Landy Developer Again Before Council

Representatives of the Landy development came before the Hyattsville City Council Tuesday night, asking for support of a scaled-down revision of plans for the 34-acre parcel.

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.

"It became clear to us after three years that was too much height and too much density all at once," said attorney Chip Reid, who represents the project.

In the revised plan, phase one includes a four-story apartment building with a fifth-story loft and pitched roofs. The building is proposed to have 406 apartments and to face Belcrest Road. The total project – which would come in two more phases – 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.

"The big thing is how much apartments are going to do to our schools," said Councilwoman Paula Perry (Ward 4). "Plus apartments add a lot more traffic and we've already got a lot."

Members of the audience held up signs saying "No more traffic" when Perry mentioned this.

"We're getting so bogged down now that people are coming through our city streets just to avoid the main streets," Perry told Reid.

Developer Marvin Blumberg – who has owned the property for over 50 years – will pay fees for the impact that the project will have on public safety and schools, although the money is not earmarked to go to this specific area, Reid said.

Mayor William Gardiner said the council plans to vote on support of the project on Sept. 13.