Hyattsville Could Spearhead Region-wide Market Study

Hyattsville is spearheading a region-wide marketing study to determine whether or not areas along the Route 1 corridor can sustain new development.

said last week that the city has spoken with the mayors of University Park and College Park about the plan and intended to speak with Riverdale Park Mayor Vernon Archer as well.

“The idea is that we will look at a number of issues affection actually all four of our communities,” Tartaro said.

Three years ago, the 38.5-acre area of land off Route 1 in Riverdale Park owned by the Cafritz family was tapped for development purposes, expected to turn into a multi-use property. The plans  stagnated until on May 12 developers presented plans for Whole Foods and other available retail space.

“The process is moving forward a little quicker than anyone thought,” Tartaro said of the Cafritz owners’ pursuit of a zoning change. “This is something that affects all of us.”

The land is currently zoned for 220 to 250 single-family homes. The project's developers, however, want to change the zoning classification to Mixed-Use Infill within the College Park-Riverdale Transit District Overlay Zone, which is for Metro-oriented development.

, executive director of the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, who is at the helm of the study, said the Cafritz property is actually closer to the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station than the College Park Metro station.

“Essentially we’ve had six years of ” he said. “So when requests come forward with a zoning change request—in Hyattsville [we] have a mechanism in place to ensure that it fits.”

However, changes in the national economy have quashed some plans and have tripped up those in the works, he said.

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“What’s important is overall if you have a lot of money going into infrastructure you need to know if new development is going to harm existing development,” Eisenberg said. “You don’t want to oversupply if you harm existing businesses.”

Eisenberg is not yet sure how much the study would cost but said all parties involved would be asked to help facilitate it.

Some of the things this study would look into are vacancy rates, the income of area residents, their spending patterns and consumer preferences.

“If we understand what our markets are like … we can put resources where they need to go,” Eisenberg said. “Being proactive pays.”