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The latest Economic Update from the City is available HERE.

Here are the highlights.

THE DOMAIN AT COLLEGE PARK*

Located at the corner of Campus Drive and Mowatt Lane on the Poole property, the Domain is expected to be a 5-story luxury multi-family building with 250 residential units and 5,000 – 10,000 square feet of retail.  The Hanover Company will be the developer.    The developer will market the project to graduate students, young professionals, visiting professors, and empty nesters.  The project has an expected completion date of Fall 2012, which is based on a tentative construction schedule. A pre-application notice for a zoning change to M-X-T was accepted on July 28, 2008.  The Planning Board recommended approval for this zoning change request on December 18, 2008.  The Zoning Hearing Examiner heard this case on January 21, 2009 and filed a decision with the District Council on April 3, 2009, recommending an approval with conditions.  In July, District Council approved Hanover’s request for a zoning change.

GREENBELT SOUTH CORE*

Three developers had submitted Detailed Site Plan applications for the South Core — Pulte (DSP included infrastructure for the South Core), Fairfield, and RCP.  While the Pulte and Fairfield DSPs received Planning Board approval, RCP’s plan was never scheduled for a Planning Board hearing.  All three projects are now inactive.   A new developer, Craftstar Homes, has signed a contract to purchase and develop 46 townhouse lots within the Pulte portion of the South Core.  The Craftstar DSP has been submitted and a Planning Board hearing will be held on November 5, 2009.

M SQUARE:  PRELIMINARY PLAN 4-09022 AND DETAILED SITE PLAN*

The University of Maryland has proposed an Office and Research development project on 48.57 acres of property that it owns in the Riverside and Litton Technology Center subdivisions.  The University has given notice to M-NCPPC of its intention to submit a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision to re-subdivide these two existing plats of the subdivision.  A pre-application notice for a Detailed Site Plan for 13.45 acres was submitted on September 15, 2009.   This project will consist of three– 150,000 square foot– five-story office buildings.

THE VARSITY*

This project is located south of University View on the west side of Route 1.  The developer, College Park Gateway Properties, LLC, proposes to construct a six-story, mixed-use, development that includes 258 units (901 beds) of student housing and 20,019 square feet of ground floor retail.  The Planning Board approved the project’s Preliminary Plan application on December 18, 2008 and Detail Site Plan with conditions on January 22, 2009.  The District Council approved a rezoning request on March 23, 2009.   The State Board of Public Works recently approved a land exchange involving the University of Maryland, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and the applicant.   In July, the state of Maryland sold an adjacent one-acre unimproved parcel to Varsity’s developers for $285,283 as part of the land exchange.

DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE AND REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT*

The garage will be located at the corner of Knox Road and Yale Avenue with 300 parking spaces and 5,800 square feet of retail.  The Pre-Application Notice for this project was filed on August 8, 2007.  On November 6^th the Detailed Site Plan application was filed and accepted by M-NCPPC.  The Planning Board approved the Detailed Site Plan with conditions on January 24, 2008.  The City celebrated the garage’s official grand opening on August 5, 2009.   The original Ledo Restaurant signed a lease in mid-September to become the garage’s ground floor storefront tenant.

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)*

Approved by the City and Prince George’s County in October of 2006, this project has been designated as a priority economic development project by the County Executive. The project will include 268,762 square feet of leaseable space, a 700-space parking structure and a 500-seat auditorium.

The developer, Opus East, will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for the project.  The project is a component of the M Square University of Maryland Enterprise Campus and is currently nearing completion.  NOAA will lease the building for 13 years.

Although the NOAA project is nearly completed, Opus East, the developer, has suspended the project and is the process of suing General Services Administration (GSA) in federal court over escalating development costs.   Opus East’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing does not include the NOAA building.

STARVIEW PLAZA*

The developer, Starview Plaza, LLC, has proposed the construction of a mixed-use development that includes 147 units (550 beds) of student housing, 9,487 square feet of ground floor retail, and a 355 space, integrated parking garage.   The Detailed Site Plan for this project was approved on July 24, 2008 by the Planning Board and on September 9, 2008 by the District Council.  The developers of this project filed a plan amendment to add one additional story.  In February, the plan amendment was approved by the County’s Planning Director. The additional story will add 30 housing units (112 beds) to the project.  As a result, the project will now offer 177 housing units (662 beds). Although Starview’s contractor, Foulger-Pratt, received a construction permit to build the $42 million student housing development in July, the project’s developers have since submitted a revised DSP.  The revised DSP incorporates a new two-part phasing development strategy.  The application was accepted for expedited review with a tentative Planning Board hearing of November 5, 2009.

PRELIMINARY CENTRAL US 1 CORRIDOR SECTOR PLAN AND SECTIONAL MAP AMENDMENT*

A community meeting for the new Central US 1 Corridor Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) was held September 17, 2008.  A design charrette was held on December 5 thru December 10. A Post-Charrette Workshop for the Central US 1 Corridor Sector Plan and SMA was held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2009, at the College Park Community Center. A public information meeting was held on July 8 at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

A Public Hearing was held by the County Council and Planning Board on September 15, 2009.  A work session with the Planning Board on the Digest of Testimony is slated for November 5, 2009.  A copy of the Preliminary Central US 1 Corridor Sector Plan and Proposed Sectional Map Amendment can be accessed at:

http://www.pgplanning.org/Resources/Publications/Central_US_1_Publication.htm