After months of secrecy, Mayor Marc Tartaro revealed details yesterday about where Hyattsville city leaders are looking to build a new parking facility for the city's redeveloping downtown Route 1 corridor.

Tartaro said that city officials are currently engaged in "active negotiations" with the owners of two properties in the 4500 block of Hamilton Street to acquire roughly one acre of land upon which could be built a new parking lot or parking garage. 

Money to buy the land would come from a $2.5 million bond issuance approved by the Hyattsville City Council back in July which was earmarked for parking infrastructure improvements.

Citing the ongoing negotiations, Tartaro did not reveal which specific properties the city was eyeing.

Yesterday, during a press conference with state officials announcing the award of $350,000 in Community Legacy grant money to demolish existing structures for a new Hyattsville parking facility (as well as other grant awards throughout the state), Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said the benefits of a new parking garage were self evident. 

"A new parking structure will make it easier for people to live, shop and work in this area," said Brown. 

Just installing a parking lot on the combined Hamilton Street properties would yield an estimated 80 to 100 additional parking spaces in downtown Hyattsville according to Tartaro. 

Tartaro, after the press conference, said that city planners still had to evaluate the need for additional parking along the Route 1 corridor before a final decision was made about whether or not to build a parking garage or a parking lot. 

"We could just put in a parking lot right now and then redevelop it later on as the need becomes apparent," said Tartaro. "It may be that we don't need a whole garage for this area, but as the area around continues to develop, I doubt that will be the case."

Tartaro reiterated earlier comments that it would be at least two to three years before a new parking facility could come online in downtown Hyattsville.