Thursday, May 16, 2013
After more than 9 hours of testimony, the plan passed unanimously.
Welcome to the live blog of the Prince George's County Planning Board hearing on the preliminary plans of the Cafritz property. 10:49: p.m.: The preliminary plan for the Cafritz property passes the planning board unanimously, 4-0. 10:44 p.m.: Hewlett say she thinks the historic preservation review requirement has been met, as ERCO is intended to be torn town and the J-crossing of the bridge will have even less of an effect on the historic ice house than the previous version of the bridge. She has asked these to be entered into the record as findings. 10:24 p.m.: Hewlett calls for a motion. Council Memeber Manuel Geraldo calls for a motion to approve the Cafritz preliminary plan. Motion is seconded. The planning board will now review …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The measure passed by the council creates boundaries for a new tax district to fund infrastructure improvements.
Prince George's County Council voted 6-2 on Tuesday to approve the boundaries for what will become a special taxing district to fund infrastructure improvements on the proposed Cafritz development in Riverdale Park. The measure was passed over the objections of the University Park Town Council, which voted against supporting the preliminary plan of subdivision for the new Cafritz development on Monday evening. At the Prince George's County Council meeting on Tuesday, University Park Town Councilwoman Arlene Christiansen (Ward 3), raised concerns that the development could cause property tax assessments to rise for nearby properties in her town. Her University Park Town Council colleague, Councilman James Gekas (Ward 2), urged the county…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Council says several conditions have not been met, though its conclusions are in direct opposition to the county's planning board staff and the Riverdale Park Town Council.
The University Park Town Council Monday unanimously disapproved the Cafritz development preliminary plan, saying several conditions had not been met. The council reviewed its position at a special session Monday night and made more specific its concerns about the development. "Vague objections don't cut it," Mayor John Tabori said. "To simply say we don't like the bridge is not a meaningful objection." The specific conditions the council feels have not been met include: Tabori said several times during the meeting that the council needed to lay out clearly why the council believes the conditions had not been met. The council made clearer its position that the developers hadn't established a funding mechanism for the development even though…
The preliminary plan goes before the Prince George's County Planning Board on Thursday.
Prince George's County has moved once step closer to possibly getting its first Whole Foods last week when—in a report dated May 9—the Prince George's County planning staff recommended approval with conditions of the preliminary plan of the Cafritz property. The approval comes after a recent agreement between UMD and Calvert Tract LLC, in which the University of Maryland granted developers right-of-way to build a CSX bridge, now referred to as the J-crossing, across its property. In January, the planning board staff recommended disapproval of the Cafritz property preliminary plan after developers failed to meet several conditions. Among those was the condition requiring them to secure right-of-way to build across the CSX tracks. …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Riverdale Park Town Council discussing their approval of the Cafritz development preliminary plan.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Developers have received the required right-of-way to satisfy one of the conditions of the Cafritz property's rezoning.
After several missteps, proposal rejections, and reconfigurations Calvert Tract, LLC has received the required right-of-way to construct a CSX crossing as required by one of the property's conditions of rezoning. In a letter sent to the planning board on Tuesday, UMD agreed to convey property to Calvert Tract LLC that would allow for a reconfigured CSX bridge, referred to as a J-crossing, subject to several conditions. The letter reads: The University believes the Cafritz development will bring an economic benefit to the region and a much-needed amenity to the community. We are pleased to support this important project with an appropriately located right-of-way connection that respects the affected University property. With this letter, …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Oral arguments in the case were set to be heard Thursday but have been rescheduled to a later date.
Oral arguments in a court case challenging the rezoning of the Cafritz property have been postponed from Thursday to a later date, according to multiple petitioners in the case. The District Council of Prince George's County approved the rezoning of the Cafritz property, owned by Calvert Tract LLC, from Residential-55 to Mixed-Use Town Center by a 7-2 vote on July 9, 2012. In August of 2012, a group of petitioners filed a court challenge of the zoning change. The case, Amster vs. County Council of Prince George's County, has been assigned to Circuit Court Judge Krystal Alves. According to University Park resident Tassie Hanna—one of the petitioners—oral arguments have been pushed back to a later point, likely a few weeks from now. Other …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Though Calvert Tract is in conversations with UMD, there has been no formal agreement.
Less than three weeks before its next appearance before the Prince George’s County Planning Board, Calvert Tract LLC has not secured property for the bridge over the CSX tracks that is required before construction can begin. Developers have been in conversations with the University of Maryland in an attempt to secure property for the crossing but have yet to receive a commitment, according to Larry Taub, a lawyer for Calvert Tract. “There is no letter,” Taub said. Initially, Calvert Tract approached the American Center for Physics with an offer to purchase land from its campus for the bridge, but that proposal was rejected in March. And while Taub and his colleagues were adamant that they had not secured commitment from UMD, they did …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Developers have submitted both a preliminary site plan and a detailed site plan for review in May.
After repeated delays due to the developers’ failure to meet several conditions, the Cafritz development is scheduled before the Prince George’s County Planning Board again in May. Calvert Tract’s efforts to begin developing the 37-acre parcel of land in north Riverdale Park first ground to a halt back in January when the planning board staff recommended disapproval of the prelminary site plan. Following a letter from the American Center for Physic, it became clear the developers had established neither a location or a funding mechanism for a CSX crossing. Under the terms of the rezoning plan approved by the planning board, ground cannot be broken until this condition is met. Developers also failed to meet several other conditions, …
Monday, March 18, 2013
The developers are seeking an alternative bridge proposal across property owned by the University of Maryland.
In yet another blow to the Cafritz development team, the American Center for Physics (ACP) has decided not to allow a CSX bridge across its property. In a letter to Jane Cafritz dated March 15, ACP president Beth Cunningham wrote that the organization opted to decline the developer’s proposal for the land required for the bridge, stating: Our decision is based not on any defect in your plans for the bridge/roadway. Rather, our final decision is based on a judgement by ACP to maintain our current property with its extensive landscaped and treed environment. The ACP vision of a serene, verdant campus-like setting was established over 20 years ago. We are now reaffirming our hope to maintain that setting, but with enough land to give us …
Jenni Pompi
8:43 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
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