Please see below the January College Park Development update. The Development Update is a bi-monthly newsletter prepared by the City of College Park Planning, Community and Economic Development Department covering development activity in the City. Please feel free to distribute this information as you see fit. Questions or comments can be directed to Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater, he can be reached at (240)487-3543 or msteifvater@collegeparkmd.gov.

PLANS FILED (2) 

MARYLAND BOOK EXCHANGE (DSP-10028)  7501 BALTIMORE AVENUE
The property at 7501 Baltimore Avenue, the current site of the Maryland Book Exchange, was purchased in November 2010. The project is being developed by Ilya Zusin and Josef Mittlemann (R&J Company. LLC.), who have submitted a revised plan for a 6-story building that steps down to 4-stories along Yale Avenue. The revised plan includes 313 apartment units (946 beds), 14,300 square feet of ground floor retail and 297 parking spaces. The majority of the beds would be for undergraduate students with the remaining beds for graduate students and young professionals. The Maryland Book Exchange is expected to be relocated during construction and moved back to the site upon completion.

At the City Council worksession on January 3, 2011 the city’s planning staff believed the applicant’s revisions were not significant enough to warrant a change in the city’s position of disapproval. The City Council followed this recommendation and voted 8-0 in favor of denial on January 10. The Prince George’s County Planning Board continued its hearing on January 19th with the Planning Board voting 4-1 to approve the revised design with conditions. An appeal could be filed, which would result in the Prince George’s District Council hearing the case.

M SQUARE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND RESEARCH PARK (DSP-09028) 4400, 4500, 4600 RIVER ROAD
.This project is being developed by COPT and the University of Maryland. This latest addition to the research park will consist of three 5-story, 150,000 square-foot buildings for general office and research use, surface parking lots and a three-level parking garage. The project was pulled 2

from the City Council’s September 20, 2011 worksession, as the applicant is in the process of revising the plan. A new date to appear before City Council has not been set at this time. Visit their website at: http://www.msquare.umd.edu/

PLANS APPROVED (4)
The Detailed Site Plan for Domain was approved with conditions on February 24, 2011. The mixed-use residential development will have 258 multi-family units and 11,400 square feet of retail space. The Hanover Company is the developer and general contractor and UDR, a Denver based REIT, has replaced MetLife as their joint venture partner. Demolition of the existing building on the site is expected to take place in early February 2012, while grading and building permits should be issued by mid-March and mid-April 2012, respectively. The first units are expected to be ready for move-in by July 2013 with all units completed by July 2014.

DOMAIN AT COLLEGE PARK (DSP-09031), 7720 MOWATT LAN

MOSAIC AT TURTLE CREEK (DSP-080001), CORNER OF MOWATT LANE AND CAMPUS DRIVE

This project proposes multi-family residential housing that will include 300 units. The Detailed Site Plan was approved by the Planning Board on October 30, 2008, with conditions. The developers of this project, Owner Entity Fund II, LLC, subsequently applied for a departure to reduce the number of required parking spaces from 700 to 335, which was approved by the Planning Board on March 24, 2011. An expected start date has not been provided at this time.

TOWNEPLACE SUITES BY MARRIOTT (DSP-06018), 9620 AND 9624 BALTIMORE AVENUE

On October 26, 2010 the District Council adopted an order affirming (with conditions) the Planning Board’s decision to approve TownePlace Suites Detailed Site Plan. The project by Baywood Hotels will consist of a 75-room extended stay hotel operated by Marriott. On January 11, 2012, the applicant went before the Zoning Hearing Examiner (ZHE). Once the ZHE reaches a decision the applicant will be able to certify their DSP and apply for building permits.

UNIVERSITY VIEW VILLAGE (DSP-08080), 8320-8400 BALTIMORE AVE

Clark Construction proposes to develop a total of 272 units with 992 beds, 18,960 square feet of ground floor retail and 470 parking spaces. The Planning Board approved the Detailed Site Plan with conditions on May 21, 2009 for a project to be built in 2 phases. The first phase, for which permits have been applied for, will consist of a parking garage, a 104-unit building and 10,530 square feet of retail. An expected start date has not been given at this time.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION/ RECENTLY COMPLETED (4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (DSP-06026)
Construction on the 268,000 square foot, Class A office building resumed in mid-2011 after progress stalled due to a dispute between GSA and the project’s original contractor, Opus East 3 LLC. Skanska USA was selected as the new contractor in April 2011 and expects the building to be completed by April 2012. A small number of NOAA employees have begun moving into the building with a total of 800 employees expected to relocate once the building is completed. The building is part of the M Square Research Park and is designed to achieve LEED-Silver certification.

5840 RESEARCH COURT, RIVERDALE PARK

THE ENCLAVE/ STARVIEW PLAZA (DSP-04078), 8700 BALTIMORE AVENUE

The Enclave is a mixed-use commercial and residential building that opened in August 2011. The DSP for this development by Star Global Ventures was approved for 177 units (662 beds) of student housing, 9,487 square feet of ground floor retail, and a 355 space parking garage. Only the first phase of the project has been constructed, consisting of all the required parking and a building with 94 units (369 beds). No retail tenants have been signed at this point. Visit their website at: http://www.8700enclave.com/

THE VARSITY (DSP-07062), 8150 BALTIMORE AVENUE

The Varsity, a mixed-use development, opened in August 2011 with 258 units (901 beds) of student housing and 20,019 square feet of ground floor retail. As of December 28, 2011, the property has a new majority owner in American Campus Communities, Inc., which acquired 79.5% interest in the development. More details are available in the News and Information section below. Potomac Holdings has leased the retail space to a variety of businesses including Austin Grill Express, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Looney’s Pub, and Royal Farms, which all recently celebrated their grand openings. Additional tenants include YoLove, ChiDoGo’s, Frame Menders, and Roti, which are all in the midst of build-out and expect to open soon. You can visit The Varsity’s website at: http://www.varsitycollegepark.com/

COLLEGE PARK MOTEL/ GARDEN SUITES (DSP-05005), 8419 BALTIMORE AVENUE

The College Park Motel/ Garden Suites development has officially branded itself as a Best Western. This project by Vasu, LLC will result in a 50-room hotel with extended-stay suite facilities. The Detailed Site Plan for this development was approved with conditions on July 9, 2007. The motel structures were demolished on October 17, 2011, with construction currently in progress. The estimated completion date for this project is September 2012.

PLANNED PROJECTS (6)
BAYWOOD HOTELS (DSP- 10005), 9137 BALTIMORE AVENUE

On January 28, 2010 Baywood Hotels sent a pre-application notice about plans to replace the existing Howard Johnsons and Days Inn hotels. The proposal would replace the two hotels with two new hotels. The proposal also includes the construction of 8,835 square feet of commercial retail and office space. The application has not been filed yet. 4

CAFRITZ PROPERTY at RIVERDALE PARK (WHOLE FOODS), Along the East side of US Route 1 near the intersection with MD 410
On June 6, 2011 an informational notice was mailed for the site for a mixed-use community that will be built in phases. The first phase proposes a Whole Foods Grocery store, over 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, and 22,000 square feet of office space. The second phase proposes 995 residential units and a 120-room hotel. The Conceptual Site Plan and rezoning are the first steps of a multi-step process that will include filing for a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision and Detailed Site Plan. A second informational notice was mailed on August 17, 2011 indicating the intent of the applicant to apply for the MUTC zone to become part of the Riverdale Park Town Center.

The applicant initially appeared before the Prince George’s County Planning Board on December 15, 2011 for their rezoning request, but the hearing was continued until January 12, 2012 in order to address the concerns of the municipalities involved. The City Council discussed the rezoning request on January 3, 2012 at a worksession and followed the next week with a vote to oppose the request by a 6-2 vote. The Planning Board’s hearing on January 12, 2012 lasted for over seven hours, but was continued until 10 a.m. on February 2, 2012.

Visit the Cafritz property’s website at: http://www.cafritzpop.com/

EMBRY A.M.E CHURCH SPECIAL EXCEPTION (SE-4702) 5105 LAKELAND ROAD
On May 9, 2011 the Embry A.M.E Church filed a pre-application notice. The proposal is for the construction of a one-story addition to the existing building that will provide expanded office, kitchen and bathroom facilities.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EAST CAMPUS, SE corner of US1/Baltimore Ave and Paint Branch Parkway

The University of Maryland has plans to redevelop 38 acres of land along US1/Baltimore Ave. The University and Master Developer, the Cordish Companies, plan to partner with Clark Construction and Design Collective to design and build the project. Phase 1 of the project will occupy 22 acres of the redevelopment site and is slated to include a conference hotel, graduate student housing, several restaurants and a 500-seat music hall run by the Birchmere. There are also plans for a light rail station as part of the proposed Purple Line development. A public information meeting with the developer and the University of Maryland was held on November 30, 2010 and the City Council recently received a briefing on the project by the University of Maryland. Financing for the project is under review and no application or construction dates were announced. Visit their website at: http://www.eastcampus.umd.edu/

KOON’S FORD, 8315 BALTIMORE AVENUE

According to the site representative, Keane Enterprises, there are preliminary plans for a 150-room hotel and 25,000 square feet of retail space on the former automotive dealer’s site. The developers have not identified a hotel brand yet. The conceptual site plan is being prepared but so far nothing has been noticed or filed. 5

ATTICKS TOWER, 9014 RHODE ISLAND AVENUE

The College Park Housing Authority is exploring options to complete a $5 million rehabilitation of this low-income, senior housing development. A Request for Proposals received significant interest, with seven candidates selected to present their teams and plans over two days in mid-October 2011. A final round took place in December with three finalists and the winner is expected to be announced by the end of January 2012. The selected team will explore financing options in early 2012 and commence construction upon securing funding.

NEWS and INFORMATION (2), STUDENT HOUSING COMPANY ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN THE VARSITY

On December 28, 2011, American Campus Communities, Inc., the nation’s largest owner and manager of high-quality student housing properties acquired 79.5% interest in the entity that owns The Varsity. The deal was based upon a total value of $121.5 million, which gives the Austin, Texas-based company full operational control of the property. American Campus Communities, Inc., owns 117 properties containing 72,400 beds. More information regarding the company can be found on their website: www.americancampus.com.

COMMUNITY LEGACY PROGRAM

Community Legacy is a program of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development that provides resources to assist local governments in realizing community revitalization initiatives. It is intended as a flexible resource to fill key funding gaps not being met by other State or local financing and to position communities for increased private investments.

For the 2012 Fiscal Year, the City of College Park submitted a Community Legacy application for the demolition and marketing of vacant sites on Route 1 on October 26, 2011. The City applied for $140,000 in funds to be issued as a grant/loan combination, which would cover the razing of three dilapidated properties and the marketing of five development opportunities. Municipalities expect to be notified of their status in early 2012 with funding available sometime in mid-2012.