Actually, make that 5,520 units in the development pipeline in the Route 1 corridor. In a post yesterday, I gave a rundown of major residential development projects up-and-down the inner Route 1 suburbs. Seems I undercounted! Since then, a number of readers reached out to let me know about some major projects I overlooked in my post – including some I’ve written about before! So, here’s a more complete accounting of the major residential developments planned for Route 1. Yesterday’s post has been updated to link to this one.
Quality Inn
- Address: 7100 Baltimore Avenue, College Park
- Units: 400 market-rate-apartments
- Retail: 73,000 square feet
- Status: Approved by University regents, County approvals still needed and not filed
Notes: Formerly home to Plato’s Diner and a mid-century Quality Inn, this site on College Park’s southern border is being developed by Terrapin Development Co., the University of Maryland organ created to sell development rights to University property. It’s pitched as a massive, transformative southern retail gateway for College Park. City officials hope the market-rate apartments will attract year-round residents or induce college grads to put down local roots. Last time this project was in the news, College Park had approved a property tax credit to incentivize redevelopment and the developers, Bozutto Group, said they needed to secure financing.
Highline Hyattsville
- 3700 East-West Highway, Hyattsville
- Units: 340 market rate apartments
- Retail: A small amount of ground floor retail space is planned
- Status: Construction underway, pre-leasing
Notes: This is a bold office-to-apartment conversion underway near the Prince George’s Plaza neighborhood in Hyattsville. In 2018, Berkshire Cos. subsidiary 3700 East West LLC received approval to add 28 units to its plans, boosting the total unit-count to 340. It’s unique in the corridor for being an office conversion, itself made necessary by the decreasing office needs of a digital age (paper records took up a lot of space).
Western Gateway
- Address: Near Campus Drive and Adelphi Road in College Park
- Unit: 300 grad-school apartments, 83 townhomes
- Retail: None planned
- Status: Plan approved by University regents, County approvals still needed and not filed
Notes: The University of Maryland in April approved a ground lease of 2.6 acres of land on the western Campus Drive entrance to the school to Gilbane to develop 300 below-market-rate apartments to cater to the school’s graduate student population. In addition, it sold 8.1 acres to Gilbane upon which it is allowed to build up to 83 townhomes for sale at market rates. Only on acre of that land is developable, the remainder cannot be developed. The site sits near future Purple Line stations. While University of Maryland officials have given their blessing, County planning authorities must also sign off on the project. So far, no applications have been filed.
Branchville Crossing
- Address: Near Greenbelt Road and Rhode Island Avenue in College Park
- Units: 80 below-market-rate apartments
- Retail: None
- Status: Developer plans to file application soon
Notes: Cruz Development is reviving plans to build an affordable housing complex near Greenbelt Road and Rhode Island Avenue. These plans first surfaced in 2015 and met resistance from some neighbors over concerns about parking and predictably classist (don’t read the comments) concerns about crime. Among their opponents: the Branchville Fire Department, which sued to dispute Cruz’s ownership of the land. The suit didn’t pan out [FACT CHECK]. The developer now plans to propose approximately 80 units of below-market-rate apartments, and is eligible for a federal tax credit as a result. One major change to the proposal from 2015 is the addition of a two-story parking garage with more than 130 spaces.