Council Supports Arts District House Redesign

The Hyattsville City Council overwhelmingly approved a measure supporting a developers request before the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission to redesign the exteriors of 61 houses planned for the east side of the Hyattsville Arts District.

Aakash Thakkar, senior vice president with developer EYA, said that new revisions to the design guidelines will offer a more modern look to the houses, in part to differentiate them from the houses already built in the Hyattsville Arts District development. 

The new designs feature more brick on the exteriors than in the units already built during the first phases of the residential build-out in the Arts District. The rooftop decks will also feature metal guardrails, and the windows will lack muntins (the strips of material which support enclose window panes).

Other than that, the units will remain generally remain the same, with similar lot widths to those already built on site. 

EYA has requested that the M-NCPPC approve the redesign administratively, a process reserved for minor design changes.

If approved, the new housing units could see construction begin as soon as April, according to Thakkar. 

The city council voted 8-1 to send a letter to the M-NCPPC in support of EYA's request. Councilor Paula Perry (Ward 4) voted against it, citing a "general opposition" which she did not explain in any detail during the meeting.