Liz Farmer from The Examiner reports that a proposed development for more student housing in College Park is meeting heavy opposition from local officials who would rather entice more young professionals to the area.
The proposed 334-unit apartment building and ground-floor retail space would be built on the 2.6-acre site across the street from the University of Maryland on Route 1 now occupied by the Maryland Book Exchange and its parking lot.
The apartments would be geared toward housing students, while one-third would be marketed toward visiting professors, researchers and graduate students, said developer Ilya Zusin. About two-thirds of the retail space will house a new book exchange. But the project, which would add hundreds of students to Old Town College Park, might not get built at all if officials succeed in blocking the proposal.