Rethink College Park

Last night, university officials and their development partner Foulger-Pratt/Argo Investment launched what will be a comprehensive public input process for the East Campus project, the University’s plan to create 2,000 units of student market rate housing (Including designated graduate student housing), 400,000 square feet of retail including a grocery store, hotel, and office building along Route One. Here’s how the process has been organized:

• An East Campus Community Steering Committee has been created. Although we do not have a list of the steering committee members, they include representatives from College Park’s civic associations, the city, county government, and elected officials. To our knowledge there are only three students on the committee.
• In a series of 4 (possibly 5) Steering Committee public meetings, community members will hear and have a chance to comment on almost all facets of the project.
• Separately, SGA President Andrew Friedson has organized a Student Advisory Committee with a variety of student representatives. They will meet with University officials on the same days as the steering committee.

Here is the schedule of Steering Committee public meetings. All meetings will take place from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in Marie Mount Room 0100. The topics discussed will include Uses and Market Feasibility, Transportation and Parking, Financing and Land Use, Discussion and Conclusion. We are awaiting the exact schedule.

September 4 – Existing Site, Relocations, Environmental Stewardship
September 20 – Uses and Market Feasibility
October 8 – Transportation and parking
October 22 – Economic Impact, Financing, Land Use and Design
October 29 – Overall consensus building and conclusion

Several additional details about the project were revealed yesterday. The plans revealed last spring have remained largely unchanged, however it seems the university will need extensive cooperation from city officials (including possibly financing). The moderator of the meeting was noted Washington attorney Robert Peck, who admitted he had been retained by the university to craft last year’s Request for Proposals. Peck’s long resume includes stints as Sen. Patrick Moynihan’s chief of staff, heading the General Service Administration’s Public Buildings Service under President Clinton, and time as president of the Washington Board of Trade. Also, University officials hope to stick to the schedule discussed last year: finalize the project design by the end of the year, break ground on relocating existing facilities next spring, and open the first housing by Fall 2010.

The images come from the presentation Foulger-Pratt/Argo Investment has been giving at community meetings. Over the summer they have posted several slides including a list of the retail tenants already contacted about coming to the project. We strongly encourage community members to review the slides closely.