Hyattsville 2.0 v.7.1

The HOPE list, which I believe is probably one of the biggest citizen run community list serves in the area (and the best, of course), has 711 active emails to its credit. Of those, there are probably a bunch of people who have their work and home emails on the system so individual users probably fall somewhere in the 650 area. 

As moderator of this HOPE list, I try to let things go as long as possible and make an attempt not to push any kind of agenda, though there are times that I’ll cut off conversation and every now and again, fan the fires myself (i.e. plastic bags = oil = support of some countries that support terrorism). The great thing about a list serve of this size is that on any one topic, you will get a diverse snapshot of attitudes, philosophy, agendas, politics and general information that you may not have heard elsewhere. This brings me to the topic of today’s blog – Whole Foods.

Since this topic surfaced in Hyattsville () and was reported on by WTOP, there have been almost 60 separate emails on the subject. To recap the info specific to Whole Foods, Riverdale Park and Whole Foods announce that a development on the Cafritz property will have Whole Foods as the anchor and there will be additional “high end” retail. The current site is zoned as Residential (150 single family homes) and a change in that zoning would be necessary. (Does some of this seem familiar? Well, there was some discussion of this back in 2007 on the HOPE list).

Those are some of the facts that we know of right now. What comes next is the onslaught of opinions on the subject. 

• There are already so many grocery stores in the area; will Whole Foods even be visited? People who posted were pretty split on this, with some saying it will do great, and other thinking not so much, with Yes!Market, MOM, Glut, Aldi, Shoppers, Giant, Safeway, El Primo, H&A, The Store, and the Farmers Markets in the area already.
• Another issue was about Whole Foods itself. Many applauded with excitement that a high end grocery store might be coming our way. Others went the other direction, calling Whole Foods “Whole Paycheck Foods” and decrying Whole Foods political philosophy.
• There were also some comments about the “loss of small town” with a couple different posts about how the area is turning into a Rockville Pike or other homogenized retail store strip of road.
• Smart Growth was mentioned in several posts. The idea is that if you build inside the beltway and offer the amenities that attract residents, people will move inside the beltway rather than purchasing McMansions outside the beltway. The problem, as brought up by past-Mayor Bill Gardiner, is that there needs to be mixed-use development in appropriate locations, with the emphasis on appropriate. With no Metro access (well, there could be some if there was a path across the RR tracks and you don’t mind hiking a ½ mile or so), no alternative roads and the destruction of green, heavily wooded area of its size (very few area remaining in our area), it does not seem to make sense to support the re-zoning.
• This leads to Environmental concerns. The Cafritz site is pretty big, roughly 36 acres that is heavily wooded. Granted, building anything there is going to knock down trees, but putting in the development as proposed clears the whole area without any hope of saving trees. There are a bunch of deer and other critters in there. Where are they going to go? There was also no mention of forcing the businesses that would open there to be green. Solar Panels? Geo Thermal? LEED certified?
• “Dissing” Prince George's County is so easy to do. I was at a Fourth of July party in Baltimore and someone from Baltimore County started going off on Prince George's (like Baltimore County has no issues, right?) and I just had to speak up. Yes, our beloved county has some bumps and bruises, that is without a doubt and we do what we can to correct them. But some of the criticism that is put out there is pure stereotyping/racism. I am referring to the comments in the WTOP article about the Whole Foods. Why are those comments even allowed to be published in the first place?
• Traffic. This is a huge concern and was brought up by pretty much everyone involved. I saved this for last because I think this is the make or break issue.  In order for this to go through in any kind of fashion, they are going to have to show that Route 1 and the corresponding intersections can handle the traffic. Can you imagine making a left from 410 onto Rt. 1 on a Saturday when everyone is out for their trip to Whole Foods? It is pretty packed already. Maybe if QC was reopened through University Park (ok, relax UP friends, I’m just kidding!) Others have said that until some kind of study is done, it’s too early to tell if traffic will be a concern. How many cars could it possible add? Traffic is bad already; would it make it that much worse?

I probably missed a few points in here as there were a ton of emails, but I think I grabbed most of them. Here is my summary and my view (since it’s my blog!):

It is my belief that the county, as well as the Hyattsville/Riverdale Park/College Park/University Park area, would benefit from having a Whole Foods. The county is lacking upscale retail and maybe, just maybe, if some of these “upper end” (at least perceived that way) stores start opening, it will pave the ways for others.  Where my problem lies is location. A store as such is much better suited elsewhere, be it at UTC or at the proposed East Campus location. I know that Riverdale Park is itching to get in on this and do something with the Cafritz property to bring in some revenue. I can’t fault my neighbors for that. To them I say, please be patient. If EYA development succeeds as we hope it does, others will come knocking for that property and you won’t have to give as many deals to get them to commit (I’m guessing there are some tax breaks and other incentives) to building there. If you are un-swayed by the pleas to not build it, then a solid plan is needed with lots of community input. I’m not just talking about Riverdale Park community, but bring in all of the neighbors (not sure if Hyattsville did this when EYA came in, but that should not matter). Do your homework and ensure that the roads can handle the extra traffic. Most importantly to me, build it with the environment in mind.  Demand that trees remain, sanction part of the woods as a park, and require green building including solar, geo-thermal and LEED certification. If you don’t require it, they will build as cheap as possible. This construction is going to be met with much resistance from neighboring communities, and many residents around the area.  What is done on that property will have a lasting impact for generations so think long term about what is best for the area.

*Comments always encouraged and welcome!