A Boston-based development company has proposed an 87-unit affordable senior housing project at Branchville Road and University Boulevard.
At an Aug. 13 neighborhood meeting, College Park residents and officials said they support the four-story Branchville Crossing apartment building but raised concerns about affordability, noise and parking.
“It seems like the rate of rent is still high for seniors on subsidized incomes,” Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (District 4) said.
Cruz Development Corp. acquired the 2.2-acre property in the late 1980s and has floated several plans since then. In this version, a 650-square-foot one-bedroom will rent for about $1,300 to $1,400 a month, and a 750-square-foot two-bedroom for $1,800 to $1,900.
Rent includes water, sewage, trash and parking but not furniture.
The project qualified for a 4% federal tax credit for affordable housing, according to Jeffrey Ratnow, the developer’s consultant.
Tenants, who must be 62 or older, will pay based on their incomes. Ratnow said prices reflect 60% of the area median income (AMI) for Prince George’s County. Those earning 50% of AMI will pay about $150 less. Tenants may also use Section 8 vouchers.
Still, Mitchell said the prices are higher than in other affordable developments in the city.
“For us, it’s kind of like, ‘That doesn’t sound right,’” Mitchell said. “We do have other senior or affordable housing entities in our city, and their rates are much lower.”
Attick Towers, a 108-unit building for tenants 60 and up, bases rent on 30% of a household’s income, adjusted for deductions such as child care.
Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters (District 2) asked what the developers plan to do about noise.
“University Boulevard is notorious for lots of noise and driving at all types of speed, all during the day and evening,” said Esters, whose district includes the site.
University Boulevard–Maryland Route 193–runs about 26 miles and is a main highway for commuters in College Park, Greenbelt and Berwyn Heights.
Attorney Matthew Tedesco said the developer hired Phoenix Noise & Vibration to study ways to mitigate the noise.
Sandy Lora of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Co. Ladies Auxiliary said the firehouse across the street adds to the noise.
“When they leave the station, it’s lights and sirens, as by law, so they make a lot of noise,” Lora said.
Parking was another concern.
Plans call for 43 spaces, more than the 25 required by the county, so “there’s ample parking from not only a code requirement, but also a need requirement,” Tedesco said.
Daniel Cruz Jr., senior vice president of the Cruz Development, noted Attick Towers has 44 spaces for 108 units and said many seniors don’t drive.
But Arelis Pérez, chair of the College Park Housing Authority board, said parking at Attick Towers is inadequate, forcing some to park off property.
“Just based on what’s across the street, it’s a problem, and I don’t see how this is going to be less of a problem,” Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1) said, adding that staff also need on-site parking.
The developer’s next step is to review community concerns, including amenities, security, green initiatives and traffic, before submitting the proposal to county planners.