College Park officials and developers seem to have reached a compromise in a debate over whether College Park can sacrifice its traditional architecture in favor of "green" building.
The College Park City Council last night informally supported updated plans for the StarView project - the 500-plus bed residential-over-retail building set to open in December 2009 - that developers wanted to make contemporary and eco-friendly. But the project is at odds with the Route 1 Sector Plan, which calls for building façades to be majority brick in order to maintain a traditional appearance.
Developers presented a redesigned concept for the new Route 1 student housing complex last night to the city council, and they seem to have addressed council complaints about the building's appearance.
The council was sharply split over the renderings developer Mukesh Majmudar showed for his buildings last month, with some members complaining that the angular, glass-fronted building did not fit what they envisioned for the city. They asked for a greater use of brick, as called for in the Route 1 Sector Plan.
Developers originally said their design was necessary for their building to be "green," since brick is not an energy efficient material. But they said they tried to accommodate city feedback into their second try.
"[The building] retains its 'green' building theme and mission but with a little bit more of traditional architecture, as opposed to the more contemporary architecture that you initially saw," said Ed Novak, a member of the development team.
The new renderings included more brick on their façade, and the city council informally approved of the building's new look.
"I think you've blended a traditional look with something that is new and very different," District 4 Councilwoman Mary Cook said. At the previous meeting, she had requested that the developers try for a "less confrontational style."
"My first impression was it was a home run," College Park Mayor Stephen Brayman said. "I was afraid I was just going to see a lot of options."
But even if they convinced the city, the developers will still need to persuade county park and planning officials that they should waive a Route 1 Sector Plan guideline that calls for façades to be at least 75 percent brick.
Under the developers' current plan, only the front of the building would use any brick, while the back and sides would be built with "hardyplank" and other recycled materials and then painted to resemble brick. Because the building backs to the Paint Branch Creek, they said, only its front is going to be visible.
"The only people that will see the back two angles of the building are squirrels and chipmunks," architect Jon Grant said.
Developers said they hope to submit their detailed site plan to the county early next month, months after originally scheduled. The project faced delays after arguments over contract wording with the city, which owns some of the land on which the complex will be built.
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