College Park, Md. — New apartments will house up to 855 students.
College Park, Md. — The redevelopment of the site of the Maryland Book Exchange, the college bookstore serving the University of Maryland, has been approved, after neighborhood groups had been expressing opposition about the plans for more than 800 college students to move into a high-rise in downtown College Park, across from the university.
Following negotiations between the city and the developer, R&J Co., LLC, the height of the project has been reduced, according to a City of College Park bulletin. Construction plans have not been submitted yet.
The 2.71-acre property was purchased in November 2010. The new student housing development will add 287 units, with a maximum of 855 beds (originally proposed as 341 units and 1,010 beds). The ground floor will have 14,300 square feet of retail, including the relocated Maryland Book Exchange as the anchor, according to the city.