The proposed development is to construct a 7-story, mixed-use building, including 123 furnished studio apartments that could accommodate up to 256 beds, and 2,300 square feet of retail.
The Applicant is required to provide 109 parking spaces on site but was requesting a modification of the Development District Standards to provide only 60 spaces on site and an additional 50 spaces off site in a month-to-month agreement with the owners of the Cambria and The Hotel.
At the September 6 Worksession, there was concern expressed by the Council that the lack of on-site parking would negatively impact the adjacent neighborhood, and that the proposed agreement was inadequate. Other proffers from the Applicant were considered including a private shuttle and a per-space penalty payment for any spaces not available through the agreement. The
After further discussions with the Applicant and M-NCPPC staff, the Applicant is proposing to return to their original plan and provide all required parking spaces on site. The plan will not include a private shuttle service exclusively for the apartment residents.
Staff has drafted revised conditions to reflect this change. The Planning Board hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2022.
Mary Ann Hartnett
No Parking!!! Really. This is not a campus dorm although the college and developers seem to think it is. The University is like a giant fungus that is reaching out and claiming space throughout the City. Why can’t the City encourage the University to build dorms on campus? I know, because they do not bring in the revenue that the sports programs do.
Daniel K
Presumably, this apartment will be housing almost exclusively university students and employees. This apartment will be a short to medium walk for most destinations on UMD’s campus, The Student Union is the geographic center of the campus. This apartment will be 0.8 miles from that. It also helps that there’s a pedestrian bridge behind University View to reach the campus.
When factoring in the reconstruction of Route 1 that should be at least close to completion when this apartment opens, I don’t see why that many parking spots will be needed.
Given most apartment residents should be fine to walk/bike/bus, the developer should take extra care to include a reliable package delivery room/system so that they won’t have to schlep off-site for large packages.
But I agree with the applicant. If they’re going to commit to 109 spaces, better to provide all of them on site than export almost half of them to other properties, especially on-street. My point is I don’t know that even 109 spaces is needed. 60, or any number less than 109 that noticeably saves on construction cost, could be enough.