The WSSC redevelopment is a great opportunity to expand the city's housing stock within walking distance of the Arts District and the historic core (as well as the West Hyattsville Metro Stop). The proposed design thoughtfully compliments existing houses and returns the WSSC site to its historic use -- single family homes.

I know many families who find the historic district attractive and would love to live in this humane and walkable community. Given limited listings, they often struggle to find a property and move elsewhere. This project will allow for a greater number of these families to find a home in Hyattsville. This will help make the community more vibrant and help sustain the Route 1 businesses that make the Arts District such a wonderful place, but sometimes seem to struggle with getting enough business.

If there are crowding issues with the schools, that needs to be addressed by the school board. If it doesn't that is a failure of our local governing institutions and the blame should be pinned there, not on a private development. It is a duty of local government to plan and allow for growth and development. Locking the city into some status quo, isn't really what governing is supposed to be about. There are lots of beautiful historic properties in Hyattsville, but the decaying WSSC is not among them.

I do fully agree with other commentators that the city and county should look into making it easier to renovate and expand existing buildings and houses.

The development and investment occurring in and around the Historic Arts District is incredibly exciting. Whether at the Busboy & Poets or the new Pizza Paradiso, the new investment flowing into our community represents an incredibly positive trajectory for us all and will encourage others to also invest and reinvest in our community. We should do everything in our power to support the continued development of our community and why I feel that the Werrlein proposal is vital to our community's continued growth.

Whether at the gathering at Vigilante coffee shop last year or in other settings, over the past few months, Jonathan Werrlein has actively sought out community input for this proposal and has demonstrated a commitment to listening and adjusting plans for Magruder Pointe based on our input. In this process, he has proven himself to be someone who genuinely wants to contribute to our community in a meaningful way.

On a personal level, we live directly across the street from the WSSC site and we are forced to look at this rotting building each day. Living across the street, we know the demolition will be an inconvenience for a time but the pros of having new development and new investment in our community far outweigh any negatives in the short term. We certainly will not miss looking at that structure when it is gone. In my view, the plans for Magruder Pointe Development cannot start soon enough.

I live directly across from this building and have watched it rot for 20+ years. I fully support the demolition of this building and the Werrlein Properties, LLC proposal.

My family has been in business in West Hyattsville for over 50 years. During that time, we have seen the WSSC building sit vacant for years. Every effort at re-using the building was opposed by the community for various reasons. I believe we now have a developer that is bringing a quality design for a project that fits well within the existing community. We are in full support of the Werrlein project, please move forward with this proposal so we do not have to be saddled with this old, vacant building for years to come.

I’m in favor of the proposal. In the twelve years that my family and I have lived in Hyattsville, I’ve only seen the properties in question devolve. While increasing the housing density will, as others have stated, create new demands on the city’s resources, the city in return will receive an increase in tax revenue as well as the talents and energy of new residents. As it currently stands, Magruder Park is bordered by an enormous, decaying parking lot and a building decades vacant with no sign from its current owner, the Douglass Corporation, of intention to ever preserve or better it. I’d much prefer to see Magruder Park surrounded by homes, be they single family or townhouses. I like the improved design and the emphasis- with the porches and green spaces- on neighborliness, the very thing that appealed to my family when we moved to Hyattsville.

I’ve personally had such a positive experience with Werrlein Properties and can’t speak highly enough of the entire crew. They did a beautiful renovation of our family home and built the neighboring houses as well, bringing life back to a corner long in disrepair. I really think we as a community are lucky to have an interested, capable builder who cares enough to try and get it right.