The town of Cheverly has sued the town of Bladensburg over its attempt to annex the site of a long-planned development.

In an 11-page lawsuit filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Cheverly officials are seeking to block Bladensburg from annexing the former site of the Prince George’s Hospital Center and seeking $40 million in compensation.

Since the hospital closed in 2021, the county has planned to turn the 44-acre site into a massive development with more than 1,300 apartments, senior housing, and townhomes, as well as a hotel, 40,000 square feet of shops, and 70,000 square feet of medical centers, and offices.

The county and a developer had long worked on the project with the assumption that it would eventually be annexed by Cheverly.

After Bladensburg began planning to annex the property, a lawyer for the county wrote in a Dec. 6 letter that the proposed annexation “does not comply with Maryland law” because it is not contiguous and adjoining to the town’s current limits.

Cheverly claims in its lawsuit that the annexation could hurt the redevelopment.

“The economic benefit of this development would be in the many multiple of
millions of dollars which are now in substantial jeopardy as a result of this illegal action,” the town wrote in its complaint.

Bladensburg officials have long argued that they have the right to annex the site.

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A new pizza place in Brentwood is known for its dough.

Located 3809 Rhode Island Ave. inside the miXt Food Hall, Flames & Cones uses a a 72-hour natural bulk fermentation process with whole wheat flour, which makes the dough more digestible.

Options include standards like a Margherita pizza, meat lover’s and veggie lover’s as well as specials like the Air Force One, which features roasted chicken breast, spinach and red onions on an herbed ricotta dough, and a seafood alfredo pizza.

Flames & Cones also offers a gluten-free and keto-friendly Cauliflower Crust as well as vegan cheese.

For a treat, you can get a Snow Cone or gelato from D.C.-based Gelat’Oh.

Owner Chris Whiting started Flames & Cones as a food truck and storefront located at 6426 Old Branch Ave. in Camp Springs, Md., before opening the spot in miXt.

You can also order online for delivery from the miXt location.

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After two years, a popular Hyattsville park has reopened with all-new playground equipment and seating.

Located at 4203 Gallatin St., next to the Mount Hermon Masonic Lodge, Robert J. King Park was closed since 2022 for major renovations and a new landscaping to better handle stormwater.

The park is popular with younger students from nearby Hyattsville Elementary School and St. Jerome Academy and families from Hyattsville’s Historic District.

The new playground equipment emphasizes a nature theme, including large rocks that have had holes drilled in them so they can be threaded onto a metal sculpture and more wood instead of plastic.

The landscaping has also been redesigned to use native plants to absorb more rainfall and provide a home for birds and other wildlife.

There’s also a long curved reading bench near the park’s Little Free Library set back among trees and shrubs and signs identifying native plants.

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After years of construction, the Purple Line is starting to take shape as transit shelters have been installed around College Park.

Light-rail stops in the Discovery District business park, at the College Park Metro station and on the University of Maryland campus now have glass-roofed shelters where future riders will wait.

In addition, the College Park Metro station now has seven new glass shelters where bus riders can wait outside of the rain.

Public art is also being installed at the new stops, including a sculpture outside the new Atworth apartment building by the Metro station and colorful glass panels at the stop on Campus Drive at the entrance to the university.

Art is also planned for the Adelphi Road stop, the Baltimore Avenue stop, the Kenilworth Avenue stop and the Riverdale Park North stop.

The 16-mile light rail line is currently scheduled to open in late 2027.

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Before the new year starts in earnest, we wanted to take a look back at the most-read stories of 2024 on the Hyattsville Wire. 

Readers of the Wire continued to be interested with local restaurants and development on the Route 1 corridor.

Among the top stories from the last year were new restaurants and apartment buildings and how one resident rebuilt his home in a more modern way.

Here’s a look at the top stories of 2024, starting with the most-read story of the year.

Raising Cane’s to Replace Nando’s in College Park
A fast-casual national chain restaurant specializing in chicken fingers will soon replace the Nando’s in College Park.

New Apartments at Hyattsville’s University Town Center Taking Shape
The Residences at the Six features 316 apartments and 2,052 square feet of shops at University Town Center, in the key area within a half-mile walk of the Metro station.

Shake Shack, Chopt to Open in College Park Later This Year
The Union on Knox student apartment building features an outpost of the popular New York-based burger chain and the salad chain.

Hyattsville Musician Rebuilds Victorian House With Modern Techniques
Popular Hyattsville musician Joe Atkins rebuilt his Victorian home after a house fire using cutting-edge techniques to reduce its energy use.

Hyattsville’s Shortcake Bakery Shuts Down After 13 Years
The popular Shortcake Bakery in southern Hyattsville saw more than 200 customers on its last day in business.

Readers were also interested in an affordable apartment complex in College Park, the Huncho House chef being featured on TV, a new hot dog and beer garden restaurant and a new location of Honey Pig, the new Gateway Farmer’s Market opening, an effort to stop a McDonald’s from coming and the history of a nearby slave auction site.

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The large bridge at Bladensburg Waterfront Park will close for renovations next month.

The bridge, which extends from Monroe Street on the western side of the Anacostia River, will be closed for resurfacing from Jan. 6 to Feb. 7.

During that time pedestrians and bikers cross the river from Bladensburg to Colmar Manor by taking a detour along Annapolis Road by the Peace Cross.

The bridge was originally built by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 2005.

It connects Bladensburg Waterfront Park to the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, which includes the Northeast Branch Trail, the Northwest Branch Trail and the Paint Branch Trail.

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A former Sunoco station near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station will become a 7-Eleven.

Located at 3599 East-West Highway, across from the Mall at Prince George’s, the gas station with a small interior convenience store is being completely redone.

It will reopen as a 7-Eleven, as the Texas-based chain undergoes another expansion, building 500 new stores over the next two years.

Some of those stores will be part of a newer store design that includes freshly prepared, made-to-order and frozen foods and an expanded merchandise and technology.

It’s unclear yet whether that will include the Hyattsville Crossing store.

The Route 1 corridor already has a number of 7-Elevens, from Hyattsville to Riverdale Park and College Park.

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