By KIT SLACK
In Hyattsville, each acre of land covered by single-family houses generates $13,860 in property tax revenue for the city per year on average.
Each acre of townhouses generates more than three times that, or nearly $46,000.
How do we know that? Both these estimates are according to an August analysis of tax data by Claire Panak Tombes, of Route One Finance, a Hyattsville-based news source that Tombes founded in early 2024.
Tombes says she wrote code to get state tax assessment data into a database that she could use to compare per acre values.
Tombes cites the nonprofit Strong Towns, which promotes value-per-acre tax value analysis, as a tool to evaluate what kind of land use benefits towns.
Single-family houses occupy 555 acres of the city, or more than one third of Hyattsville’s nearly 1,400 acres, according to Tombes. In contrast, the city has 63 acres of townhouses.
High (tax) value homes: The townhouse developments that are most valuable, per acre, are the Arts District townhouses along Route 1, which are valued at $33 million per acre, according to Tombes’ report. Other high-value developments include the Riverfront townhouses near the West Hyattsville Metro station and the Editors Park townhouses and condos near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station.
The highest-value single-family houses are in the new Suffrage Point development, on the hill above Driskell Park.
What about businesses? Commercial properties bring in an average of $15,000 per acre in tax revenue for the city, not much more than single family houses. However, the highest value commercial properties are more than twice as valuable, per acre, as the average acre of townhouses: The building at 3311 Toledo Road that houses government offices, and Franklins Restaurant and General Store each pay $100,000 per acre per year in city taxes, according to Tombes.
Why does all this matter? Well, the city needs money. Route One Finance estimates that city spending increased 56% from 2011 to 2021, while the city’s tax base grew 22%, and inflation increased by 20%.
From 2010 to 2020, Hyattsville’s population also increased by 21%, from 17,557 to 21,188, according to census data.
County staff and officials review and approve planned developments. The City of Hyattsville has an advisory role. The county does not have to follow city recommendations.
Dense residential development, particularly near Metro stations, is a priority for county planning staff and the county council.
Route One Finance founder and owner Claire Panak Tombes has been a volunteer reporter for the Hyattsville Life & Times, which has no financial or legal relationship with Route One Finance.
