Army Reserve Building in Riverdale Park Could Become Community Center
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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Excellent opportunity for community involvement to plan, develop, implement, and maintain a large community project.