Development Watch: Subway in Downtown Hyattsville?
Subway franchisee wants to redevelop vacant property on Route 1.
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A Subway franchisee has his eyes on a blighted piece of downtown Hyattsville, with a proposal to transform a vacant aluminum-sided building near the intersection of Jefferson Street and Baltimore Avenue into a fast food restaurant.
The building, located at 5516 Baltimore Avenue, most recently housed the ill-fated Alberta's Thrift Shop, whose sign can still be seen hanging above the fenced off structure.
The site sits next to the Happy Wash car wash at 5514 Baltimore Avenue.
If given approval by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the site would be razed and redeveloped as a one-story, 1,400 sq. foot fast food sandwich restaurant.
But the property owner, Potomac resident Jagjot Khandpur, is requesting a variance, asking the planning commission to approve the project with a driveway and rear parking lot which takes up 35 percent of the 6,300 sq. foot footprint of the property. The Prince George's County Gateway Arts District zoning calls for buildings to take up 80 percent of their lot frontage, a requirement which Khandpur's proposal does not meet.
According to city documents, Khandpur has two decades experience running Subway franchises, and he has already received corporate approval to expand to downtown Hyattsville.
Khandpur bought the property in 2011.
The proposed restaurant calls for a two lane, 22-foot wide driveway which connects to a small parking lot in the rear of the property.
"Due to the narrow frontage of the lot, the requirement to provide parking in the rear and the need to provide a two way driveway access to the parking, we cannot provide the required 80 percent frontage development as required," reads a letter from the applicant. "Meeting this requirement would render the property useless."
His proposal comes before the Hyattsville City Council tonight when he asks for their approval of his amendment to the Arts District's development standards.
The city council meets at 8 p.m. at the Hyattsville Municipal Building on Gallatin Street.
susie
9:01 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
I'd love a Subway close to home but what I would really like is consistent, planned development for the rest of this section of Rte 1. Not sure that a whole bunch of free-standing buildings makes sense with the new shopping center and homes being built.
Clinton Bradley
9:53 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
For years there was a subway on Rt. 1 in the Riverdale section which eventually failed.
Michael Theis
10:13 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
I remember that one. Used to get sandwiches there all the time. Now it's a Caribbean restaurant, one which I highly recommend: http://patch.com/A-tshM
Now, one wonders if a new location would be more successful for Subway.
Timothy Winters
11:46 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
I think the new location will be successful. There will be over 200 new apartment units coming on line starting this fall and about 150 new townhomes to be completed in the coming years. Because of the residential density and the concentration of high-quality retail, the Arts District generates a fair amount of traffic.
Adelphi Sky
11:59 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Why the need for parking? I thought the whole idea of the Arts District was to make it more walkable. Does the owner not believe there will be enough foot traffic on the street? I don't think fewer parking spaces would render his businesses useless. Like Mr. Winters stated above, there will be hundreds of customers within walking distance to the restaurant.
Michael Theis
12:07 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Hey all, I've added a second image to the media gallery for this article. It shows a top-down plan of the proposed parking lot which Mr. Khandpur wants to build.
Donald James
12:14 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
I really don't like the idea of a one story building in this location. Just for a sub shop? With all the building and new residents going on, there should be a mix of uses. It doesn't have to be tall...maybe 3 stories or so would make this proposal so much better.
Edward
1:00 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
There's only 5 parking spots there in the back. I imagine they'd be perpetually full.
Scot Brown
2:06 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Humm... this is a tough one.
One: I think his aeration of the property being “useless otherwise’ is sort of a soft threat. Are we to assume since he bought the property in 2011 that his going to let it sit vacant if he does not get his way? That’s tacky business practice on his part, verging on obnoxious.
Two: If he really needs 5 parking spaces (perhaps for employees/handicap) how about access from the back via Kennedy Street. That would give him much more usable square footage for retail.
Three: the big picture must be seen here, It needs to fit in with the new neighborhood. Have the owners of the car wash and tire place and the law office on 44th properties been included? Maybe a joint venture.
Four: Where is the site for the future parking facility? This is a factor also. (God, please someone say Sudsville, albeit a very well taken care of property. Just doesn’t fit the next mix)
This corner is a critical part of the downtown. It’s important to get it right.
Mark Ferguson
10:00 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
One - the 22' drive aisle is a code requirement, as is the 80% frontage requirement. The two requirements simply conflict on a site this narrow. To allow for parking in the rear (also a code requirement), the site would need to be 110' wide; it isn't. So one of the two requirements have to give for any development to be possible, and a narrower entrance is essentially not possible for cars to be able to get in and out at the same time.
Two - the lot has no access to Kennedy Street.
Three - The owners of the car wash and the law office are different people. They have no more interest in this site (for whatever its use) than you do in having your neighbors share your bedroom.
Four - Who knows?
Nick
10:49 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Starbucks would be better.
Scot Brown
8:03 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
That’s very helpful information M. Ferguson, sounds like code needs to be reconsidered for this situation. It does not sound like the site is unusable if J. Khandpur’s plan is not approved.
As for the bedroom comment, it lacks vision. I work for a company that enters into joint ventures when the situation is right. Seems to me this might be an opportunity. There are three/four small lots in a location undergoing dynamic change. “What is it? The stuff that dreams are made of…”
And as for neighbor and bedrooms… would I get to pick which ones? lol