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Purple Line Press Conference, Cafritz Development Meeting, Tonight

Purple line through Campus Drive (ReThink College Park)

Legislators and community leaders from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties will call for funding the Purple Line with new transportation revenues in the next legislative session at a press conference tonight, 6:00pm at the University of Maryland College Park, Stamp Student Union

The event will coincide with a Purple Line open house organized by the Maryland Transit Administration.

Speakers will include State Senator Jamie Raskin, Delegate Susan Lee, College Park Mayor Andy Fellows, and representatives of the University of Maryland administration and student government.

The press conference is sponsored by the Purple Line Now coalition, the Action Committee for Transit, and Prince George’s Advocates for Community-Based Transit.

Karren Pope-Onwukwe, co-chair of PGACT, will preside.

The open house and press conference follow on the Federal Transit Administration’s endorsement of the Purple Line. The project received a “medium-high” rating, ranking it above most of the competition in the race for federal funding.

Purple Line backers are now urging the state to step up to match this important federal commitment when transportation funding is debated in this winter’s session of the legislature.

Also, an informational meeting on the proposed development at the 36-acre Cafritz property will take place tonight at the College Park City Hall (4500 Knox Road).

As I wrote before, the Cafritz property is located adjacent to Route 1, immediately south of College Park and east of University Park. The meeting will include a presentation on the latest development plans from the Cafritz developers and provide an opportunity for a public Q&A.

The Council may consider taking a position on the property – both University Park and Riverdale Park have sent letters expressing concern about the traffic impacts and the additional density that this project will create.