Town Center

Town Center Vision Statement (1999)

This vision statement resides on the official town website; it was written by Chris Davis, Mary Donaldson, Ken Laureys, Ed Joynes, Taylor Wells, and Bruce Wernek.

Riverdale Park hopes green retail can raise area’s allure

Riverdale Park town center’s future is now a little greener

Business owner pitches ‘eco-village’ concept to community

by Elahe Izadi

"Riverdale Park’s town center—largely unoccupied and tucked away in the town’s core—may become a beacon for all things green." Green business entrepreneur pitches his idea for the greening of Town Center.
Read the full article in the Gazette (Thursday, July 10, 2008)

Officials hope cluster of environmentally friendly businesses will become shopping destination

by Maya T. Prabhu | Staff Writer

Riverdale Park is considering bringing environmentally-friendly retail to its town center with the hopes of making the commercial area a destination spot.

Read the full article in the Gazette (Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007)

Development Plan for Cafritz Property on Route 1 Raises Concerns
Carrie Dindino
Maryland Newsline
Friday, Nov. 16, 2007

RIVERDALE PARK, Md. - Officials of the towns surrounding the 35.8-acre Cafritz property - which fronts U.S. Route 1 in Riverdale Park - are raising concerns about the scope of development that owners are proposing for the now-wooded property. “I think all of the communities in this area have expressed concern that it is really too dense, too many people, for that site,” said Riverdale Park Council member Alice Walker.
Read the full article in Maryland Newsline (11/16/07)

Cafritz group scaling down their proposal
12/14/07 update: Mayor Archer reported at the Riverdale Park Business Association meeting on Wednesday that the Cafritz group is in the process of scaling down their proposal considerably: Shorter buildings, maybe 1000 units instead of the 2000 proposed earlier; less retail space. This, clearly, in recognition of the need to win support from University Park and College Park in addition to Riverdale Park in order to get the rezoning they need in order to proceed with anything other than single-family homes in the development. --Dwight

Kenilworth Avenue

County begins exploring how to revitalize business corridor

Residents see lots of room for improvement on Kenilworth Avenue

by Maya T. Prabhu | Staff Writer

The central Kenilworth Avenue corridor needs a host of upgrades, like façade improvement and a better way to keep trash at bay, residents say.

County planners will use that information and other feedback in a revitalization study of that portion of the road, most of which lies within Riverdale Park. Planners launched the study Oct. 23 and will continue to look for community help in identifying the biggest issues confronting the area.

Read the full article in the Gazette Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007

Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue, Riverdale Park)

Tara Thai joins Busboys and Poets at that new chique Baltimore Avenue address, EYA/Hyattsville/Riverdale Park!

1/5/08 Ward 1 Councilwoman Alice Ewen Walker reported on TownTalk that Aakash
Thakkar of EYA informed the M-UTC committee that Tara Thai restaurant has signed a letter of intent to open a restaurant in the EYA development! Tara Thai thus joins Busboys and Poets as tenants who have signed on the dotted line to make sure that Riverdalians and Hyattsvillians remain caffeinated, cultured and well-fed! "Hopefully it will open in early 2009", Alice wrote.

Tara Thai doesn't seem to have their own website. Several of their area locations are reviewed in the Post; here's a link to the 2003 review of the Gaithersburg restaurant: Tara Thai reviewed In Washington Post

Busboys and Poets now has a Shirlington location along with their Columbia Heights location; both are reviewed in the Post.

Residents say project will crowd area schools
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007

Residents say project will crowd area schools

by Maya T. Prabhu | Staff Writer

Riverdale Park-area residents continued to voice their concerns at community meetings held Sept. 15 and 18 that a proposed development in their neighborhood could add to school overcrowding.

Calvin Cafritz Enterprises shared a draft concept plan for the project at the conclusion of a series of scheduled community meetings that began in June. Developers said they would schedule more community meetings in the future as the process continues. Calvin Cafritz Enterprises plans to create a mixed-use development near Route 1 and the MARC rail lines. [more]

Cafritz Property team to discuss design principles

by Maya T. Prabhu | Community Notebook
Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Cafritz family and its development team will meet with residents tonight and Saturday to discuss the design principles for the property located in Riverdale Park along Route 1. [more]

Route 1 (College Park)

East Campus to open in phases from 2010 to 2014

Excerpts:

University officials estimate that the first phase, including most of the housing and other buildings, will be completed by 2011. The second phase, which will include housing for graduate students, would open in 2014.
The Birchmere plans to open a 500-seat, state-of-the-art music venue at the location by 2010, and the university and its developer are working to secure a specialty grocer, such as Whole Foods or Harris Teeter.
***

"Maryland has a goal to be a top 10 university, and they realize without a top 10 college town, they would never make it," said Douglas M. Duncan, the former Montgomery County executive and the university's vice president for administrative affairs, who is overseeing the project.
The $700 million development, to be called East Campus, will be used to lure faculty and students and to link the university with the surrounding neighborhood. The project is part of a growing trend on college campuses that are trying to improve recruiting efforts and strained neighborhood relationships. Duncan said he was surprised by the mistrust and tension between the university and its community when he began working on the project. For the development to be successful, he said tensions would need to be eased.
"This is for the community. This is for Prince George's County," Duncan said. "We want [the community] to come to it and be proud of it."
Complete article available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/06/AR2008010602244.html