could have Black ownership and produce events that we appreciate and amplify sound without filing a noise complaint.”
Sandlot’s Largo location would be their first foray into Maryland after previous discussions fell through, Callender said. Sandlot venues all have similar visual motifs of shipping containers repurposed as decor and functional bars and points of service. They attract myriad events including day parties, wine mixers, watch parties for games and more.
It was an easy fit for Banneker Ventures to pair with Sandlot. “We really felt like their style of program curation would really resonate with the demographic we were trying to serve, and we felt like that would be an authentic way to introduce ourselves to the market,” Robinson said.
Callender wrapped up at the construction site and headed toward the parking lot of Jasper’s, a nearby restaurant previously called BET Soundstage where he worked as a host for years after high school. He wanted to record a video for social media to trace Sandlot Largo back to his roots. As he sat in his car, he let his mind wander to other projects he wants to dream up in Prince George’s.
“I’ve seen so much opportunity in the District through the creative lens that I didn’t see anywhere else, but now I’m seeing that creative lens reflect back to the county,” Callender said. “So, now the focus is to put extra effort into making things vibrant the way that we did in the city for the county … not just for us, but for the next group to come in and turn something on to give these residents something that they need and deserve.”
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