The town of Riverdale Park has drawn up plans to repurpose an Army Reserve building located near Whole Foods.

Built in 1950, the 30,000-square-foot building at 6601 Baltimore Ave. next to the Station at Riverdale Park is no longer needed by the U.S. Army.

The town has put together a proposal to turn the building into municipal offices and a community center for things like continuing education, ESL classes and meeting spaces for local groups.

The plan would also remove parking lots on more than a third of the six-acre site and plant trees, grass and flowers to create a stormwater retention area. A paved biking and hiking path would wind through the area, as shown in the illustration below.

Under the plan, the federal government would give the land and building — worth an estimated $7 million — to the town for free, although it would have to spend money to develop the site.

In a recent letter to residents, Mayor Alan Thompson said the plan envisions taking a piece of land that is contributing to flooding problems in the area and turning it into a solution.

The town council will get an update on the status of the project next week.

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