The College Park City Council voted Monday night in favor of changing the name of Paint Branch Parkway to Campus Drive as another effort to unite the city and the University of Maryland.
The final vote was 7-0, with one abstention.
Carlo Colella, university administration and finance vice president, said the name change is mutually beneficial to this university as well as the College Park community and will “help in our efforts to knit [them] together.
“While some other potential names were considered, such as Campus Parkway, Innovation Way and Terrapin Parkway, Campus Drive made the most sense in maintaining continuity, said Cole Holocker, the City Council student liaison.
The change was first discussed at the council’s Feb. 2 work session but was removed from the Feb. 9 meeting agenda to allow officials from this university to survey support among owners of properties located along the road.
This university received a letter of support from the Food and Drug Administration, according to the April 19 agenda item.
Holocker said changing the name to Campus Drive would make it easier for visitors to find this university.
The council also chose to change the road name from “parkway” to “drive” to create more of a community atmosphere for residents and visitors.
“The connotation with ‘parkway’ is more of a speedway,” Colella said. “‘The Campus Parkway’ connotation doesn’t promote as much walkability in an area with so much redevelopment.”
Colella also said from a “wayfinding” perspective, which uses information systems to navigate an area, having the consistency of a universal Campus Drive would make it easier for drivers to find their way around the city. After leaving the campus via Campus Drive, cars drive straight onto the Paint Branch Parkway, which lasts roughly 1.7-miles before turning into Good Luck Road, which can sometimes be confusing for drivers, Colella said.
“We all find it really awkward when you keep driving straight on a road, and then you’re on a road with a new name,” said P.J. Brennan, District 2 councilman.
Especially during large university and sponsored events, guiding people to and from the campus through multiple outlets will help to redirect traffic and decrease buildup on Route 1, Colella said.
Colella said the complications of the renaming are “very modest,” as there are seven addresses on the Paint Branch Parkway that would need to be changed. None of the addresses pertain to residencies, he said.
Colella said it would take Google Maps months to update the name change on maps and GPS devices.
“This could connect other work that we’re doing in innovation,” said Mayor Patrick Wojahn. “This could help tie it all together.”
However, District 3 Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich said some residents may be unhappy with the university’s influence on the surrounding area of College Park.
“There is a certain number of people who are feeling like the university is trying to take over College Park,” she said. “It’s going to feel to some people like the university is encroaching on the community.”
