District Council Continues Cafritz Proceedings to April 30

The Prince George's County District Council resumed its hearing of the Cafritz rezoning application Friday morning before immediately recessing to Monday, April 30 at 10 a.m.

The short-lived meeting followed marked by procedural objections and confusion over the hearing format. Few in the audience were initially aware that the District Council process would be quasi-judicial, meaning it would include sworn testimony, cross-examination, and other evidentiary constraints.

After many members of the public declared that they had not come ready to testify under oath, Chair Andrea Harrison decided to continue the hearing to a later point, giving residents more time to prepare.

Because the council had already advertised Friday as the carryover date for Wednesday's hearing, members were compelled to meet briefly today before going into recess again.

The Cafritz team is seeking to have its 37-acre parcel on the north end of Riverdale Park rezoned from single-family detached residential (R-55) to mixed-use town center (M-UTC), easing the way for the construction of more than 900 units of housing, a 35,000-square foot Whole Foods, a 120-room hotel, and additional office and retail space.

Though the plan , critics charge that the development would pose extreme fiscal, environmental, and traffic pressure on the surrounding communities.

Patch will have full coverage on April 30 when the hearing resumes.