Parts Of UTC Up For Auction

Patch has learned that parts of University Town Center will be auctioned off on Aug. 10.

According to Alex Cooper auctions and real estate services the portions of UTC potentially being jettisoned in the auction are:

• 6450, 6451, 6500, 6501 and 6506 America Boulevard.

• 6400 America Boulevard, north of Toldeo Road between Belcrest Road and Adelphi Road.

The auction will be held at 11 a.m. at the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County in Upper Marlboro.

Zaneeta Daver lives in a condominium at One Independence Plaza at UTC. She’s also the vice president of the UTC homeowner’s association.

“I am not sure what this means for the condo owners and so we [the board of directors] are working with our lawyers to understand all of the implications,” she said. “If banks maintain ownership of this project that worries me. If a developer purchases it and can bring the development back to life, that excites me.”

In late August, talks were in the works for more than 3,000 new jobs to come to UTC as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services then was looking for a new home for a new satellite office.

"It would be a huge development, literally and figuratively," said Chris Urban, who then was property manager for Prince George's Metro Center, Inc., the firm responsible for developing University Town Center.

ended up not choosing the Hyattsville location.

The town center has also lost other occupants, some of which were lessees who backed out on their decision. One of those vendors was Wow! Cafe & Wingery, who never even opened doors at the location where Hank’s Tavern and Eats now operates.

Others didn’t come through and some who did—New Town Cleaners, Gifford’s Ice Cream & Candy,  The Original Soupman, and Smoothie King—closed up shop soon after opening. Three Brothers Italian Restaurant has a location at UTC that initially was owned by Michael and Carol Cron, who ended up shutting down that location. It has since been re-opened under new management.

Carol Cron said then that she largely blamed UTC for the end of their business.

“The biggest problem was with University Town Center, and their lack of ability to manage a retail shopping center,” she told Patch previously. “We thought the location was a 'AAA' one when they came to us, and described what they had in mind, showed us the plans, etc.

“The construction of the was written into our lease ... there was supposed to be a big box store ... a hotel. So not only did they not know how to market to potential tenants, then didn't know how to market the complex in general, or to manage it.

"The center was nearly two years behind schedule in construction, and during that time costs went up, up, up,” Cron said.

A “Lifestyle Safeway” grocery store is being promoted on UTC’s website, but UTC reps have told Patch that deal fell through.

A representative from UTC did not return requests seeking comment as of press time, but UTC has previously told