Legal arguments take over hours-long meeting Procedural and legal arguments hijacked a hearing Wednesday on a proposed Whole Foods development in Riverdale Park, leaving residents who were not able to testify discouraged and frustrated with Prince George’s County’s complicated zoning process.
Dozens of residents — many of whom took off from work — spent hours waiting to voice their support or opposition on a proposed 37-acre development along Route 1, where Whole Foods would anchor a mix of retail space, office buildings and housing.
They were sent home late Wednesday afternoon, without ever speaking, after witnessing hours of debate among attorneys for the Cafritz family, developers of the Riverdale site; attorneys for the city of College Park, which opposes the Whole Foods project; and the county’s own attorneys, who struggled to pick apart arguments over procedural issues with the county’s zoning process.
“This is a fiasco,” said County Councilwoman Mary Lehman, D-Laurel.
As is, only residential development is allowed at the site. The developer’s requested change to mixed-use zoning, needed to move forward with the project, has been approved by the Prince George’s County Planning Board and now must gain enough votes from the County Council, which rules on zoning matters.
Attempts by Robert Manzi, an attorney hired by College Park, to stop the hearing before it started were shot down by a majority of the council, some of whom were alarmed by the great lengths taken to halt the development.
“To Mr. Manzi’s credit, I would be trying to find anything, either procedurally or whatever, to delay or kill the project,” said Councilman Will Campos, D-Hyattsville.
But even more legal debate during a lengthy summary of the Cafritz proposal led Council Chairwoman Andrea Harrison, D-Bladensburg, to suspend the hearing until Friday, with plans to recess again to schedule another hearing.
Residents who sat for hours left frustrated.
“The rules have repeatedly changed in this process, making it difficult for citizens, who feel disenfranchised,” said University Park resident Arlene Christiansen.
Chip Reed, attorney for the Cafritz family, said the county’s unique zoning process has been a struggle to navigate, adding that further delays could harm the viability of the development.
And county officials worry that if the development fails, it will send the wrong message to potential investors who see Prince George’s as a place where it’s difficult to do business.
The Riverdale Park grocery store would be the county’s first Whole Foods. If it succeeds, the development could attract other stores the county lacks, according to Aubrey Thagard, the county assistant deputy chief administrative officer of economic development.
“There’s a larger picture here than the immediate area where the site is located,” Thagard said.
