Landmark Properties developers presented their plans to redevelop College Park Towers — a condominium complex on Hartwick Road — at a community meeting Thursday evening in College Park City Hall.

Landmark Properties, which previously developed The Standard at College Park apartment complex, has signed a contract to acquire College Park Towers, according to a statement from Landmark Properties. The company plans to redevelop the site into a new housing complex called The Mark at College Park, the statement read.

The proposed development would include more than 2,000 beds across two buildings, a parking deck, multiple large courtyards, a 5,000-square-foot retail space and a path bisecting the property for “improved pedestrian connectivity,” the developers’ statement read.

The community meeting was a necessary first step for the development according to county planning guidelines because the project exceeds 10 housing units, 10,000 square feet of gross floor area and requires rezoning.

District 3 city council member Stuart Adams said the redevelopment would provide opportunities for the city to improve stormwater management, enhance pedestrian safety in the area and bolster sustainability efforts.

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The development would also align with the city’s affordable housing goals due to the high demand for student housing, Adams said.

Hamilton Reynolds, one of the developers from Landmark Properties at the meeting, said that the building will offer five-bedroom units and some double occupancy units, which will help lower the cost for residents.

Community members who attended the meeting cited several concerns regarding the new development, including affordability, sustainable practices and the inclusion of a first-floor retail space.

University of Maryland student Shuli Frenkel, who is a resident of College Park Towers, raised concerns about the development’s ability to provide accommodations for observant Jewish residents, such as herself.

Observant Jewish people typically abstain from using electricity during Shabbat — Judaism’s traditional day of holiness and rest that falls every Friday evening and lasts until Saturday night.

As a result, College Park Towers has been accommodating these residents with manual Shabbat keys that provide them with stairwell access instead of needing to use their electronic swipes, the junior criminology and criminal justice major explained.

Frenkel, the Student Government Association’s co-director of student affairs, said it has been difficult to find other off-campus apartment buildings that offer alternatives to electronic swipes.

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Reynolds addressed Frenkel’s concerns and said he was grateful she brought the issue to light. He and his team will see what they can do to continue accommodating religious Jewish residents, Reynolds said.

College Park Towers has been very communicative with the fact that the buildings have been bought and are poised for redevelopment, Frenkel said. But she emphasized that she will miss the current condominium setup in which each unit is owned by an individual landlord.

“It’s going to be a real shame to have to relocate and find a new apartment building to live in, especially because one of the unique features of College Park Towers is that it is condominium style,” Frenkel said.

For condominium-style apartments, there is variation for each unit in terms of style and layout, Frenkel explained. Residents can also pay for the apartment as a whole, so roommates are able to divide the rent amongst themselves, a feature that Frenkel said she appreciates.

Clay Gump, a Lutherville resident, said he has owned two units in College Park Towers since 2013. He said that while his units have been a good investment, he is ready to leave the rental business.

“I knew it wouldn’t last forever,” Gump said.

Construction for The Mark at College Park is scheduled to start in 2026 and the project could be completed as soon as 2029, according to Landmark Properties’ statement.