A strip of beloved restaurants on Route 1 will be vacated by the end of the year to make way for new apartments.

The complex, called Terrapin House, will be built at the corner of Hartwick Road and Route 1, where Northwest Chinese Food, Jerk At Nite and Ritchie’s Colombian Restaurant are located. Other restaurants in the strip, such as Tokoa Cheesesteaks and Kung Fu Tea, have already been vacated.

The apartment complex will include 93 multifamily dwelling units with 298 beds and commercial retail space.

This Terrapin House development has been in the works for about five years, according to former College Park City Council member John Rigg. The developers created a detailed site plan two years ago, he said.

“They’ve shown that they have a track record of attracting some pretty great commercial tenants,” Rigg said.

The property that Terrapin House will be constructed on also includes a house at the corner of Hartwick Road and Yale Avenue as well as the Yale House Apartments, which will both be demolished.

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While the Terrapin House development is set to bring new housing and retail opportunities, College Park residents have expressed concerns about losing the small businesses.

“They’re a big cultural spot in College Park,” said city economic development coordinator Rehanna Barre. “They’re really involved in the community. They’re a fan favorite, they’ve been here forever, so the city is trying as hard as we can to keep them here.”

Northwest Chinese, which has been a beloved member of the College Park community for 10 years, is one of the restaurants being told to vacate their space.

Xue Ling, Northwest Chinese’s brand manager, said the business received a letter from their landlord in September that told them to vacate the property by the end of December, even though their lease is not set to expire until 2027.

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Ling said that while their landlord insists that a letter was sent in 2024, they were not given the one-year notice required for ending a lease earlier than agreed upon. The restaurant’s owners and managers are going over their rights to figure out their next steps.

“We support the redevelopment and want College Park to continue growing, but redevelopment should not come at the cost of unfair harming of longstanding small businesses like us,” Ling said.

Barre said the city is trying to provide these restaurants with support during this time of uncertainty.

The city has already worked with the Terrapin Development Company to relocate Pho Thom from this strip to a location in Union on Knox. But Barre said relocating restaurants can be difficult as downtown College Park is becoming more populated.

“You want to develop and you want new things to come, but you also want to try to keep alive the spirit of the city,” Barre said. “Trying to balance the two of those can be really difficult, but it’s not something that isn’t happening.”

While this development may negatively impact some businesses, Rigg said it will add necessary housing to the area, which benefits both students and residents.

“We are in a persistent housing crisis in this area, and that cuts across demographics,” Rigg said. “Anything that would bring more housing supply to the area is a net positive in my book, especially if it’s housing near either transit or places where people need to be.”