Friday, February 1, 2013
Calvert Tract, LLC files letter of intent to resubmit their preliminary plan for approval by county planners.
Calvert Tract, LLC, developers of the Cafritz Property in Riverdale Park, have announced their intent to re-file their preliminary plan of subdivision before the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The move comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding a last-minute withdrawal of a previous preliminary plan review application after surrounding municipalities raised concerns about the developer's ability to meet key requirements imposed on the project. The developers have to wait until at least Feb. 28 before they can file their preliminary plan again, according to University Park Mayor John Tabori, but it will likely be longer than that before the plan is filed. For example, the recently withdrawn preliminary plan was …
Monday, December 24, 2012
Did you forget an ingredient for your holiday meal? Check our guide before you head to the store.
It's three o’clock on Christmas Day. The ham is cooking, potatoes boiling, cookies baking and the rolls are…OH, NO YOU FORGOT THE ROLLS! Before you send your significant other to the store, check out our handy guide to which grocery stores are open and until what time. Giant Food Locations: Beltway Plaza Hours: Christmas Eve: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Christmas Day: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Safeway Locations: Off Rt. 193 in Greenbelt Hours: Christmas Eve from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Christmas Day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check your local store’s hours here. Trader Joe’s Nearest Location: Colesville Road in Silver Spring Hours: Christmas Eve: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Christmas Day. MOM’s Organic Market Nearest Location: Rhode Island Avenue in …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Compared to Shoppers, a grocery chain with a store 3 miles north on Route 1, the cost for a basket of products like milk, bread, eggs and chicken breasts, among others, is 35 percent more expensive.
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Friday, December 7, 2012
By Nicholas Duchesne Next year’s slated development of the Cafritz property will prominently feature a Whole Foods Market among the planned residential and retail space. When the grocery store opens, however, it will better serve the larger metropolitan community than the town of Riverdale Park itself. “Whole Foods is a big piece of it,” said Alan Thompson, the councilman for Ward 2 in Riverdale Park. Thompson said that the Cafritz’s previous plan to develop the 37-acres along the eastern side of Route 1 fell apart back in 2007 when Whole Foods wouldn’t commit. The development got back on track once the store teamed up with the developers and “a fully executed lease was signed,” said Chip Reed, the Cafritz’s attorney. Since the first …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
After 15 hours of testimony and discussion, board members voted to back the hotly debated plan.
The Prince George's County Planning Board hearing on the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property concluded on Thursday. Below is a recap of the discussion and vote. ------ 7:00 p.m.: APPROVED The motion carries, 4-0. The planning board has approved the Cafritz rezoning plan (or in official terms, "recommended approval of the rezoning application with compromise conditions by staff and applicant as modified at the hearing"). The application now heads to the District Council—composed of the members of the Prince George's County Council—for its vote. 6:45 p.m.: 'Exceptional, transparent, cooperative, deliberative' Board member Shuanise Washington calls the process "exceptional, transparent, cooperative, [and] deliberative," saying that the…
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Members gave a conditional thumbs-up to the project even as the College Park City Council voted to oppose the plan.
The Riverdale Park Town Council voted 5-0 Tuesday night in support the the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property. The recommendation—which will be delivered to the Prince George’s County Planning Board—is accompanied by a set of conditions and covenants agreed to between the town and the developers after months of negotiations. Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler said that he had assurances from County Executive Rushern Baker that the Cafritz development would support the revitalization of Riverdale Park’s town center. “This has never been just about Cafrtiz,” Ebbeler said. “This has always been tied into the redevelopment of the town center.” The decision followed Monday night's vote by the University Park Town Council to conditionally …
Sunday, November 20, 2011
A group of residents against the Cafritz project start online campaign as Riverdale Park's council is set to discuss the project once again in a work session Monday.
As Riverdale Park's mayor and council are set to meet Monday night for another work session on the proposed Cafritz project, a group of local residents have created an online campaign against it. StopCafritz.org was created by six Prince George's County residents— Arlene Christiansen, Steve Cook, Randy Davis, Susan Dorn, Joe Kelly, Kate Kelly and Sarah Starrett— according to the website. The website shows supporters how to like their Facebook page, lists local media and officials so they can submit letters and even allows them to take a pledge to not shop at Whole Foods. "More traffic, crowded classrooms, broken promises, no thanks," the site states as their argument against the project. "Supposedly the community and county should support …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
According to the Dec. 15 agenda, the county's planning board staff will recommend approval of the Cafritz zoning change with conditions, but residents and municipalities still have time to go on the record with their opinions.
After numerous meetings about the proposed development of the Cafritz property along Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park, the county's planning board will finally get a chance to hear testimony and staff reports about the project on Dec. 15. On Wednesday, Riverdale Park Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler, e-mailed residents with a copy of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission agenda, which stated that staff will recommend the board approve the zoning change with conditions. Jane Cafritz, and her husband Calvin, the current owners of the property, hope to develop it into mixed-use center that would become the home of the county's first Whole Foods. However, the property is currently zoned R-55, or for single-family homes only …
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Riverdale Park's council will hear from developers and their town planning consultant on the proposed Whole Foods project.
In an effort to nail down some of the project's biggest details, Riverdale Park's mayor and council will host another meeting tonight on the proposed development of the Cafritz Property. Developers hope that the Cafritz Property, located on the northern end of Riverdale Park off Route 1, will become the home of the county's first Whole Foods market. Most recently, the developers submitted what they believe is a plan in compliance with the town's Mixed-Used Town Center zoning (M-UTC) to the county's planning board. However, the developers and town are in disagreement on the amount of surface parking located on the western part of the property, which would greet shoppers on their way into the property from Baltimore Avenue. This issue was …
Monday, November 7, 2011
The public can gain more information on the project by attending several scheduled meetings.
In the coming months, the Cafritz project will be making some progress as developers gear up to present the plans to the county's planning board and District Council. Along the way however, several information presentations will be made, while local municipalities decide how they will respond to the plans for the proposed Whole Foods on Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park. Here's a list of upcoming meetings and discussion involving the Cafritz project: When/Where: Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 4522 Tuckerman Street. What: Ward 1 residents Joe and Kate Kelly will host a meeting at their home for the town's Ward 1 residents to learn how this project would affect their ward from Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler. When/Where: Wednesday, Nov. 9, …
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The consultant reviewed the proposed Cafritz property design standards guidelines at last night's Council work session.
Riverdale Park's town planning consultant Paul Mortensen presented information Monday night to the town council and attending members of the community that describes how the Cafritz developers would adhere to Mixed-Use Town Center guidelines with their new plan. The memorandum identified changes that have been made to the existing M-UTC Zone Development Plan and Design Standards Guidelines in the most recent Cafritz Property Design Plan. The 15-page document, which can be review on the town's website, detailed changes to the standards and made recommendations about these changes. Overall, Mortensen found that the Fall 2011 Design Standard Guidelines met or exceeded the guidelines set forth by Riverdale Park's M-UTC Zone Development Plan. …
Michael B. Cron
1:37 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
I have no problem with them refiling as long as they have proof of satisfying all of the covenants and conditions required so that the process goes smoothly. Unless something drastically changes regarding an agreement with Applied Physics or an alternate landing site is secured, it will be a waste of time to refile. No bridge no development. more ›