College Park to Hear More from Cafritz Team about Development Plans in Riverdale Park

College Park officials expect to hear more in August from  as it works out details regarding its proposal to build a Whole Foods Market, fitness center and 900 housing units in Riverdale Park.

"We still need more information on the traffic impacts and the kinds of impacts this proposed project will have on our communities," College Park Mayor said in an interview after the Cafritz team of more than 300 people Monday night in University Park.

Officials said the proposed development will likely impact traffic flow on U.S. Route 1, including in College Park. Fellows expects the Cafritz team will present to the Mayor and Council of College Park in late August, though an actual date has yet to be set.

Fellows' main concern with the development is whether or not the property would be close enough to the College Park Metro Station so that a car is not needed to get from one spot to the other, which would have a direct impact on U.S. Route 1 traffic, he said.

The ability to do this might depend on whether or not the project can spill past the CSX Transportation, Inc. railway into College Park.

"The transit-oriented nature of this development is really important," Fellows said during the question-and-answer part of Monday night's meeting. "Is the phase-one portion dependent upon CSX answers to access to Metro, or is it more of phase two?" Fellows asked.

Cafritz attorney Chip Reed said that phase one of the development, the commercial portion, probably won't be "the most transit oriented."

"It really is the second phase, the back half, that has all housing ... where we would need these sort of connections and these sort of transit demand management."

College Park City Councilman (Dist. 2) expects the housing could potentially have a greater impact on traffic than the retail portion. "Residential [development] is what will probably cause the most problems," he said.

He expects to hear more about the retail makeup at the expected August meeting.

Fellows said there is also an interest in preserving the green space. The Cafritz property encompasses a nearly 36-acre swath of wooded area in Riverdale Park.

"If it’s going to be developed I think we want it to be the right project, so size matters. If it's too big it might have a negative impact on the surrounding community," Fellows said.