Week in Review: Book Exchange, Cafritz, PGCPS Budget and Prez Mansion

In College Park news this week, City Council discussed two revised development projects: Cafritz and Maryland Book Exchange. Both are approaching hearings before the county planning board.

Maryland Book Exchange

of the revised plans for the Maryland Book Exchange student-housing complex. Developers incorporated a four-story stepdown on the Yale Avenue side of the six-story building, and they incorporated new materials on that same side to help it fit in with the historic area. The city council voted in October to oppose the original design, but the council is scheduled to vote on the revised plans Tuesday.

At this week’s work session, Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3) for the Book Exchange project, where the chair offered developers time to revise their plans.

Cafritz

Developers behind the to reach a consensus on several of the unsettled issues surrounding the project. They're closer, they say, but major hurdles — like the CSX railway crossing — still remained. Council will take its first position on the project on Tuesday.

The project stirs up . Cafritz developers want to bring a Whole Foods Market, residential and office space to Riverdale Park, just south of College Park. While 114 residents signed a petition supporting the plan, others are concerned about the traffic it could create.

The developers have been working to garner community support for the project by sending mailers. Some Calvert Hills residents also reported receiving mysterious phone calls from a woman, saying that some elected officials are working to prevent the development. The developers' attorney said the calls were an , and they were stopped.

Schools

Prince George's County Schools for fiscal year 2013. For the first time, the budget plan would give county principals the autonomy to control their own budgets at the school level.

University of Maryland

The University of Maryland president's mansion is set to be demolished and rebuilt, at the cost of $7.2 million. , when UMd. athletic teams are working to raise millions of dollars right now to save their own programs from being cut.

One of those teams, men's tennis, , even though their program is on the chopping block at UMd.