Downtown College Park could be home to a fifth bar if negotiations over the space next to Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop are successful.

After Playdium.net, a gaming cafe, quickly went out of business in that spot, its owners, who also own the sandwich shop, have been seeking prospective businesses to move in that would be more successful in a college town.

As early as next week, an agreement about a new bar may be confirmed.

“If it’s a bar, there is no way it’s going to go out of business,” said Joseph Zammar, one of the property’s owners.

Initially, Zammar thought a bank or another franchise would be a good choice. He hadn’t ruled out renting the space to another restaurant though. A restaurant would attract business from other fast-casual eateries like Chipotle and Noodles & Co., he said.

Zammar and co-owner Tammer Mercho’s initial lease for a space for their sandwich shop, which opened last year, encompassed both spaces. Because Jimmy John’s franchises typically utilize 1,400 square feet, they decided to rent the other half. Without a business there, they pay rent for both.

 “If we had something long term we would know it was going to be less headache,” Zammar said. “We would know somebody was going to stay.”

A bar in this location would be in close proximity to the four other bars downtown.

City officials said they would need more information to decide what impact another bar would have on College Park.

“I don’t think it’s a bad choice. It’s consistent with what’s in the area already,” District 1 Councilman John Krause said. “It’s not surprising.”

District 3 Councilman Andrew Fellows said he would like to see something other than a bar.

“I feel like we have a lot of fast food options. It’d be nice to see a better mix of retail or eateries or another place to go,” he said. “In my opinion a bar is not necessarily the answer.”

Bar managers said if the bar was opened, it could affect their business.

“I suppose another bar in College Park would affect business in Cornerstone unless it has attracted a different kind of crowd than we attract,” said Stephen Taylor, manager at Cornerstone Grill, “…because there are only a certain amount of students that go to bars.”

Senior economics major Alvaro Barrenechea, is one of those students. He goes to Santa Fe Café about three times a week. He said another bar in College Park would be a welcome addition because “normally they’re just way too crowded.”

Other students like Brett Hackman, a senior accounting major, would prefer to see a retail store such as Gap in the city. Still, Hackman attends Hard Times Café once a week and said, “We definitely need more bars in College Park. In a school as large as [the University of] Maryland, three is definitely not enough.”

Contact reporter Sarah Beth Clark at clarkdbk@gmail.com.