Cybrary will anchor this UMD Discovery District building in College Park

Construction is getting underway on a new building joining the University of Maryland’s Discovery District in College Park.

Officials broke ground this week on 4600 River Road, which is the latest office building to join the 150-acre area surrounding the campus is designed to further links between the university, businesses and the community. The four-story, 105,000-square-foot office building offers space for businesses, and is expected to open in June 2020. Plans also call for the building to have a courtyard, outdoor gathering spaces and a cafe.

Lots of fun in the sun today as @presidentloh from @UofMaryland, @kenulman from the Terrapin Development Company, and leaders from @copt, @cybraryIT, @ExpandPGC,
and @PrinceGeorgesMD ceremonially broke ground in the @UMDResearchPark at 4600 River Road. pic.twitter.com/YDZcrbZu8f

— Discovery District (@UMDResearchPark) May 7, 2019

It’s being developed through a joint venture between UMD and Columbia-based commercial real estate firm Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT). It already has three buildings up and running, which house a mix of tech and cyber firms, as well as federal agencies.

”We are very pleased to participate in this, our fourth, development with UMD,” Paul Adkins, chief operating officer of COPT, said in a statement. “Clearly, UMD is a leading force of progress in creating technology opportunities in the state of Maryland. This development enriches the university, the College Park community and the entire state of Maryland.”

One of the tech companies that’s moving into the area, Cybrary, will be the anchor tenant of the building, occupying the fourth floor of the building. The company, which offers online cybersecurity training, currently has 50 employees. Cybrary was hailed by state and Prince George’s County leaders when it announced the move into the Discovery District from Greenbelt last year.

“The tech hub that they are building and the vision they are executing on is incredibly compelling for rising tech companies,” cofounder Ryan Corey told us then.

The River Road building is located a little more than a mile from the UMD campus. It’s located on land where UMD and COPT have plans for more Discovery District space features buildings with “flexible designs that blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces,” according to materials released by the firms. Transit access also figures into the plans, as a pair of stations on the MTA’s Purple Line light rail are under construction nearby that will provide a direct link to the UMD campus.