Council Expected to Approve Landy Plans

At its meeting tonight, the Hyattsville City Council is expected to approve – with revisions – a revised detailed site plan for the Landy development.

The council last week heard from Chip Reid, attorney for Landy property owner Marvin Blumberg, about the new plans, which called for only a five story building in phase one of the three-phase project.

The project, which originally included seven phases of 16-story high-rise apartment buildings, has been before the Prince George's District Council for three years and was recently remanded back to the county planning board.

Reid said that the building would have fifth-story lofts with pitched roofs to try to meet the county's six-story rule in the Transit District Development Plan.

The council is requesting three slight revisions:

1. The site plan should be revised to meet the six-story minimum height requirements;

2. The applicant should agree to achieve LEED certification for all three phases of the development; and

3. The applicant should continue its commitment to a regional approach on storm water management with both local public and private entities.

Phase one is proposed to have 406 apartments in a building facing Belcrest Road. The total project would have over a thousand apartments.

The Landy property is situated north of Toledo Terrace and just west of Northwestern High School.

Council members have several concerns about the project, which was approved in various revisions in 2001 and in 2007.

Also on the council meeting agenda, a public hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m., before the council meeting, in response to a petition from residents of the 3100 Block of Gumwood Drive. The petitioners have requested that the city establish a residential parking zone and enforce residential parking restrictions in the block.