College Park’s new City Hall could have a dramatic effect on the look of the Route 1 corridor.

At a recent meeting, the City Council heard from architects from Design Collective, Inc., about plans for a new municipal building on Baltimore Avenue between Lehigh and Knox roads.

Two buildings that officials cited as inspiration would mark a huge difference, especially from the strip mall that’s currently on the site: the Yale School of Management (shown above) in Connecticut and the Westland Town Hall in the Netherlands.

Both make dramatic use of a large glass facade to create a dramatic yet airy look that is nothing like the typical American city hall.

The project will be not nearly as large as those two buildings, but with an initial estimate of $12.5 million, it will still have a substantial impact on the look of downtown College Park.

Along with the nearby Hotel at the University of Maryland, the new student housing and apartment buildings and the Iribe Center, a futuristic new city hall could give the city much more of a “Silicon Route 1” look to match its current ambitions.

The building could also have ground-floor retail, administrative space for the university and an outdoor plaza that could host concerts, the regular farmer’s market and other events.