[RP TownTalk] Dumm's Development

[Judy Glaes]

Some have warned that the Dumm's Corner development would dramatically alter the nature of our town. A look at Riverdale's history and my own experience, although not exactly the same as the current project, may shed some light on this view.
I hope the following will prompt you to consider two things: the long-term value of holding developers to the current zoning and the potential affect on the surrounding neighborhood over the next 20 or more years.

Here are two relevant paragraphs from The Riverdale Story: Mansion to Municipality by the Riverdale 75th Anniversary Book Committee:

"Between 1959 and 1962, the mayor and council made zoning decisions that dramatically changed the character of Riverdale between the Northeast Branch and Kenilworth Avenue south of Riverdale Road. One application after another was presented seeking to rezone parcels of land from single-family to multifamily (apartment) use. The applications were approved by town officials, and dozens of Victorian houses were demolished to make way for garden-type, mid-rise and high-rise apartment buildings. When the new buildings were completed in 1964 and 1965, about 846 housing units were added to the town's inventory of residential property.

The successful experience by developers in making such a massive change to land use in the eastern part of the town led to an effort to rezone property west of the Northeast Branch on Taylor Road in 1965. In this instance, residents around the proposed site of the rezoning application learned that the first few applications that succeed create a domino effect, and the remaining owners sell their properties easily once they know a multistoried building and heavy traffic are coming to their neighborhood. [Emphasis mine] Armed with this knowledge, residents appearing before the Prince George's Board of Commissioners aggressively opposed the first application. Residents argued that approval of this first site would be spot zoning, allowing a multifamily zone in the midst of single-family zone. The application failed. One similar application was filed for Riverdale Road; it also failed."  

My Own Story

I was six years old when I walked alone from Riverdale Elementary School along Riverdale Road, across the bridge, down quiet, stately 54th Avenue to my home on Spring Lane. That was in 1955. 54th Avenue is anything but quiet and stately today. A dense, transient, population requires frequent visits from our police. Reports of stolen vehicles, assaults, burglary and rape are not unusual.

I remember the year my mother made me an elephant costume for Halloween. She walked along the street with me, my sister and friends, but we had to go to the doors by ourselves. I was terribly afraid to go to the houses along 54th Avenue. They were huge compared to our small brick home, they were set far back from the street, and had wide side yards; the houses looked old and dark and scary; it was nighttime. I declined the chance for free candy; I was convinced the numerous historic Victorian homes were haunted. (Considering what developed over time along that street, maybe they were haunted.)

My family moved from Riverdale in 1956. I did not return to my old neighborhood until I was in high school. In 1968 my high school sweetheart lived with his family in one of the new garden-style apartments at the south end of 54th Avenue. Talk about modern luxury! This complex had a heated indoor pool (a big deal in 1968)! 

I imagine some of the same points brought up about the Dumm's Corner project were brought up when the projects on 54th Avenue were in the application stages: modern, state of the art design, good quality, currently popular housing, increased tax revenue, and customers for the Kenilworth Avenue businesses.

The heated indoor pool, the last I saw of it, had been closed for a decade, deteriorated beyond repair. The complex was old, run-down, and low rent. 

If only we knew then what we know now, would we have allowed them to build those apartment buildings?

This area is so hot for development that I don't think we need to wave our zoning standards to get high-quality conforming development the way we want it, at a good profit for the owner of Dumm's Corner and to fill Town Center.

Judy Glaes

P.S. When I was ready to buy my first house, in 1983, I came back to Riverdale Park due to the warm friendly feel of my childhood neighborhood. I have that feeling here in the western part of Riverdale.
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