St. John Properties Inc. and the University of Maryland are in the early stages of a proposal to develop new research and development space on the Purple Line in College Park, boosting the area’s light manufacturing capacity.
The State of Maryland owns a 6.4-acre vacant assemblage along River Road, adjacent to where the Riverdale Park North (alternatively, M Square) light rail station will go, and in what’s known as the Discovery District, a research park on the eastern edge of the university’s campus. A UMd. Board of Regents committee, at its meeting Oct. 30, formally recommended the university and Baltimore’s St. John Properties establish a joint venture to develop the site with 58,000 square feet of R&D space across two buildings.
It’s a “key component of the University’s broader effort to attract and retain high-tech companies as part of its ongoing economic development strategy in the Discovery District,” per the committee meeting agenda.
