A development on the Cafritz property would bring the county its first Whole Foods Market.
The Prince George’s County Council approved a final order Sept. 30 for a Riverdale Park development project that would bring the county its first Whole Foods Market.
For several years, Washington developer Calvin Cafritz Enterprises has sought to build the new market on a 37-acre land plot along Route 1 in Riverdale Park, but the project has been delayed multiple times by appeals from community members who oppose the plan. The project would include a Whole Foods and create 855 housing units, 190 townhouses and 168,000 square feet of retail space.
The county council, which meets as the “district council” when considering matters of land usage, unanimously voted to allow Cafritz to move ahead on the project, a step forward after the delays. But the process isn’t quite over yet, as there could be more appeals.
The council’s approval was the biggest hurdle the project had yet to clear on its way to completion, said
councilman Eric Olson, who represents Riverdale Park and College Park.
“I can’t say what’ll happen in the courts or anything like that. I suppose the decisions can still be appealed,” Olson said. “But that’s the last approval they needed.”
In a statement published in The Washington Post, developer Jane Cafritz said the company hoped to begin construction later this fall.
Riverdale Park Mayor Vernon Archer said the Whole Foods Market would help his town in many ways.
“It’s going to bring some wonderful amenities to not only my town, but to the surrounding areas,” Archer said, such as a significant increase in local government tax revenue from the Whole Foods.
“Those of us who actually live here should see substantial downward pressure on our town property taxes, and also, it’s almost certainly going to have a positive impact, an increase on our overall property values.”
Olson opposed earlier rezoning efforts for the project but voted in favor of the detailed site plan and a secondary amendment last week. He fought for the attachment of a number of requirements to go along with the development’s approval, aimed at easing traffic and quality of life concerns, though not all were successful.
“There have been a lot of concerns about traffic, about the density, the size, the scale of the development,”Olson said. “I still share those concerns, but in the context of what I could do, I did as much as I could.”
Among Olson’s conditions that stuck to the project, the developer will need to include a bridge to the Route 1 site over nearby train tracks as well as enhanced bicyclist and pedestrian accommodations, he said. The site is located 1,400 feet north of the intersection of Route 1 and Route 410, about 1.5 miles from the campus.
Despite the conditions and local opposition, residents shouldn’t see the development as a threat, Archer said. Rather, it will enhance the community and expand what it can offer residents.
“Sometimes they’ll utilize the new amenities themselves,” he said. “They’ll also benefit as stakeholders in this community, as property owners, as business owners, etc.”
