Hyattsville Complex Adds Restaurants to Mix

The $160 million University Town Center development in Hyattsville is entering its final stages, with several restaurants signing deals that developers hope will turn the 56-acre site into an entertainment destination in Prince George's County.

The project is off East-West Highway, about a mile from the University of Maryland and near the Hyattsville Metro station. It is already home to four office buildings with roughly 5,000 workers, mainly from government agencies.

The developer, Prince George's Metro Center Inc., wants to channel the foot traffic from those buildings into several restaurants and retailers. Old Dominion Brewpub recently agreed to rent 10,000 square feet. Other restaurants to open include Tokyo Sushi, Mongolian Grill and Salad Creations.

A New York-based coffee and wine bar and a seafood restaurant are also negotiating for space.

Consolidated Theaters is building a 14-screen cineplex. Safeway has begun construction of one of its new "lifestyle" stores. Madison Retail Group, which is leasing the project, said it expects to announce more tenants soon.

One of the goals of the project is to attract higher-end retail to Prince George's County. Residents have long complained about the lack of sit-down restaurants and upscale shopping in one of the country's wealthiest predominantly African American counties.

Wearing a hard hat, Prince George's Metro Center Inc. President Herschel W. Blumberg, 82, walked through the construction area last week and imagined the end product: wide sidewalks, landscaped greenery and plenty of people.

A preview party for the project's eight-story condo building was held last week. Construction is to begin at the end of this summer on another condo building, with a curved zinc facade and a loft-like atmosphere. A 910-bed student housing complex will open in the fall, intended to draw tenants from the University of Maryland and Howard and Catholic universities, among others.

The project should be finished within a year, with the exception of the Safeway, which is expected to open in 2008.

The Mall at Prince George's, near Blumberg's site, has Target, Old Navy, JCPenney and Hecht's as anchors. Home Depot is nearby. "This area is changing dramatically," Blumberg said. "We don't mind the competition."

Blumberg bought the land in 1954. He built office complexes but was unable to put together the mixed-use development he envisioned.

Now that the tide is turning, Blumberg said he is glad that he kept the property. As he walked the site, he showed off the slabs of concrete that will become patios for the condos and the steel beams that will hold up the building's walls. From the top of the student apartments, the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral could be seen near the horizon.