Programs + Initiatives
Our programs and initiatives span the breadth of our Vision 2030 focus areas. Through strategic collaborations with local stakeholders, community members, businesses, the City and the University of Maryland, we strive to make a positive and lasting impact on the quality of life in College Park. From transformative urban planning projects and neighborhood revitalization to community engagement and arts activation, our goal is to foster a sense of belonging, promote economic vitality, and create a vibrant environment for residents, businesses, students and visitors alike. We are committed to catalyzing positive change and enhancing College Park’s future. Click through to learn more and get involved!
College Park Community Preservation Trust
The Community Preservation Trust is a program of the College Park City-University Partnership. The Trust is a certified Maryland Affordable Housing Land Trust that focuses on preserving neighborhoods and creating affordable homeownership opportunities in College Park. It addresses the pressing need for affordable housing in College Park, supporting households who contribute to the vitality of our community.
Leveraging local, state, and federal funding, the Trust acquires properties and resells them to qualified homebuyers at affordable rates. We work closely with local neighborhoods, government entities and stakeholders to identify opportunities and connect them with homebuyers. Utilizing the land trust model, we can maintain long-term affordability and protect homes from market speculation, providing stability to both residents and neighborhoods.
The Community Preservation Trust is dedicated to creating and preserving affordable homeownership options that enhance the quality of life for College Park residents. Our goal is to cultivate a strong sense of community and foster thriving neighborhoods.
Click here to learn more and join us as we make affordable homeownership a reality in College Park. Explore our project updates, homebuyer and seller resources, and the positive impact we are making on the lives of College Park residents and neighborhoods.
The Live + Work College Park program provides $20,000, in forgivable loans, for anyone employed full-time in the City of College Park towards the purchase of a home within city limits–ultimately reducing commutes, strengthening neighborhoods, and supporting our local economy.
Made possible through grants from Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development and matching grants from the University of Maryland and City of College Park, the City-University Partnership’s Live Work Program is part of an effort to increase the number of people living and working in the City as outlined in the University Community Vision.
Trolley Trail Day
As in 2019, community development groups the College Park City-University Partnership, Hyattsville CDC, and Maryland Milestones now known as Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc. (ATHA), local governments, and nonprofit organizations are working to hold the second annual Trolley Trail Day this coming June. The first annual Trolley Trail Day had over 800 people and over 40 businesses participate. (Read the recap here). This year, we’re excited to announce that Trolley Trail Day will return in 2023 (after a COVID hiatus), with more activity hubs, food, drinks, bike + fun runs than before!
Learn more about this year’s Trolley Trail Day here.
Past Initiatives + Programs
Note*: Effective Friday, February 16, 2024 the Partnership is no longer accepting applications to the Homeownership Program. We launched and new and improved homebuyer assistance program , Live+Work College Park. Check it out here!
Made possible through a Community Legacy grant from Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development and matching grants from the University of Maryland and City of College Park, the City-University Partnership’s Homeownership Program is part of an effort to increase the number of University of Maryland and City of College Park employees living in the City as outlined in the University Community Vision 2030. It provides $15,000, in forgivable loans, to full-time, benefits-eligible University and City employees to become homeowners in the City of College Park–ultimately reducing commutes, strengthening neighborhoods, and supporting our local economy.
For more information, click here.
Outdoor Performance Series
The Outdoor Performance Series was a weekly outdoor performance series that supports the vision of a sustainable, walkable, vibrant top-20 college town. It is a collaboration between the College Park City-University Partnership, the University Office of Community Engagement, College Park Arts Exchange, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the University of Maryland’s School of Music, and the City of College Park.