Rethink College Park

Today’s Diamondback reports that the Residence Hall Association voted to support the Campus Drive alignment of the Purple Line, saying the alignment would avoid residence halls, be close to the center of campus, and be the most aesthetically pleasing location.

> Diamondback: RHA votes for Campus Drive Alignment 

We know as well as any the difficulty of keeping track of all the development occurring and proposed in College Park, as well as how hard it is to separate truth from fiction when it comes to the economics of real estate. That’s why we decided to post these slides, presented by the city’s economic development planner Chris Warren at the February 12th Real Estate Roundtable. They present a concise snapshot of new developments on Route 1, and the College Park Retail and Office markets. Notably they show retail space in downtown College Park commands very high rent, as the number of residents has grown but effective space remained largely unchanged. Also, vacancy rates are generally low, despite the high-profile vacancies downtown. (Paperworks and Wawa)

Route 1 Projects

Retail

Office

The full presentation is here.

After an extensive, seven-month process of official meetings, private negotiations, and Rethink College Park discussions, the East Campus Community Review Steering Committee is set to discuss and (hopefully) approve a statement of development principles that will guide the development of the project. The meeting is planned for this Wednesday, February 27th at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles Carroll Room of the Stamp Union. After Purple Line-induced delays, the developers have also begun detailed design work on the project. Click read more to review the draft document.

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University Vice President for Administrative Affairs Doug Duncan will present the Prienkert Drive alignment of the Purple Line tonight, Monday, February 18th, at the SGA meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Prince George’s Room of Stamp Union. All interested students are encouraged to attend.

We also noticed a presentation PDF from the MTA posted to the SGA website featuring some additional details about the various alignments being studied by the MTA.

Our Campus Drive alignment petition now has over 220 signers.

I just posted to the urban planning portal Planetizen a short article explaining some of the philosophy behind Rethink College Park. The article is based on a presentation I gave last semester to a student group. After describing some of the challenges to implementing Smart Growth in College Park, I attempt to evaluate our success, concluding “new tools and an engaged approach could supplement conventional modes of professional practice.” I invite readers to contribute their comments.

> Smart Growth at the Grassroots: Rethinking College Park

The UMD administration has completed an “update” to the Facilities Master Plan that reflects changes since the original plan was approved nearly seven years ago. It includes a re-affirmation of many of the original plan’s goals, changes to construction timelines, and tables summarizing changes to campus facilities that have taken place since the 2000 Master Plan. The update also includes updates on the progress of the East Campus Redevelopment Initiative.

The only specific mention the update contains relating to the Purple Line is this text:

“Maximize use of alternatives to driving to campus.”

“Support Purple Line stations on or adjacent to campus consistent with providing central pedestrian movement.”

However, attendees at the recent East Campus Community Review Steering Committee received much different information relating to the Purple Line. Last week, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management J. Frank Brewer gave this presentation containing this illustration overlaying the administration’s preferred Purple Line alignment over the Master Plan map.

We have several reactions:

1. Is this part of the Master Plan update? If so, it should be included on the official version on the Facilities Master Plan website. If it is not, it should not be presented as such to the public.
2. The map omits the two other alignments under official consideration, making it not a planning document but an argument for one option.
3. The plan presents incomplete and inaccurate information annotated on top of the official master plan map. It includes “2,000 units” at the Knox Box area despite the fact the property remains fragmented in different owners and no specific proposal has been made. Even if the owner of much of the land wants to redevelop it, acquisition, design, and approvals would take perhaps a decade. There is a similar situation for a parcel labeled “600″ across from the Architecture Building, no specific proposal has actually been made. It also only includes numbers for housing, not the extensive office and classroom space planned by the university along a new mall.
4. Despite the distortions and omissions above, the irony is the illustration still seems to support a campus drive alignment anyway! If you imagine a Stamp Union station, the 10-minute walking circles would encompass not only the proposed new housing, but also the substantial amount of existing housing on North Campus and excellent access to planned construction there and elsewhere. The university’s plan presents a walking radius that spills over into low density cul-de-sacs to the south.

Monday’s Obama Rally was moved from Cole Field House (capacity ~14,600) to Comcast Center (capacity ~18,000). Doors open at 10:30 AM with the event starting at 12:30 PM. Attendees are encouraged to come early.

A raucous crowd is expected to fill UMD’s 14,600 seat Cole Field House on Monday, February 11th (Doors open at 10:30 AM) when university students will get their first full glimpse of Barack Obama as he races through college towns trying to energize young supporters.

Having survived Super (Duper) Tuesday in a draw with Hillary Clinton, Obama has emerged as the candidate of young voters, black voters, liberal voters, men, the wealthy, and the well educated. Since delegates are distributed proportionally, his campaign is clearly trying to run up their delegate count in the contests leading up to March 4th (when Texas and Ohio are at stake). He has natural constituencies in all of those contests including Louisiana, Maryland/DC/Virginia (alternately called the Chesapeake, Beltway, and Potomac Primary), Washington State, and Wisconsin. Prince’s Georges County executive opted to fall in line with MD Governor Martin O’Malley late last week by endorsing Hillary Clinton in an obviously muted press conference. The effect on Prince George’s heavily African-American electorate, the most affluent in the country, remains to be seen.

> Read Rob Goodspeed’s Urban Planning analysis of the Democratic candidates - “Considering a Smart Growth President”

> Good Meet the Press Interview with Tim Russert (w/ video)

> Iowa Victory Speech