Cafritz summation -- from Rethink College Park and both local papers, The Gazette and The Sentinel

Still waiting for the Cafritz team to post its findings from the series of "community workshops" to its website, as promised... Meanwhile, we have three articles reporting on what was said, from Rethinking College Park, The Gazette, and The Sentinel.

Rethink College Park's Chris Ellepola has posted his writeup for us , summarizing the community input offered at the Riverdale Elementary meetings.

http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2007/425/

I won't quote from Chris' article here, because the entire thing is well worth the read. I will point out that the most crucial item in his writeup is the observation that the Cafritz team's "report out" on June 14th omitted one entire range of views that had been expressed by some area residents at the meetings: Namely, their preference that the property NOT be rezoned at all, and instead be developed as a single family residence neighborhood -- if at all. (I would venture to say that most of the people arguing for no development at all, or at least no rezoning hail from either University Park or the section of College Park just north of Cafritz. But Hyattsville Councilman Chris Currie argued eloquently for the same in his screed which can be read on the Route 1 Growth blog.)

The Ellepola article also includes the announced schedule of further, upcoming Cafritz meetings, also to be held at Riverdale Elementary, which is as follows:

THURSDAY, July 26TH (7-9pm) & SATURDAY, July 28th (10am-12pm)
Two identical meetings, to share the team's "design principles."

SATURDAY, September 15th (10am-12pm) -TUESDAY, September 18th (7-9pm)
Two identical meetings to share their "concept plan."

Earliest possible groundbreaking: Fall 2009 (assumes successful rezoning -- see Dineen O'Connor quote from The Gazette, below).

The Gazette article, by Maya T. Prabhu, "Waiting for the details on Riverdale project: Owners of Cafritz property to seek rezoning to allow retail on undeveloped tract near Route 1," is available at:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/062107/hyatnew202417_32379.shtml

The most interesting items in this article are the quotes from University Park Mayor Tabori and from Dineen O'Connor, the responsible representative for our area on the Planning Commission.

Mayor Tabori summarized input from several UP residents at the meetings:

‘‘An important issue for us is where the entrance and exit are going to be. Is it going to be right on Route 1 and across from us?”

(To which I would respond, "Of course it's going to be on Route 1!" How could it not be? I would think the question is 'what additional access routes will there be, besides Route 1?')

O'Connor shed some light on what's involved assuming the Cafritz team proceeds and applies for the zoning change (to change the property's zoning from single family residences to multiuse zoning):

"The developer has to either prove there was a mistake in the original zoning...or prove that there has been a change in the character of the area to warrant a re-examination of the property,” she said.

O’Connor said it typically takes the Planning Board a year to decide.

Our town is represented in the article by Ward 2 representative Kate Sharpe, who (rightfully) is quoted as commenting that "It’s hard to make a decision one way or the other when we’re so early in the process."

There's also an article inThe Sentinel, "Developers seek feedback on Cafritz property," by Raechal Leone. It features quotes from Mayor Tabori and another UP resident, along with a College Park resident -- and none from any Riverdale Parkies. The gem from this article is the line "[University Park] Town officials are already making contact with state highway administrators and politicians." I bet they are.