Construction is underway at the Residences at Riverdale Park Station, a high-end apartment building that kicks off the next phase of the Route 1 development.

When complete in the spring of 2021, the $57 million project will include 229 apartments, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 8,000 square feet of amenity space, and the building will be attached to an existing 750-spot parking garage.

Located at 4650 Van Buren St., it will be on the western end of the Village Green, a square grass space in the middle of the development. Future apartment buildings will be on the eastern end, helping block some of the noise of trains running past.

The number of parking spots is unfortunate. Research shows that parking raises the cost of rent by 16%, reduce affordable housing and contribute to urban sprawl and greenhouse gas emissions. Some cities are even moving away from minimum parking standards to encourage the development of new car-less apartment buildings.

Given the surban nature of Riverdale Park Station, some parking was inevitable, but consider the transit options residents will have:

1) A mile bike ride up the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail, which is being extended in this project, to the College Park Metro and MARC stations. 2) A half-mile walk or bike ride to the Riverdale Park Town Center MARC station. 3) A half-mile walk or bike ride to the future Purple Line stop in the Discovery District. 4) A free shuttle to the College Park and Prince George’s Plaza Metro stops that runs from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m. 5) Capital Bikeshare and whatever bike-sharing system College Park selects.

At the same time, they’ll have everything from District Taco to Denizen’s brewery not to mention a Whole Foods Market within walking distance.

Overall, that’s a pretty nice option for an apartment in the greater D.C. area.