The Town Center of Riverdale Park

One area of Riverdale Park that has a lot of potential but currently has next to nothing is the Town Center of Riverdale Park. 

Currently I refer to it as the "Scooby Doo Ghost Town" as there are spaces for at least 15 businesses here and currently only a Bikram Yoga, a hair salon and Town Center Market are actually open down there.

Right now it looks like a quaint town that has been abandoned for a long time:

Bob Harper's Book's was also open when we moved in but has also recently closed.

Here is a good shot of just the newer buildings from the developers website:
http://douglasdevelopment.com/properties/riverdale-town-center/

They built these new buildings in 2007 but it does not seem like they have had much success.   But I think that is about to change...

The MARC station is here, they are building a Capital Bike Share here and the Hiker Biker trail runs right through the center of this development... And now that the Hiker Biker trail is actually open and running all the way through Hyattsville and College Park I think this is a game changer for this area...

Plus this town center is only a 0.8 mile walk from my house and will be something like a 0.3 mile walk for the folks in the last building of Riverdale Park Station.   Riverdale Park Station will have 119 townhomes finished and probably sold by the first quarter of 2019.   When you add in the three apartment buildings that will also eventually be there and the hotel and everything else I think businesses that can survive in this area until Riverdale Park Station really gets spun up will be rewarded.

In February 2018 Douglas Development announced a Vietnamese Restaurant called Banana Blossom Bistro had signed a lease for the large corner building (2600 square feet, in the picture above)

Then on May 15th 2018 the Route One Fun blog broke the news that Riviera Tapas Bar would be coming across the street...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BizaeiAgGVN/

Thanks Sarah B from http://www.routeonefun.com/ for getting that news 10 days before anyone else.

Seems this little downtown area is starting to come together.   I personally love Vietnamese food and can't wait for Banana Blossom to open.   Both restaurants are supposed to open this summer but from the looks of the Tapas bar location as of yesterday they may have longer to go before they open.