Who is involved in creating the Lofts at Riverdale Park?
Developer – Douglas Development and Werrlein Properties Land Engineering – Applied Civil Engineering Architecture – Romero Architects and Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects Planning – Site Design, Inc./RDA Mark Ferguson Legal – Law Offices of Norman Rivera, LLC

How many units will be in the Lofts at Riverdale Park?
The combination of both buildings will have approximately 90 units. This unit count may fluxuate as the design phase moves forward.

What is the parking availability at the Lofts at Riverdale Park? The current architecture provides for a partially underground parking garage. The final determination on the number of parking spaces will be made as the plan progresses.

Why isn’t there more parking planned?
The Lofts at Riverdale Park is planned to be a walkable community with access to multiple types of public transportation. The buildings are immediately adjacent to the Marc commuter rail and enjoys a short walk to two active Metro stations. In addition, the Metro purple line is currently in development to serve this area.

Is the entrance to the parking garage on Riverdale Road?
At this point in the planning process, the answer is yes.

How are you going to manage the increased traffic?
A traffic study mandated by Prince George’s County will be conducted and appropriate adjustments to the plan will be incorporated. The traffic study will be made available on The Lofts at Riverdale website once completed.

Have you conducted simulations related to the increased traffic?
Approximately 2 years ago we conducted a traffic impact analysis at the Riverdale Town Center. It will be updated and provided as a link on our website.

If the traffic study shows that this construction exceeds the traffic capacity, will the number of units in the development be lowered?
Yes. As a matter of public policy, the density in a development cannot exceed the capacity of the traffic study.

Do you have a plan to add safety measures for the increased traffic and protecting pedestrians?
During the construction phase, all appropriate safety measures will be implemented. We are also required, as part of the overall plan, to provide bicycle and pedestrian specific improvements. Those improvements will be shared as the plan progresses.

Are the units apartments or condos?
The units are planned to be apartments with a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments.

Why apartments instead of condominiums?
In our experience, condos have not been popular due to the high condo association fees and the onerous rules and regulations.

What is the developer’s definition of sustainability?
A sustainable community is one with a prosperous economy where the people are involved in activities that help the community grow and advance. To meet this goal, we look to provide residents with a transit-oriented development within a vibrant economic community that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Are there any “green” construction practices that will be used in building this development?
Our development will follow the energy codes for construction of new buildings to minimize the impact on the environment. The buildings will also incorporate a “green roof” along with storm water management engineering.

How can this development be part of climate action?
This is a transit-oriented development which helps reduce or eliminate the need for cars.

Are these properties in the historic district of Riverdale?
These properties are within the Riverdale Park Historic District, however, none of these buildings have a Historic designation associated with them.

Did you consider keeping the existing buildings?
Yes, we did look at the existing buildings, however, they were not in acceptable condition or structurally sound enough to renovate.

Can we see a side-by-side comparison of the current site vs. the planned site?
Yes, it is available on the Lofts at Riverdale website.

Is this development going to be marketed to families with children which may add stress to the school system?
This development will primarily be marketed to one and two person households with studios and 1- bedroom units which may limit the number of residents.

Will the developer be making an investment in the local schools as required by the county?
The county has a fee-based system that assesses a surcharge to developments for public safety and schools. This is a per unit fee and this development is subject to those fees.

Will you commit to bringing any decisions to the town council to seek approval?
Yes. We fully intend to have significant participation with the Town of Riverdale Park.

Who has oversight on the planning development zone?
The final determination for all planning and development regulations resides with the Prince George’s County District Council with recommendations from the Town.

What are the next steps?
Our next steps are to meet with the town leadership along with the MUTC Design Review Committee to chart a path forward.