[RP TownTalk] Town Center of Dreams

[Alan K. Thompson]

Dear Marc,

You've presented an interesting "modest" proposal.  Back when the Town
briefly owned much of town center, there was a _little_ bit of talk
about having the Town oversee rehab and development (including getting
businesses in).  The town government at that time thought that an
experienced developer would do a better job (and I can't fault them
for that -- Jemal sounded really good, and it seemed that development
would happen quickly and be high quality). I still hope that we will
get good quality development there, but my current hopes are pinned on
the economic opportunity of EYA and MSquare making it worth the while
of businesses to pay the rent; that won't be happening for at least a
few years.

I'd also like to present a different perspective on a few things you
said about the MUTC zoning (excerpted from your letter are below).  I
worked extensively on the writing of the MUTC guidelines, and
economics *were* considered -- mainly through input from local
business owners about what they needed to be able to meet the
architectural guidelines.  We (the business owners were involved in
the process too) did our best to meet those needs in the guidelines.
I don't think we could have done better without a lot more resources
(or a crystal ball).

Secondly, the Town does have a lot of influence and ability to get the
sort of developments it wants - it just has to stand firm and insist
on them.  This will mean saying no to developments that don't meet the
zoning guidelines, and the needs of the town _beyond_ the zoning
guidelines (when the special permit process starts, the zoning
guidelines are only one thing the council should consider).
Hyattsville said no to a lot of proposals before EYA came through, we
need to encourage and support our council in doing the same if we want
to get the sort of development we want.

Warm regards,

Alan

On 9/11/07, marc stauffer <marc.stauffer at verizon.net> wrote:
> We have heard repeatedly from officials that the
> MUTC plan did not consider economics when formalizing the MUTC plan. If we,
> the Town of Riverdale Park, don't take control over the land and thus its
> use, we will not have the ability to mold the Town (not just Town Center,
> but the economic and social vitality of all of Town) in the fashion that we
> desire.  As others have mentioned, the tools that we currently have (zoning,
> mostly) are not substantial enough to gain from the current landowners the
> kind of revitalization we are desiring.  The MUTC plan is a great plan and
> diagram for the future built environment, but it doesn't have the legal
> teeth to demand that only MUTC- specified projects are created.  For
> instance, the Rt. 1 / 410 corner site is an example of the MUTC plan's
> diminished power over the outcome of the process.  Further, in Town Center
> itself we, the Town, don't have sufficient power to demand the changes we
> are seeking.