Today’s Staff Editorial
For the past few years, students and College Park residents alike have heard plans of grandeur and refurbishment for the community. And we have already seen a number of new initiatives and housing developments working toward the goal of making College Park something more than just a livable community. The Enclave, Mazza Grandmarc, the University View and The Varsity had a combined 97.4 percent occupancy rate this year, with only 88 beds out of 3,458 empty, according to Michael Stiefvater, College Park economic development coordinator.
So the Knox Village proposal should be a step in the right direction, and this editorial board threw its support behind the City Council’s decision to approve the plan. It seems like a logical move to ensure students are living in safe areas.
But amid the excitement about glorious living spaces, more and more of the city’s most affordable housing — which many students and residents making minimum wage depend on — continues to disappear. Knox Village has promised middle-of-the-road pricing thus far, but what does that even mean? Currently, the Knox Box apartments are dirt cheap, and regardless of their not-so-wonderful living conditions, people choose to lease them. It’s a convenient location, of course — but these new apartments may not be developed at a price these same students can continue to afford.
As this community has seen with the luxury complex Domain at College Park on Campus Drive, even if an apartment building is in an optimal location, people won’t necessarily live there. Yes, the Domain is a building geared toward families, graduate students, and faculty. But if students could afford to live there, they probably would. One of the paramount factors for students in choosing their housing is price.
And with Prince Frederick Hall under construction right near Domain and the Knox Village site, erecting even more housing could prove more idealistic than realistic. Especially because a separate housing development is set to replace the Maryland Book Exchange — something that actually seems to be happening if you look at the plot on Route 1 — the off-campus housing market may be approaching its saturation point.
The most promising aspect of Knox Village is the new shops it guarantees. The housing complex will hold two retail spaces, and developers hope the larger of the two will appeal to a restaurant like Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville. The development will also boast a large outside area with a “grand staircase” modeled off the Spanish Steps in Rome.
All of these components promise a nice development — right along the lines of the revamped community university President Wallace Loh hopes to build around the campus. But nice looks and low costs don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We hope to see developers realize that fact in the near future.
