University Park Aiming for Continuance on Cafritz Hearing

The University Park Town Council is looking to delay a key hearing by the Prince George's County Planning Board on the rezoning of the Cafritz property, seizing on an apparent missed deadline to request a continuance.

Under , the 38.5-acre parcel on the north end of Riverdale Park would be redesignated from residential (R-55) to Mixed Use Town Center, easing the way for the construction of more than 900 units of housing, a 35,000-sqft. Whole Foods, a 120-room hotel, and additional office and retail space.

The planning board is set to consider testimony and written submissions on the rezoning proposal at its Dec. 15 meeting. On Friday, Dec. 2, the board's staff issued a 59-page report on the Cafritz application recommending a conditional approval.

But at their Monday meeting, University Park council members questioned whether regulations required that report to be issued 14 days in advance — one day earlier than it was.

Section 27-125.05 of the zoning code states that the board "shall send by first class mail a copy of the technical staff report to the applicant and all parties of record no less than two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled public hearing on the application."

"If new information is provided by the applicant or any governmental agency after the technical staff report is completed, any party of record shall be allowed a one (1) week postponement if such party so requests," it adds.

At the urging of several residents in attendance Monday, council members voiced support for seeking such a reprieve. (The College Park City Council followed a similar path at its own meeting on Tuesday, .)

Mayor John Tabori said that while the town should "look to do that," the council should hold off on formally requesting a continuance until it was clear whether and how it could do so.

"What we shouldn't do is go ahead and do that by tilting at windmills," Tabori added.

Andrea Davey, a spokesman for the planning board, said in an email Wednesday that the staff had worked to disseminate the report widely despite falling short of the 14-day buffer.

"According to our planners, every effort was made to make the report available on time and, though the absolute mailing deadline may not have been met, planners took such steps as posting on the website and emailing to the neighboring mayors, etc. to ensure release," she wrote.

In an interview, Cafritz attorney Chip Reed said that a continuance was "not something that we would support" and that it would present additional cost, timing, and development issues. 

The council will take up the issue Thursday night (7:30 p.m.) at University Park Elementary as it continues its discussions on Cafritz.

On Monday, Mayor Tabori urged the council to hold off on finalizing its stance on the project until the end of the week, allowing officials to continue their negotiations with the developer regarding the construction of a bridge over the CSX line.