Pr. George's Plaza - Questions for Council Candidates

Editor's Note - Welcome to the ninth installment of Questions for Council Candidates. Recently, Hyattsville Patch sent a 15 part questionnaire to candidates running in this year's Hyattsville City Council election. The questions, developed with the help of Hyattsville Patch readers, probe the candidates thoughts on city policy, development, and also asked the candidates to do a little self reflection. 

Between now and May 6, Hyattsville Patch will be publishing their responses to each question to help you, the reader, make a more informed decision at the polls on May 7. Here now are the responses to the ninth question. Responses are organized alphabetically by ward.

Question - Hyattsville has become attractive to many developers for its proximity to the Green Line, particularly around Prince George's Plaza Metro Station. Describe your vision for this area of the city in 20 years. For instance, how would it be laid out? How tall would the buildings be?

Ward 1 Candidates:

Bill Jenne - Washington DC is known for being a very attractive city. Part of the reason is the abundance of trees and the cap on office building height in the downtown area. I don’t propose a specific cap on building height but Hyattsville will always be a suburban residential area in my mind- with proper planning there is room for growth but never at the expense of livability and aesthetics.

Bart Lawrence - It’s natural that developers look toward Hyattsville; many of the same things that have attracted people to the City over the past decade — proximity to Washington, the availability of transit, more affordable housing — are attractive to developers. The places we can best accommodate new development are near both of our Metro stations, which are zoned for transit-oriented development. This means we are likely to continue toward increased density and walkability. We can see this with Mosaic at Metro, Post Park, UTC, and planned projects such as the Belcrest Mixed-Use and Landy developments. The City should nurture smart growth, taking into consideration sustainability, transportation, and various other quality-of-life concerns. We should ensure that developers build amenities that connect their projects with existing City networks and amenities, for example, bike trails that connect with existing park trails. Existing roadways are likely to dictate the bulk of the layout of new development near the Mall at Prince George’s. I don’t have a number for how tall the building should be, but when proposals come before the Council, the nature of the surrounding neighborhoods must be considered. 

Ward 2 Candidates:

Robert Croslin - This area is already built up and in the process of removing outdated apartments and replacing them with modern ones. I would not like to see a high rise building in the area, however. I think it would take away from the small town feel that I like about Hyattsville. I would, however, like to see the county’s plans for the area near the West Hyattsville Metro realized. In my opinion, this would attract young professionals and lead to more upscale retail and increased patronage of businesses on that side of town.

David Hiles - The current zoning plan for the Prince George’s Metro Station Area is under revision.  I don’t foresee skyscrapers being built here or in comparable suburban jurisdictions. The numbers don’t work for developers to put the Empire State on East West Highway. I think the recent proposal to put a tall building across from University Park was a poker move, a chip that could be sacrificed to get the real package passed. Perhaps like the Cafritz "bridge to nowhere”.

Ward 3 Candidate: 

Patrick Paschall - Hyattsville has a unique opportunity to seize on its many characteristics to grow in an intentional way that can easily put Hyattsville on short list of the best places to live in the country. We should work hard to incentivize smart local development that expands access to amenities for our residents while increasing tax revenue from businesses in the long-term, encourages green development, controls traffic, and maintains Hyattsville’s unique character. The single-family home residential areas will remain largely the same over the next twenty years. We will continue to see homeowners dedicated to preserving the historic nature of our neighborhoods and maintaining our homes while keeping our small town neighborhood feel. 

But we will also see business and mixed use development along the Route 1 Corridor, Prince George’s Plaza area, and the area surrounding the West Hyattsville Metro/Queens Chapel Plaza. These areas should be walkable, livable, and commutable areas where residents and visitors can enjoy life a short stroll to various amenities. While I encourage the development of condominiums and apartments in the three main development centers, I think that we should limit the height of those buildings so that Hyattsville doesn’t become disproportionate with high-rises built next to single-family homes.

Ward 4 Candidates:

Ross Gateretse - Hyattsville and Prince George's County in general have a very significant problem regarding the quality of schools. Hyattsville needs to take the lead in improving and supporting our public schools. This a growing town and many young families are moving to other areas where schools programs are better and attractive. As we have seen, there is disparate development/resources located in some wards rather than others, the city has to create a strong system that treat everyone fairly and equally, and offer a system that enables this city to stand out and be attractive to investors and hard working families.

Edouard Haba - Because of Hyattsville's strategic location, the areas surrounding the two metro stations are destined to big overhauls and changes. For these areas, I envision mixed-use development in line with the city's moto of 'World within walking distance'. I envision them to be community oriented with pedestrian islands.  

Ward 5 Candidates:

Pastor Herrera - Editor's Note - Herrera did not submit responses to this questionnaire before the publication deadline.

Joseph Solomon - Again, I think this a question best left to the wards.  I think development near PG Plaza and West Hyattsville Metro is inevitable, however I think the types of development will be different.  I think PG plaza will be more densely populated housing and shopping with taller builders while West Hyattsville welcomes more home owners.

This means we are likely to continue toward increased density and walkability. We can see this with Mosaic at Metro, Post Park, UTC, and planned projects such as the Belcrest Mixed-Use and Landy developments. The City should nurture smart growth, taking into consideration sustainability, transportation, and various other quality-of-life concerns. 

We should ensure that developers build amenities that connect their projects with existing City networks and amenities, for example, bike trails that connect with existing park trails. Existing roadways are likely to dictate the bulk of the layout of new development near the Mall at Prince George’s. I don’t have a number for how tall the building should be, but when proposals come before the Council, the nature of the surrounding neighborhoods must be considered. 

Clayton Williams - If I had a comprehensive plan for PG Plaza, I would be seeking investors rather than running for Council. What I do know is that there will be more metro-centered development in the area. This means more people, but also more going on for all of Hyattsville to enjoy. I believe we have good guidance in our community sustainability guides (available at the city’s website). However, we will have to be flexible as we move forward.

Building height is an easy target when discussing these issues. But the question hits at a common concern. We are concerned with the issue of expected annual growth in population and density. We cannot build out immediately to full capacity and expect our schools and infrastructure to handle it all. Hyattsville must work with the County and with private developers to ensure that the pacing of residential growth is matched by a growth in support systems. A successful development situated on a strong thoughtful foundation benefits everyone, whereas an unsupported three-story development could be disastrous without systems in place to absorb its impact.