College Park - News, Events, Updates, Questions and Developments Etc. (Baltimore: top schools, taxes)

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by Urban Prince

In my honest opinion the Purple is a political joke and the people that support it that claims that it will boost business growth are flat out lying to themselves and know good and darn well that a light rail has never been proving to be an business growth booster.

Proven by who? Stats? Where your source? Are you just saying that because you want to believe it is true? I just want to know before I bombard you with data that proves otherwise.

Every time when the question comes up as to why Downtown Baltimore has failed to attract major businesses like Northern Virginia, Atlanta, and Houston since the light rail opened in Baltimore nearly 30 years ago they can never positively answer the question with a straight face.

It was a different time back then when suburbs were hot and inner city cores weren't. But many cities experiencing explosive growth are now happy that they did have transit back then. Look at DC. DC had one of the most expansive metro systems of most major cities and is JUST NOW experiencing transit-oriented growth at most of its stops. WHy? Development near transit is now popular. 30 years ago, it was never that transit was bad or not worth it. City centers just hadn't been as hot as they are now.

Look at Metro stops along the Purple Line and see the areas that are experiencing billions in development. New Carrollton Station, Riverdale Park, College Park, Downtown Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda. Are those areas growing just for no reason? Or is it because they are near rail transit?

What is now being proving is that the Purple Line has caused some retail businesses to close near Silver Spring.

I'm surprised you would even use this to prove your unproven argument. Those businesses are closing because they are in the ROW for the Purple Line and no other reason.

If the the planners really had Business growth in mind for the Maryland suburbs of DC they would have build the Purple line as a underground/el train subway like they did with the Silver line. So what if it is more expensive it would have paid for itself in the long run....

False. The new Silver Line is above ground. The Dulles corridor is growing like weeds. Second, with a cheaper light rail, you can have more stops and get pretty much the same development bang-for-your-buck that you get with heavy rail.

[adelphi_sky]

Retail update for Terrapin Row.

Upcoming

1. Wings Over...
2. Seoul Spice
3. Dunkin Donuts
4. The Spot Mini (Mini Asian Food Court?)

A. Gong Cha
B. Poki District
C. Cheers Cut

Existing

1. Amazon


http://www.mscretail.com/wp-content/...te-Plans-1.pdf

[G1..]

Originally Posted by terplandlord

I completely disagree .
1) The metro station is only .25 miles from the UMD campus leonardtown and frat row. The area of the station is being developed into the commercial hub of the region with enough vacant land to mold. It already has the national weather prediction center of NOAA , a huge FDA facility , USDA , Homeland Security international languages center, the American Physics institute, Raytheon and dozens of startups. This kind of brainpower nexus is unique to UMD since it is inside the beltway. UMD also has the national archives and the Phillips collection on campus.

2) a metro stop in the center of campus would undoubtably bring more crime which is publicity a university cannot afford.

3) the metro was put where it was because it was on tracks and right of way that already existed and had an extremely low cost of construction to spur it off the existing railroad through the already developed city , campus then back through the already developed city to greenbelt would have been impossible . Even now the purple line is a trolley on the existing roads which in my opinion is ugly / cluttered looking with wires and telephone like poles and spreads crime.

The school is losing projected students, I know first hand a minimum of five students who after touring the campus did not apply due to crime rates. Two of them had parents that were alumni .

[terplandlord]

Originally Posted by G1..

The school is losing projected students, I know first hand a minimum of five students who after touring the campus did not apply due to crime rates. Two of them had parents that were alumni .

Kind of dumb. Charlottesville has 50 percent more violent crime than CP. CP is far safer than every school town in the ACC other than Clemson, and Chapel Hill (which is only slightly safer). Blacksburg has a safer crime rate but a annual on campus tragedy )

[terplandlord]

Originally Posted by terplandlord

Kind of dumb. Charlottesville has 50 percent more violent crime than CP. CP is far safer than every school town in the ACC other than Clemson, and Chapel Hill (which is only slightly safer). Blacksburg has a safer crime rate but a annual on campus tragedy )

I might add that UMD has the 8th highest incoming SAT/ACT scores in the country among public institutions tied with UCLA and ahead of UNC and Wisconsin. They aren't very concerned about losing any shrinking violets scared of a place 50 percent safer than UVA. UMD students are a bit tougher than those kids .. That's why alumni have such a massive effect on the modern culture and economy inventing and creating Underarmour , Google, Oculus Rift, Linear Programming, the Universal Product Code Bar Symbol, the Muppets, Seinfeld, the Wire, the Hybrid Engine, the Jumbotron, Broke Watergate, the Octane System, Oral Contraceptives, the Embedded Defribulator, Artificial Pancreas, Pulse Dopplar Radar. More Pulitzers, Emmys, Academy Awards, Nobels, Fields Medals and National Championships than any school in the ACC.

Seriously ... No other public university has anywhere near the impact.. UMD even had 2 presidential candidates in the last cycle and its celebrity group of alumni are also large and amazing.

[lookingbutnotlost]

Originally Posted by G1..

The school is losing projected students, I know first hand a minimum of five students who after touring the campus did not apply due to crime rates. Two of them had parents that were alumni .

Nonsense. There are many great schools in meh neighborhoods--Duke, Penn, Yale...I guess those kids can only go to schools in the middle of nowhere with only farms surrounding them

[terplandlord]

Originally Posted by lookingbutnotlost

Nonsense. There are many great schools in meh neighborhoods--Duke, Penn, Yale...I guess those kids can only go to schools in the middle of nowhere with only farms surrounding them

Lolz like pedo farm penn state or mass murder/dining hall beheading Virginia tech.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by terplandlord

Kind of dumb. Charlottesville has 50 percent more violent crime than CP. CP is far safer than every school town in the ACC other than Clemson, and Chapel Hill (which is only slightly safer). Blacksburg has a safer crime rate but a annual on campus tragedy )

Maybe to you but true never the less.

[e2ksj3]

Random question or thought for discussion regarding development in College Park.

How do you guys feel about the local election tomorrow and how it may impact the city's partnership with the university when it comes to new development?

We have a four candidates for mayor this year and several people running for city council. I know the county ultimately determines zoning but they rely on the city council and mayor for input and recommendations.

I think the current mayor Patrick Wojahn is very pro development and wants to continue to see the city grow and work with UMD. There are a few candidates that do not feel the same way though. Mary Cook and Zari Malsawma are two running for mayor that feel the university has too much influence on the city. I know Beth Debosky running in District 1 (North College Park) shares similar positions and wants to see more redevelopment of existing shopping centers but doesn't agree with all the new development downtown.

Do you think the election tomorrow could have a major impact on how College Park grows?

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by terplandlord

I might add that UMD has the 8th highest incoming SAT/ACT scores in the country among public institutions tied with UCLA and ahead of UNC and Wisconsin. They aren't very concerned about losing any shrinking violets scared of a place 50 percent safer than UVA. UMD students are a bit tougher than those kids .. That's why alumni have such a massive effect on the modern culture and economy inventing and creating Underarmour , Google, Oculus Rift, Linear Programming, the Universal Product Code Bar Symbol, the Muppets, Seinfeld, the Wire, the Hybrid Engine, the Jumbotron, Broke Watergate, the Octane System, Oral Contraceptives, the Embedded Defribulator, Artificial Pancreas, Pulse Dopplar Radar. More Pulitzers, Emmys, Academy Awards, Nobels, Fields Medals and National Championships than any school in the ACC.

Seriously ... No other public university has anywhere near the impact.. UMD even had 2 presidential candidates in the last cycle and its celebrity group of alumni are also large and amazing.

Not to mention top schools like NYU, UCLA, etc that are in city centers. Hell, even Ohio State. If people balk at crime at UMD, perhaps they should apply to Bringham Young?