News from the street

Today in my real estate travels I met an astute business man who was viewing a property I am marketing for sale. He owns several investment properties in the area. We started talking about the Route 1 development and he asked me "what's happening to Riverdale Park"? He said Hyattsville, College Park and even Mount Rainier were moving forward and you can see things happening but Riverdale seems to be at a standstill. I didn't have an answer. When I think about what he said and I look at our town with the vacant lot at the entrance and the vacant buildings in Town Center, I understand what he means. I notice that College Park tore down a gas station on Route 1 and actually reproduced the type of buildings that Riverdale Park demolished. Those buildings are now filled and open for business. The Lustine properties are on the way to being developed and the people of Hyattsville even got the developer to keep the old showroom and incorporate it into his design. Why is Riverdale Park moving backward instead of forward? The old buildings on Route 1 were called blight by some, but I think what we have now is really blight. The town center has been empty for, I think, about 20 years. We seem to be sinking in quick sand while the other towns are moving up, up and away. I'm concerned. How about you? Anyone have any ideas?