Cafritz Property

http://route1growth.wordpress.com/2007/06/04/summary-of-june-2nd-cafritz-community-input-meeting/

http://rpcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2007/06/cafritz-property.html

While searching for blogs about Riverdale Park, I came across these two above that gave me a much better idea about what the Cafritz property is and what the plans may be for it. Although the property is somewhat isolated from the rest of the town, the potential benefits of developing this property could be great for Riverdale and the surrounding areas.

My wife brought up the possibility of a Whole Foods store going up in this location. This link gave an interesting take on what Whole Foods may look like based on other regional stores.

http://rpcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-many-whole-foods-can-you-fit-in-vw.html

My wife and I have shopped at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring, and it is a huge store. Their food selection appears superior in terms of quality and health conscious options to a standard Giant, Safeway, Shoppers, etc. However, the prices are high, and I know some residents would be turned off by this. I still think that there would be enough interest though to justify a store. I would really hope that environmental concerns are taken seriously with a development so close to the Anacostia River. I've read a lot about how the vast amount of impervious surface at PG Plaza has really hurt the local tributaries of the Anacostia. A garage would be ideal in order to keep as much green space as possible.

Since the Cafritz Property is located conveniently between College Park, Riverdale, and University Park, I think it will help to bring the neighboring communities together. Hopefully the Hiker-Biker trail would be an important aspect of this development in order to promote foot traffic between towns. I know a walk with the family to Whole Foods would be a much more enjoyable grocery experience than jumping in a car and dealing with East West Highway or Rte. 1. A little bit of night life in the form of quality restaurants would also be ideal.

Since the trend in the metro area seems to be smart growth/high density residential developments, I would hope the idea of combining ground level retail and restaurants with apartment/condo living would be implemented. To truly make this a livable community, I would like to see a combination of undeveloped and landscaped, recreational land. If single family housing was part of the plan, I hope they would build similar sized and designed houses and lots to what is currently seen in University Park and Riverdale Park. McMansions might bring in the high end consumers that the developers want, but it surely wouldn't fit the vibe of the area.