As the redevelopment of Route 1 in Hyattsville into a vibrant, livable city center moves forward, Bethesda-based developer EYA is already making plans to add new residential units and commercial/retail space to its current $125 million "Arts District Hyattsville" plan for the area. EYA has agreed to purchase two additional properties next to the former Lustine Chevrolet dealership lot (where Route 1 hits Madison Street), which it is now in the midst of redeveloping, with Phase I delivering 12 "live-work" units plus 119 townhouse-style row homes that are scheduled for Spring 2008 completion (and will sell for between $400,000-$600,000), and Phase 2 promising 220 more row homes, four "live-work" units, and 34,500 sf of retail and restaurant space (pending plan approval by the Prince George's County Planning Board this fall). With its new land purchases, EYA envisions building either 82 new residential units, or perhaps 12 residential units and a mix of commercial and retail use. EYA’s "Arts District Hyattsville" project is part of Maryland’s designated effort, launched in April 2005, to redevelop the town’s Route 1 corridor into a "gateway arts and entertainment district."
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Developer to Expand Hyattsville Project
As the redevelopment of Route 1 in Hyattsville into a vibrant, livable city center moves forward, Bethesda-based developer EYA is already making plans to add new residential units and commercial/retail space to its current $125 million "Arts District Hyattsville" plan for the area. EYA has agreed to purchase two additional properties next to the former Lustine Chevrolet dealership lot (where Route 1 hits Madison Street), which it is now in the midst of redeveloping, with Phase I delivering 12 "live-work" units plus 119 townhouse-style row homes that are scheduled for Spring 2008 completion (and will sell for between $400,000-$600,000), and Phase 2 promising 220 more row homes, four "live-work" units, and 34,500 sf of retail and restaurant space (pending plan approval by the Prince George's County Planning Board this fall). With its new land purchases, EYA envisions building either 82 new residential units, or perhaps 12 residential units and a mix of commercial and retail use. EYA’s "Arts District Hyattsville" project is part of Maryland’s designated effort, launched in April 2005, to redevelop the town’s Route 1 corridor into a "gateway arts and entertainment district."
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6 comments:
I'm suprised to hear they are planning to expand already. I have an inside source at EYA who told me that units are not selling as quick as they would like.
Perhaps its their slogan "Hip is Here"?
maybe "hip is here" is the new "baby got back"
EYA appears bullish on both the future of the market, and of Hyattsville and its potential, which is nice to see in this time of developers pulling back, converting condos back to apts, etc. Hopefully their positive vibe helps improve the market all around the DC area!
I hope so too. I actually really like EYA's developments and hope they keep it up. It seems like they're the only developer cranking out new urbanist communities on a regular basis in an era when everyone else is doing high rise condos. Sometimes their construction looks a little cheap, but I don't think we'll ever see rowhomes and brownstones built to the the standards they were a century ago, given the cost of materials nowadays. I can't think of another developer in DC that does new urbanism better and more consistantly than EYA does.
you should check out my new blog on Anacostia:
anacostianow.blogspot.com
thanks! keep up the great work!
Chris; I'm surprised you call EYA the leader in 'urbanist' projects, but cite their lack of highrises as a positive feature. EYA is one of the holdouts of the urbanist movement precisely because they refuse to build density, the foremost urban characteristic, and are stuck building suburban style 'communities' that most developers appropriately stopped doing in the '90's. EYA has in fact been out of favor with the Smart Growth Coalition (a group of green and transit-oriented interest groups) because they refuse to adhere to standards that stop sprawl and promote environmentally sound development. They are taking up prime development land near Metros for low-density, vehicular-centered, faux-community developments, and that's a shame.
And you are right about their standards not being what existed a century ago, but many architects today build high-quality single family homes, you just have to buy a piece of land and hire one. But it saves time and energy to just buy from an assembly line developer like EYA; and you get out of what what you put into it - a hell of a lot less, in the form of lower quality, poor design and a house with no architectural style to speak of.
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