U-Md. Project Envisions A Livelier College Park

University of Maryland officials want to mirror the success of other schools' public-private initiatives with their $700 million, 38-acre project. (Foulger-pratt And Argo Investment)

A power plant and new undergraduate housing already on the site will remain there.

University officials will seek $125 million in public financing for a parking garage, they said. The university will ask for tax increment financing for the project, which dedicates revenue from the project to finance the debt that was issued to pay for it, Duncan said. It will also look to the state to help with road improvements along Route 1.

University officials want the East Campus district, which is nearly twice the size of the original redevelopment of downtown Silver Spring, to be part of the state's rail plans for Metro's Purple Line.

"It's going to be a first for Prince George's, a whole village next to a Metro center," Duncan said.

The University of Maryland plans to learn from the experiences of the University of Pennsylvania, which was viewed as a behemoth in its West Philadelphia neighborhood. The school is now considered an example for universities entering into public-private ventures on their campuses.

Craig Carnaroli, executive vice president at the University of Pennsylvania, said venturing into real estate was a strategic move for the university, which realized that "50,000 people traversed through its area a day and they wanted more than a cup of coffee."

The school also understood that violent crime along campus borders was affecting its recruiting. By creating after-hours activity and employment, the university helped deter crime.

"Instead of sheltering ourselves, we engaged ourselves," Carnaroli said.

Because the university is not in the middle of a city, Duncan plans to incorporate a lot of the ideas used to create the town centers in Silver Spring and Rockville.

Many residents have voiced strong opinions about what they want the area to look like, and particularly what they don't want it to look like.

"It should be something special, not just Silver Spring Two," said Bridget Warren, a resident of University Park and a representative on the project's community review steering committee. "It should be architecturally and environmentally innovative."

When Warren drove along Route 1 to drop off her U-Haul after moving to the area, she said she kept looking for the bookstores, cafes and funky shops near campus. She never found them.

Now, with all the buzz about a new development to lure students and faculty, many residents envision Madison, Wis., or Charlottesville as part of their community, not Silver Spring or Gaithersburg, Warren said.

Leo Shapiro, a College Park resident and a research assistant professor at the university who sits on the committee, said "most people are cautiously optimistic" about the project.

Still, for many people, there seem to be more questions than answers. Will the development offer a mixture of chain and local stores? How will it affect traffic? Will economic development improve on Route 1 near the university?

"The project will have a lot of impact on the community, and we want to make sure it is positive impact," said County Council member Eric Olson (D-College Park).