Some Prince George’s County community members are concerned about the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ approval of a 99-year lease for research and development space in Riverdale Park last month.

The lease, which the Board of Regents unanimously approved in a consent calendar at its Nov. 22 meeting, covers about 6.4 acres of state-owned land adjacent to the Riverdale Park North-University of Maryland Purple Line station, according to board documents. Using the area near the station as a flex research space instead of for higher density mixed-use developments is an inefficient use of the land, local officials and residents told The Diamondback.

“When we have great assets like the Purple Line and really valuable state land, we need to make the best use of that land,” Lindsay Mendelson, the Maryland Sierra Club’s senior transportation campaign representative, said.

The lease’s site plan calls for nearly 58,000 square feet of research and development space across two one-story buildings in a joint venture between this university and real estate developer St. John Properties, board documents stated.

The project is a “key component” to develop the Discovery District — a research park adjacent to this university — as a hub of high-tech companies, according to a statement from Michael Sandler, the university system’s vice chancellor for communications and marketing.

The project is set to support high-demand businesses such as engineering, virtual reality, quantum computing and biotechnology, the statement read.

The development must be approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works before it can move forward.

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The Maryland Sierra Club urged the board and local legislators to revisit the lease’s site plan in a letter sent Nov. 21. The letter cited the plan’s inconsistency with the Maryland Transit Administration’s Transit-Oriented Development Design Guidelines and Prince George’s County’s general plan.

Transit-oriented development emphasizes dense, mixed-use developments within a half mile of transit stations, according to the Maryland Department of Planning. State guidelines for these kinds of developments recommend at least 20 housing units an acre and buildings with two or more stories — none of which the lease’s site plan contains, according to board documents.

“We have this valuable resource overlooking a Purple Line station, we absolutely need to make sure that it’s following those guidelines and we’re making the best use of that space,” Mendelson said.

The letter also said transit-oriented development is crucial to reducing miles traveled by personal vehicles, which is necessary to meet the climate goals outlined in the state’s 2023 climate plan.

Riverdale Park Mayor Alan Thompson said he would like to see a denser development go into the space near the Purple Line station.

According to Thompson, he and other Riverdale Park town leaders were officially notified of the project about one week before the board approved it. Thompson said he would have liked to know about the site plan earlier so the town council could have more time to deliberate and provide feedback.

For one Riverdale Park resident, Steven Hartig, the board’s decision was disappointing.

“We need to build dense, walkable, vibrant things in this place, not a soulless office park,” the electrical engineer and sustainable growth advocate said.

Another issue with the site plan is the significant amount of surface parking it includes, Hartig said.

Thompson said a large impervious surface parking lot would exacerbate the area’s existing flooding issues.

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“Even if we don’t like these buildings as they are, even if it’s not the highest and best use, can we please just have it not make our flooding situation any worse?” Thompson said.

This project marks the second phase of a previously approved development with St. Johns Properties that created 111,240 square feet of research space in Riverdale Park and a 50,107 square foot building to house the College Park Academy — a public charter school, according to the board’s documents.

Discussions are underway to dedicate 16,000 square feet of the new development to a gymnasium or arts facility for the academy, the documents reported.

Now that the lease has been approved, it must go before the county’s planning department in what’s called a mandatory referral process. Then, this university has to present the plan to the Maryland Board of Public Works, which must approve it to go forward.

It is unclear when the project will go before the Board of Public Works, according to the Board of Public Works’ executive secretary John Gontrum.

According to the university system’s statement, the lease’s approval is just an initial step in the development process and “additional factors and feedback will be considered as the project moves forward.”

Thompson said he is hopeful he can come to a consensus with this university before it reaches the state’s board and explore potentially adding housing units on top of the flex buildings to “move this project in a direction where we can all be happy.”

Mendelson and Hartig said they will continue advocating for a site plan that better maximizes the space and aligns with the state’s climate goals.

“With a 99-year lease, if we don’t get this right, we’re going to be stuck with this for the rest of our lives,” Hartig said.