The College Park City Council agreed Jan. 27 to recommend that Prince George’s County amend a parking ordinance that would allow a developer to build a four-story, 87-unit apartment building for older residents on Branchville Road.

Development of the 2.2-acre site at 4810 Branchville Road has been approved twice before: in 1987 for a 96-unit building and in 2020 for a seven-story, market-rate complex with 81 apartments.

The latest iteration “emphasizes aging in place,” said Matthew Tedesco, a lawyer representing Cruz Development Corp. That includes elevators, social spaces and amenities that appeal to senior citizens, Tedesco said.

The new Branchville Crossing apartments will be “a scaled-down, senior affordable project that we believe fits not only the needs of the city but of the county,” Tedesco said.

The project will require an amendment to a county zoning law to allow the developer to exceed the maximum number of parking spaces by 18, making room for 54 spots rather than 36.

City councilmembers agreed that because the complex is for residents 62 and older, most tenants will be living independently and many may own and regularly drive cars.

Tedesco said county zoning for the site bases the number of spaces on what would be needed for a nursing home or assisted living facility with dependent living services, which Branchville Crossing will not offer.

The 47-foot-tall building will be financed using a 4% federal low-income housing tax credit, or LIHTC.

“It’s the financial engine that makes this project possible,” Carlos Nunes, a senior planner with the city, said, noting the tax credit has “strict strings attached.”

For one, the developer may not charge market-rate rents and instead will base rent on 60% of the area median income, meaning each tenant’s monthly charges depend on the resident’s income. Tedesco estimated tenants of Branchville Crossing, which will include 78 one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom units, will pay between $1,100 and $2,000 a month.

Second, tenants must be age 62 or older.

“There is a real need for senior housing in College Park,” Councilmember Kelly Jordan (District 2) said at the meeting. “We’re very happy this is being brought before us. We can definitely see that the developer has listened to the residents … to see what would fit here, what’s needed here.”

The county Planning Board’s review of the developer’s site plan is scheduled for Feb. 26.