College Park Town Center Gets New Life

[WASHINGTON POST]  COLLEGE PARK TOWN CENTER PLAN REVIVED AS U-MD. NEGOTIATES WITH A NEW DEVELOPER

College Park may not have the feeling of a true college town like Madison, Wisconsin or Chapil Hill, North Carolina, but things may soon change.  The University of Maryland is in exclusive negotiations with the Cordish Companies to revive its plans for a town center.  Cordish is known for its large-scale entertainment focused mixed-use developments, such as the Baltimore Inner Harbor.   Ann G. Wylie, Maryland’s vice president for administrative affairs, said that Cordish builds “projects that create the sense of place that we are seeking to help enhance the university’s physical presence and provide amenities for the campus and local communities.”  

The recession caused the previous lead developer to step out, but the university believes that Cordish may be able to resurrect this 38-acre project.  The development will include restaurants, graduate student housing, offices, an upscale grocer, a hotel, movie theater and bookstore.  The Birchmere, a popular Alexandria music hall, has already pledged to open a new 500-seat venue to anchor the development. 

Several Prince George’s elected officials have applauded the university’s attempt to make College Park more attractive to faculty and students, as well as connect the university to the surrounding community.  They have however pointed to the need to ensure that the already tight traffic issues are considered in the development’s plans.

To find out more about the College Park town center, check out this Washington Post article.



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