TheWorldJournal.com

Hyattsville Focuses on Development and Revitalization
By Philip Dzikiy, TheWorldJournal.com

Hyattsville is doing all it can to move forward as a community. The city’s prominent citizens hope that emphasis on development can overcome the challenges facing Hyattsville.

According to Sharon Howe Sweeting of the Hyattsville Preservation Association, some of the main members of the community came together in the late ‘90s to form Future Search, a program which aimed to identify long-term goals for the city. A major goal was the revitalization of downtown Hyattsville.

“I would like to see more businesses located here,” Sweeting said.

A possible model for such businesses in Hyattsville is Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store. Hyattsville City Council Member Stuart Eisenberg expressed pride with his involvement in developing the successful new additions to Franklin’s.

According to Sweeting, Franklin’s is a good starting point for revitalizing the downtown area of Hyattsville, and the city hopes to continue the progress up and down Route 1.

Also, Hyattsville’s inclusion in the Prince George’s Gateway Arts District should benefit development and revitalization in the city. Mount Rainier, Brentwood, and North Brentwood are the other towns involved.

It helps to know Hyattsville’s past when looking at the city’s future endeavors. According to Sweeting, Hyattsville was a “bedroom community” for Washington from around 1920 to 1940. Senators, congressmen, and judges would live in Hyattsville at the time.

Over the years, many big houses in the city were turning into rooming homes, so more than one family could live there. This hurt the housing values in the city. Changing the housing situation in the city was a main goal of the Hyattsville Preservation Association.

Sweeting said the Hyattsville Preservation Association helped turn the rooming homes back into big houses meant for one family. She also said the housing values in the city were stagnant until the late ‘90s.

“I think it reflects the Inner Beltway community,” Sweeting said of the stagnant housing values. She also said the housing values have risen recently, and Hyattsville housing is now at a moderately priced level.

From the increased value in housing to the downtown area development, Hyattsville is making progress, but the city still has some factors to deal with.

One of these factors is the population of Hyattsville, which has experienced changes in demographics recently. According to the 2000 census, African-Americans are now the majority in Hyattsville, and the Hispanic population has more than doubled since 1990.

“I would like to think that we welcome all ethnic groups,” Sweeting said of the city.

The biggest gripe Sweeting has with Hyattsville is the education. She thinks it is one of Hyattsville’s main problems, and it greatly affects the future of the city.

Sweeting said the schools in the area are “not up to par.” She feels the school system is holding the community back.

“The schools simply do not have enough money to do what they need to do,” Sweeting said.

Sweeting explained, though, that education is a county problem, not a city problem. Therefore, it is a dilemma the city will have to live with.

Sweeting said Hyattsville has a new, energetic incoming mayor in Bill Gardiner, and there is much reason to be optimistic.

© May 12, 2003