After 30 years of intermittent debate, the College Park City Hall might soon be either relocated or renovated. But before there is any further discussion in the decision-making process, the City Council opened up for community comments at Tuesday’s work session.
“We had representation from all parts of the city, and everyone gave their opinion on what would be the best fit for the new City Hall,” said District 4 Councilwoman Denise Mitchell, who supports expanding City Hall in its current location. “It’s always good to get engagement from the residents.”
The current city hall, at 12,498 square feet, lacks adequate meeting space, outdoor public space and civic stature, Planning Director Terry Schum said. The council is considering either rebuilding a larger City Hall on the existing 1.23-acre area at 4500 Knox Road or starting anew at the 4601 Calvert Road location, which is 3.73-acres.
Rebuilding at Knox Road is estimated to cost $7.9 million while the Calvert Road site would require a $7.1 million check, according to a presentation made by Schum at the work session.
Other than cost, Schum presented the crowd with 11 factors in a side-by-side comparison including pedestrian and vehicular accessibility, visibility and civic prominence and obstacles for proceeding.
About 40 city residents and some students attended the public forum, advocating for and against both sites.
For Suchitra Balachandran, West College Park Citizens Association president, the choice is clear. In a letter to the mayor and council, she wrote that the Calvert Road site has many advantages, including on-site parking, better aesthetic design and the ease of not having to relocate City Hall operations during construction.
“The Calvert Road site is far superior to the Knox Road site because the space is larger and more things can be done to accommodate the need for public and community space,” Balachandran said. “There are many possibilities for creativity, which really attracts us.”
But David Dorsch, who has lived about three properties from the Calvert Road site for four decades , said he doesn’t want City Hall moved to his neighborhood.
“Calvert Road is a residential area, and I don’t want to see all the traffic that City Hall would bring to it,” Dorsch said. “I want City Hall to be visible from Route 1 to show our pride in the city.”
Carlo Colella, Facilities Management assistant vice president, agreed that City Hall should be kept on Route 1, in alignment with the city and university’s “shared vision for a thriving, vibrant, dynamic downtown.”
“Moving away from downtown College Park sends a different message to the development community,” Colella said. “It’s an abandonment of the idea that downtown will be the thriving area we have a vision for.”
At the council’s Nov. 18 work session, the site selection conversation will continue with consideration of the residents’ comments. Mitchell said she is confident this round of discussions will move forward, unlike in the past.
“The timing is right to really think about this change,” she said.
