The street level of The Varsity, now under construction, will be home to Looney’s next fall.

Bar-hoppers tired of College Park’s nightlife selections will welcome at least one newcomer by next fall: Looney’s Pub, a Baltimore-based sports bar slated to open on Route 1.

The bar — which will feature live music, an elevated outdoor patio and a walkway to the campus — has generated cautious optimism from community members who hope the bar will bring something new to the city but are concerned the location will pose noise and safety issues.

Some students said Looney’s future home near two high-rise student housing complexes will improve the sense of community among those living north of College Park’s downtown bar scene.

It will occupy about 8,500 square feet of retail space on the street-level floor of The Varsity — a 901-bed student apartment building under construction next to The View — and will face the university’s North Gate Park near the engineering buildings and Comcast Center. Developers for The Varsity said the apartments should by open by May or June.

Looney’s co-owner Bill Larney said he’s been looking to tap into the student and working resident clientele in College Park for a long time.

“I think what we have to offer will be a home run,” Larney said.

The first Looney’s opened in Canton more than 15 years ago and attracts a mostly young crowd. Owners recently added two larger locations in Bel Air and Maple Lawn that boast large stages for live music, spacious seating areas, multiple bars and hundreds of TVs.

College Park will play host to the fourth Looney’s, and Larney said he expects it to be similar to the newer locations, but with the nightlife atmosphere of the one in Canton. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily and serve food until 1 a.m.

Looney’s menu is more varied and expensive than that of other bars downtown, offering everything from wings to mussels to shrimp. Patrons will be able to enjoy live music Wednesday through Saturday evenings, something many students have missed since Santa Fe Café shut its doors last semester.

Looney’s will face stiff competition from the already established bars, including Vito’s Pizzeria and Ledo Restaurant, but many students said they’d be happy to incorporate another bar into their weekend repertoire.

“That’s awesome,” said Erin Rusonis, a freshman dance major living in The View who plans to continue residing off campus. “The live music aspect is something that appeals to me. And variety, changing it up, is always good.”

A handful of other View residents wondered about the impact of noisy late-night partiers on the relatively quiet area and the possible dangers posed by students trekking back to campus after they’ve drank their fill.

“It will be good as long as the residents can’t hear it at night when they’re trying to study,” said Shira Alevy, a senior psychology major. “Maybe if they soundproof the bar.”

Donnie Gross, a representative from The Varsity’s developer, Potomac Holdings, said the bar’s location on the south side of the building will help shield the noise from View residents. Additionally, only two apartments in The Varsity are adjacent to the bar, and developers have gone “above and beyond” to soundproof the area, he said.

Students living in The View often complain that friends don’t visit very often because of the distance, but Alevy and other students said they thought having music and drinks nearby would ultimately make the building a more attractive place to live.

“One thing that stinks about The View is that it’s so far from the bars,” said senior psychology major Jacki LaRusso.

Looney’s will take one of 10 available retail spaces on The Varsity’s ground floor. Gross said Potomac Holdings is in negotiations with a handful of other companies to reserve some of the remaining space but said they were not ready to formally announce any other leases.

Larney said he is already starting to think about hiring the 100 employees the bar will need. He wants to employ mostly students and begin training them at the Maple Lawn location — about 16 miles from the campus — in the months before the bar opens.

apino at umdbk dot com