West Hyattsville has not yet seen the redevelopment going on along the Route 1 corridor, but that may change in the next few years.
In addition to the Riverfront at West Hyattsville Metro project, another major developer recently bought two acres near the intersection of Queens Chapel and Ager roads, a transaction first reported by Route 1 Reporter.
The purchase was made by one of the principals at Urban Investment Partners, which is currently seeking approval for the Hyattsville Armory Apartments project across the street from Busboys and Poets.
With a Green Line Metro station, a thriving row of small family-owned businesses and access to the Anacostia River, the area has a lot of long-term potential.
For now, the missing link is the area between the Metro and the surrounding neighborhoods, which is marked by a giant parking lot, underutilized lots and pedestrian-unfriendly intersections.
New townhomes and apartments right next to the Metro, as planned at Riverfront; improvements to a couple key intersections; and maybe something smart like a futsal field to make the area less desolate at night could turn the area around quickly.
An investment from a major infill developer shows it might be sooner than you’d think.
The whole county has always had potential with all of its Metro stations, large green parks and wildlife sanctuaries, and proximity to Baltimore, Annapolis, and DC. But years of racism and mismanagement has harmed economic development in the county.
There’s no reason why College Park shouldn’t already be a top 20 college town or Hyattsville’s entire downtown being completely revived by now.
Sure, there was the recession, but other areas have bounced back faster like Silver Spring.