Hyattsville

Update: Werrlein’s Magruder Pointe plans get court date

By |

It will be at least until February before the future of the former WSSC headquarters in Hyattsville is known. Developer Werrlein Properties Inc., has plans to build a mix of townhomes and detached homes on the property. But the project, dubbed Magruder Pointe and which received county approval for its conceptual plans earlier this year, has been tied up in the courts as both the city of Hyattsville and a group of nearby residents have turned to the courts to overturn that approval. In a procedural step, Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge John Davey combined the two cases into one in a ruling issued Nov. 4, 2019.

Hyattsville

Sub-urban: Hyattsville grapples with gas station stone’s throw from Metro

By |

Hyattsville City Council voted 10-to-one to recommend county officials impose a slew of conditions on a proposed demolition and redevelopment of the Sunoco gas station next to the Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station. The proposal is controversial from a policy perspective. The gas station is located in the heart of zoning area designed to encourage dense, walkable, mixed-use development to surround the Metro station. The entire area is marketed as Hyattsville’s second downtown, and according to city planners – as well as years of City Council policymaking – auto-oriented uses such as gas stations and drive-throughs are not permitted to be built or, for those that already exist, are not allowed to significantly expand. Hyattsville City Council’s vote came after the developer submitted a revised application that dramatically reduced the size of the planned retail and office building for the project.

Hyattsville

Is a gas station needed near Prince George’s Plaza Metro?

By |

Hyattsville City Council will consider a controversial proposal to demolish the gas station at Belcrest Road and East-West Highway so that a larger gas station can be built in its place. The proposal is controversial for several reasons. The biggest reason is that the redevelopment project is located smack dab in the center of the Prince George’s Plaza Transit Overlay Zone, a special zoning category designed to create a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood befitting the Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station. 

Gas stations, as a result, are not permitted under those zoning rules. However, this gas station, a Sunoco built in 1961, is grandfathered in. An existing gas station, such as the Sunoco, would be allowed to build a small expansion, but generally cannot expand its building fooprint by more than 15 percent.

Development

After some confusion, Dewey development gets Hyattsville blessing

By |

In a mostly-procedural – and sometimes confusing – step, Hyattsville City Council gave its conditional blessing to a proposal to redraw property lines on a 4-acre property to accommodate a planned 880-unit mixed-use residential development near the University Town Center Neighborhood. This project is unique in that developers Dewey LC and its parent Prince George’s Metro Center Inc. did not complete assembly of the property they hope to build upon before starting the development application process. This past June, Dewey LC received county approval to redraw property lines – or its “preliminary plan of subdivision” – for a 17.30-acre, horseshoe-shaped parcel of land bordering Belcrest Road, Toledo Road and Adelphi Road dubbed “The Dewey Property”. That property will hold 500 units, according to planning documents. The application considered last night by Hyattsville City Council focused instead on the formerly missing “Dewey East Parcel”, a dagger-shaped, 4.3-acre slice of land today occupied by a large parking lot.

Hyattsville

Hyattsville eyes 2020 Census

By |

By Amelia Jarecke, contributing writer

Hyattsville is ramping up its efforts to get its residents counted on the 2020 Census. A key focus of the Hyattsville Complete Count Committee, formed earlier this month by the Hyattsville City Council, is to educate residents about the new electronic response option in the 2020 Census. Hyattsville is the latest Route 1 corridor city to launch a Complete Count committee. College Park and Mount Rainier have also taken similar steps. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found 84 percent of U.S. adults intend to participate in the Census.

Greenbelt

Development notes: Three major Route 1 projects moving through pipeline

By |

A trio of major real-estate development projects – two in Hyattsville and one in Greenbelt – are making their way through Prince George’s County’s development review process. For starters, developers have submitted detailed site plans for approval by Prince George’s County planning authorities for a 350-unit multifamily building near the Greenbelt Metro and the intersection of Cherrywood Lane and Edmonston Road. Route 1 Reporter first wrote about this project back in July, when the developers were seeking approval of their preliminary plan of subdivision, a procedural step where property lines are redrawn or consolidated to accommodate new development. The preliminary plan was approved by planning officials last week. For developer NRP Group LLC, a new face in the D.C. development scene, the project is only its second in region. NRP Group LLC is a large Cleveland-based developer, property management and real estate investment company with a large portfolio.