If you work on campus the University of Maryland wants you to live here. The Gazette is reporting on a study being performed by UMD to determine what folks are looking for in a neighborhood to better market the surrounding area to faculty and staff.

We’ve profiled Live Near Your Work programs before which have a marginal success rate at best.  Currently only 33% of faculty/staff live in Prince Georges county. What is really needed is a radical change in the perception of the area among potential homeowners. Although College Park was voted the Best Place to Raise a Family in 2011 by Bussinessweek, there are still several factors that push people to Montgomery, Howard, and even farther out in Prince Georges county. Concerns about public safety, the consistently low performing public schools, and high taxes are high on potential homeowners minds when they look to settle in the area.

So why is it that more faculty/staff do not  live near campus?

For Dan Thomas it was affordable housing in the 1970′s:

Dan Thomas would have liked to live closer to the University of Maryland, College Park, where he works as a research analyst. He and his family tried, in the 1970s, to find a home in College Park. “Unfortunately, there seems to be a limited supply of affordable quality housing in the College Park area,” Thomas said, adding that he has been in his Bowie home since 1978, a commute that takes him about a half-hour five days a week*. “It could just as easily have been College Park. We really tried back then.”

However, from the University perspective, the benefits of having more Faculty/Staff living in College Park are obvious. University Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Robert Specter:

For the university, keeping faculty close to campus means a more engaged and cohesive community. It also means a smaller carbon footprint if employees are close enough to walk, bike or use public transportation.

This is a topic that is near to this authors heart. In 1999 my wife and I made a decision to move into College Park. Since we both worked for the University it was important to us from a quality of life perspective to have a short commute. We also felt that although the area had a overall poor reputation there was enough positives that pointed to a turn around for the area. In the 13 years since I have seen positive changes as well as some serious setbacks. However I continue to believe this area has more upside potential than those who only see the sketchy parts of Route 1.

For me personally now that I have children (age 5 and 2) staying in the area or not will all come down to schools. The public middle and high schools in the area have challenges to overcome. The upcoming College Park Academy charter school should be a large step in the right direction.

Another issue is the availability of family friendly housing nearby. This is something that current development hasn’t directly addressed.  Here are thought from Mr. Thomas again:

I may be wrong, but other than the new student apartment buildings, I’m not aware of any significant addition of nearby family housing in many years.  Perhaps the relocation of students away from the residential neighborhoods of College Park and into apartment buildings designed for them will be a good thing in the long-run — making those neighborhoods more desirable for campus employees.  Hopefully, the efforts currently being made will help College Park to invite employees closer.  By the way, put me down for a new 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo within a couple miles of the campus.

It is empty-nesters like Dan Thomas, and myself in about 16 years but who’s counting, with a long affiliation with the University that can really help a college town thrive.

What are your thoughts? Do you work for the University? Where do you live and why did you choose that location? Did you consider living locally? Why or why not?

Sound off in the comments section.

* For the past 5 years Mr. Thomas has been using the Shuttle-UM service from Bowie for his now twice weekly commute.

The on-again/off-again East Campus project that was stalled after the original developer pulled out is heating up again. The Diamondback reported on Thursday that plans for phase I of the East Campus project are being released. The City Council recently voted gave the approval for $3.3 million in state funds to be released to the University to clear off the old facilities on the site.

The first part of the plan is to include a hotel with ample conference space, grad housing and almost 60,000 square feet of retail. Stay tuned for upcoming public forums to discuss the types of retail should inhabit this new location. We seem to remember already having a series of public forums on this very topic.

The Washington Post is reporting that University has officially dropped its long opposition to the Campus Drive alignment to the Purple Line.  The debate has raged on since 2007 but in the end University officials have agreed with the steps MTA plan on taking to address their concerns.

Frank Brewer, the university’s vice president for administrative affairs, said Wednesday that the MTA had addressed those concerns.

“We wanted to make sure the university is not in MTA’s way in any way, shape or form to make the Purple Line happen,” Brewer said. “We’ve always wanted the Purple Line to come across campus. It was just a question of where.”

After meetings with university officials over the past year, the state agreed to bury part of a light rail system’s overhead electrical wiring on campus and to install equipment that would reduce electromagnetic interference in particularly sensitive nearby labs.

Come on out to the Jungle Grill July 27th. Special guest will be County Councilman Eric Olson.

This is a reprint of a Op-Ed piece from the Sunday Washington Post by Eric Olson a current member of the Prince George’s County Council and former Councilman from the City of College Park.

The August departure of C.D. Mote Jr. after 12 years as president of the University of Maryland is obviously a major moment for the institution. But it means just as much to the surrounding community, and it’s important that the person who is chosen to succeed him embrace a number of ideas that will move the university and community forward together.

Local residents need a university president who truly becomes part of our Prince George’s County community and who shares in our efforts to increase opportunities at the elementary, secondary and higher education levels. We also want a partner in building an even stronger environment for job creation, energy efficiency and investment. Finally, residents seek redevelopment that would transform College Park into a more bustling “college town,” with all the unique restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and arts and culture of other major university communities.

Here are six points that the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland ought to consider when it chooses a new leader for U-Md.:

– The next president will inherit a university that has risen dramatically in academic standing and fundraising under Mote. First and foremost, the president must have the skills to keep this vibrant academic culture strong.

– The Purple Line, proposed by Maryland as a light-rail system connecting New Carrollton to Bethesda, is a critical public transportation project projected to take thousands of cars off the region’s roads. It will connect with Metro’s Orange and Green lines and two spurs of the Red Line, providing a convenient link from the university to job and population centers in the region. The next president must embrace this transit opportunity and champion its coming to campus.

– The next president will need to seize upon the campus’s setting in our thriving metropolitan region. It would be a mistake to think of the campus as suburban. The successful candidate should pursue sound urban planning principles, including advocating for rebuilding Route 1 (College Park’s “Main Street”) into a safer boulevard; pursuing smart-growth redevelopment such as the proposed East Campus project; and envisioning the campus’s transportation future as a model for public transit, bicycles and pedestrians rather than one dominated by cars.

– The new president should be committed to working with the Prince George’s school system to harness the resources of the university to benefit our young people and to provide opportunities for university students to engage in community activities. Already, the university and its students participate in numerous collaborations involving mentoring, teaching and other community service. But those relationships can be furthered.

– The president should focus on prevention of and serious penalties for the dangerous and destructive behavior that too often has followed big sporting events in the past decade. Creative solutions are desperately needed. To date, the university has not adequately addressed this embarrassing problem.

– There are effects — both in real money and in the currency of public trust — when the university buys property or considers altering long-standing financial arrangements with the community. Property purchased by the university comes off the local tax rolls, and it is important that payments in lieu of taxes be part of any university land acquisition. Other arrangements with local governments to help offset campus impacts should not be altered.

There will be many opportunities to enhance the school’s relationship with the larger community in College Park and Prince George’s, and I urge the new president to make these collaborations a high priority. We have much potential to increase jobs, enhance public transportation, create a dynamic smart-growth environment and build on programs that develop students into strong community-oriented leaders and mentors. Working together toward these common goals, we can make our community an even stronger place to live, work and learn.

Eric C. Olson (D-College Park) is a member of the Prince George’s County Council.