by Maya T. Prabhu | Staff Writer
All Ann and Bill Delavan cared about when they purchased their second home in Hyattsville was being closer to their grandchildren.
It wasn’t until after the Pensacola, Fla., residents signed the contract for their row home in Arts District Hyattsville that they realized all the EYA development would have to offer.
On a 25-acre site along Route 1 that once featured auto dealerships, upscale row homes and condos are rising. And by the end of the year, work on up to 35,000 square feet of retail space is scheduled to begin. The development is part of revitalization efforts in the Gateway Arts District, which also includes Brentwood, North Brentwood and Mount Rainier.
‘‘It’s a wonderful concept with the revitalization of the community,” Ann Delavan said.
‘‘We didn’t know how much [non-residential] development they were going to do,” Bill Delavan said, adding that he liked how most things he needed would be within walking distance.
But the couple is confident that the purchase, made at the suggestion of their daughter, Nancy Clay of Cheverly, was a good decision.
The Delavans are among the first residents of Arts District Hyattsville. The retired couple will spend up to half of the year in Hyattsville near their grandchildren, who live in Cheverly and Lexington Park.
Ann Delavan said they feel like Arts District pioneers.
‘‘There’s a lot of expectation as far as what develops and how well-received it is in the community,” she said.
After about a year of construction on the first phase of the redevelopment project, 10 row houses have been built, five of which are occupied, said Aakash Thakkar, a development executive with EYA. Phase one, or West Village, on the west side of Route 1, is expected to be completed in two years. Of the 132 units planned, Thakkar said, 78 have been sold.
On the east side of Route 1, construction of the second phase, or East Village, should begin at the end of the year and will include about 200 condos, 220 row houses and 35,000 to 40,000 square feet of retail. Thirteen live-work units will allow residents to buy a unit, work on the first floor and live above the retail or office space.
Row homes range from $400,000 to $600,000; condos start at $200,000.
‘‘The development represents a positive step forward in that it reflects the direction that the city was attempting to revitalize in,” said Stuart Eisenberg, director of the Hyattsville Community Development Corp. Eisenberg said the EYA project, along with its future retail component, is indicative of Hyattsville’s economic vitality. ‘‘But it’s really hard to put a number to it until it’s built,” he said.
For the retail, Thakkar said EYA is close to securing Busboys and Poets — a restaurant, café, bookstore and potential performance venue — as an anchor tenant. A coffee shop and a small grocery store are also being considered.
Ann Delavan said they experienced the mixed-use feel when they lived near San Francisco. ‘‘It was fun and convenient,” she said.
‘‘You could walk to everything,” Bill Delavan said. ‘‘And this will be like that.”
Ann Delavan said the construction, which has started as early as 6:30 a.m. and runs until about 4 p.m. most days, can be an annoyance.
‘‘But it’s also fun to watch,” she said.
As part of the project, the former Lustine automobile dealership’s showroom has been renovated to house a community center where residents can exercise and shoot pool. Artists will be able to exhibit their work there in a community gallery.
The Lustine Center should be open to residents in about a week, Thakkar said.
Bill Delavan said he’s looking forward to using the gym.
‘‘I just hope they have more equipment coming,” he said. ‘‘But it looks really nice.”
E-mail Maya T. Prabhu at mprabhu@gazette.net.
