As Cafritz Planning Board Vote Approaches, Local Citizens Remain Concerned

As the Prince George’s County Planning Board gears up to hear the plans on December 15, concerns remain about vehicular connections, pedestrian safety, green space, and the mix of uses and dwellings on the property.

Riverdale Park’s planning consultant Paul Mortensen presented his review and recommendations on the proposed urban design plan for the Cafritz property Wednesday.

The town council and about 25 citizens from Riverdale Park and University Park were on hand to hear Mortensen’s presentation, the Cafritz developer’s response as presented by Ralph Bennett, and to offer up their own questions and concerns for consideration.

Here are the main topics discussed:

Pedestrian Safety

Mortensen expressed concerns about the development’s entrance off of Route 1. The current plan would allow for motorists to enter into the development at higher speeds. A key dimension is the curb radius, or the sharpness of the corner. This could make the area unsafe for pedestrians. He also suggested narrower streets in the development to reduce speed and enhance pedestrian safety.

Bennett agreed with Mortensen’s assessment of the entrance, and although he agreed with the idea of narrower streets, he believes it will be more difficult for the town or county to maintain the roadway.

Vehicular Access

One of Mortensen’s key suggestions was that the become a public right-of-way to stimulate growth in the current Riverdale Park town center, to provide adjacent communities greater access, and to enhance the safety of the trail.

As for , he suggested three locations— just north of the physics building, a straight connection from Van Buren that lands on the north side of the ERCO building and another that lands just to the south of the ERCO building.

“We hope for wonderful sidewalks and pedestrian lighting to make it as appealing to the surrounding neighborhood as possible,” said Mortensen.

Riverdale Park resident Jean Kapusnick was adamantly opposed to a vehicular connection between the Cafritz development and the town center.

“We’re bringing traffic into an intersection that already doesn’t work,” she said.

But, Mike Arnold, a University Park resident and a Riverdale Park business and property owner, spoke in support of good connections between the new development and the established community.

“As a property owner in the town center, I can tell you that renting that space is impossible because there aren’t enough cars that go by,” he said. Arnold indicated with the right kind of traffic coming in from the new development, that could change.

Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler (Ward 1) reminded the audience that the Maryland Avenue connection was not a done deal.

“The only thing we are considering is that an entity is willing to pay for a traffic study,” he said, also adding that such studies are very expensive. “We don’t have any facts. We are doing our due diligence.”

Mix of Housing and Uses and Green Space

Mortensen suggested the current plan only allowed for two different types of housing and that by including more options— multi-family dwellings, condos and apartments for young professionals, a variety of sizes and types of townhomes, senior housing— that the development would attract a greater diversity of inhabitants with a wider range of incomes.

He also suggested that both commercial and residential uses be spread across the property and be built throughout the two phases, rather than all of the commercial first.

“You want a mix in every phase,” Mortensen said. “Townhouse developments seem to be selling well, so I think that type could be build here.”

Councilman Raymond Rivas (Ward 5) questioned how the Cafritz development would benefit Riverdale residents living to the east of the development, in the areas closer to Kenilworth Avenue.

Mortensen reiterated that a diversity of housing would allow for a diversity of community.

“Developed land with high density and a mix of uses that is transit-oriented— people buy into that,” he said, adding that money saved on transit is money that can be reinvested by residents into better housing and other parts of the community.

Stuart Eisenberg, of the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, said that he felt the plan had been getting better and better, but he had concerns over too much mixing of development.

“If you don’t get just the right user at just the right time, it does not work. We’ve seen that in EYA,” he said, citing that those developers are now asking to change the uses of some buildings.

Councilman David Lingua (Ward 3) brought up concerns about the amount of parks and green space allowed for by the plan.

“It seems like almost half of the green space is along the back of the property,”  Lingua said.

These concerns were echoed by Susan Dorn, of University Park, who commented on a need for dedicated park space and questioned whether or not the current plans would provide adequate space for Cafritz property residents to have a baseball or soccer field.

“It is important when building a community to have recreational resources,” Dorn said.

Bennett commented on this, stating he hoped new residents would in fact take advantage of Riverdale Park resources, including the Field of Dreams.

Rivedale Park resident Jean Kline asked if they would construct a church on the property.

“We have no intention of building a church,” Jane Cafritz, owner of the property, said.

However, Cafritz was willing to open a dialogue about the possibility of other types of civic space within the the development.

Other items discussed were about the site’s archaeology, and LEED compliance.

Both Arnold and Ebbeler asked about the site’s development schedule if artifacts are found on the property and delay construction.

The next Riverdale Park Town Council worksession to discuss the Cafritz development will be on November 17 at 8:00 p.m. in the Town Hall.