Planning Department Releases Final Draft of Cafritz Resolution

The Prince George's County Planning Department has released the final draft of its resolution recommending approval of the Cafritz rezoning proposal.

Though the planning board on Feb. 2, members must sign off on the precise wording of their referral with the agreed-upon changes incorporated into the text. The latest draft will come before the board this Thursday, Feb. 16.

Once finalized, the board's recommendation will be sent to the District Council, composed of the members of the Prince George's County Council. That body will accept new testimony and hold a separate public hearing before voting on the plan.

A District Council hearing has yet to be scheduled, but Riverdale Park Mayor Vernon Archer  that Monday, April 16 was a possible target date.

The final draft of the planning board's resolution largely reflects the consensus conditions agreed to between the developer and officials from Riverdale Park and University Park, which impose various environmental, financial and traffic mitigation requirements on the project. 

The College Park City Council, though a participant in the same negotiations, ultimately voted against the rezoning.

The  calls for the developer's 37-acre parcel on the north end of Riverdale Park to redesignated from residential (R-55) to Mixed-Use Town Center (MUTC), 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.