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@ Alex: No, the Cafritz project, as currently contemplated, is still an enemy to responsible TOD. All Developed Tier locations are not the same. Yes, the Riverdale area and the Route 1 corridor have the potential to improve their transit accessibility -- but the Cafritz site will still be just outside of the ped shed for the Riverdale MARC station and the CP Metro Station. Also, the Arts District Hyattsville development, which is closer and more accessible to the Riverdale MARC (w/o having to traverse the E-W Hwy) sufficiently meets the TOD demand for that station area for the foreseeable future. Like I said, the Cafritz site is still appropriate for some type of modestly-scaled TOD (primarily residential)--just not at the scale and density envisioned in this proposal.

And BTW, it's worth noting that the Riverdale MARC Center is currently only a "possible future community center" according to the 2002 General Plan, which also had Westphalia listed as a "possible future community center." Thanks to corrupt developers and a former county executive who are now all on their way to jail, Westphalia was up-zoned from a "possible community center" to a current General Plan "regional center" in 2007, to justify the massive sprawl development they wanted to see there.

by Bradley Heard on Jan 31, 2012 4:43 pm • link • report