Comments are made by Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.

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Click here to find the video of the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on October 10, 2023. By going to this link, you are able to watch the discussion of specific agenda items you are interested in. If you have questions about Council actions and discussions, please email us at lbesters@collegeparkmd.gov and swhitney@collegeparkmd.gov.

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Whitney motioned to remove the Council meeting minutes for September 26 (Item# 23-G-149) from the consent agenda to Action Items to make a correction.

Councilmember Rigg motioned to add a work session item to discuss the role of Mayor Pro Tem.

Mayor Kabir asked to add a brief discussion of the legislative dinner to the work session.

Councilmember Whitney motioned to accept the consent agenda as amended, Councilmember Mitchell seconded.  

CONSENT AGENDA

23-G-149 Approval of minutes for September 19th Council meeting 

23-G-150 Award a contract for the purchase of one (1) new 2024 Battle Motors/Crane Carrier New Way body rear loader packer utilizing pricing from competitively bid Sourcewell Contract #091219 and, subject to the approval of the City Attorney — Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works

23-G-151 Approval of a Prince George’s County Historic Preservation Grant application for the Old Parish House maintenance work in the amount of $10,662 with the City’s matching fund being $1,110 Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator

Councilmember Esters motioned to accept the consent agenda, seconded by Councilmember Mackie

 PUBLIC HEARING

A. Ordinance 23-O-08, An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 175 “Taxation”, By Enacting Article V, “Property Tax Credit For Elderly Individuals”, §175-14 “Establishment Of Tax Credit”, §175-15, “Eligibility”, §175-16, “Amount And Duration Of Credit”, §175-17, “Application For The Tax Credit, And §175-18, “Effective Date Of The Tax Credit” To Authorize The Mayor And Council To Approve A Tax Credit For Elderly Individuals And To Provide The Extent, Duration And Eligibility Requirements For The Credit As Authorized By §9-258 Of The Taxation Property Article, Annotated Code Of Maryland

Further discussion and action on this Ordinance will be at the October 17, 2023, meeting.

Mr. Fields gave a brief overview of the item and said individuals can apply for the credit through December 31. Those who file with the county will be considered for the credit.  

Arelis Pérez, College Park Resident- In favor of the elderly tax credit, which she described as way overdue. However, there are approximately 3,500 residents trying to age in place.  The value of properties has not descended.  Asked for the Council to increase the cap on assessed value to $525,000 and asked for the flat rate to be increased to $500.

ACTION ITEMS

23-G-148 Approval of recommendations on Detailed Site Plan DSP-22035, Terrapin House, located at the northeast quadrant of Baltimore Avenue and Hartwick Road and a Declaration of Covenants and Agreement Regarding Land Use – Erik Valentine, Community Development Planner

The proposed project will have 93 units, 4800 sq ft of commercial space, and a two-level garage with 90 parking spaces. Conditions of the Covenant of Agreements have been reached, including a tree replacement plan if the specimen tree located at Hartwick and Yale dies within 4 years and requirements to notify residents that they will not be eligible for zone parking.  Additional clauses focus on commercial retention, including the build-out of kitchen space, and current commercial residents in good standing will have first right of occupancy unless the owner can help them to identify another space in College Park. Current retail tenants will receive 90 days advance notice to vacate space.  

Project attorney Matt Tedesco and owner Richard Greenberg were asked a series of questions by Council. The owner was asked if the project would create jobs for College Park residents. There was a question about student versus workforce housing – no definitive decision has been made as of yet. It is anticipated the decision will be made prior to advancing the building permit.  

The owner was thanked for providing ventilation in the commercial space given the expense.  Matt Tedesco said leases for commercial spaces will be honored through 2025 depending upon the individual leases. The Covenant of Agreements requires the owner to work with the vendors to move back or assist them in finding space elsewhere in the city. If the vendor finds a space within the city, the owner will be released from the obligation to give them right of first refusal on returning. The owner was asked to work with all commercial residents in the space, not just the three that were the focus of the previous discussion.  

Jacob Hernandez, College Park Resident, spoke of his appreciation for the owner’s work with the city but said that residents have expressed concern about the saturation of student housing in the city.  

Richard Biffle, non-resident –  Recommended approval of the plan and expressed appreciation for the developer’s sensitivity to the community. He expressed concern about the parking implications in Old Town. Mr. Tedesco reiterated that residents of the building will not be eligible for parking in the community.  

Additional Council comments stressed that the current building has no stormwater management, but the new project will prevent runoff. They said student housing projects help maintain our neighborhoods and that ”student housing” does not mean others can’t live there. They noted that the project has been in the pipeline for a while, and thanked the owner for working to address resident and Council concerns.  

Council voted unanimously to approve the DSP.

23-G-152 Approval of minutes for the September 26, 2023, Council meeting. Councilmember Whitney moved to edit the minutes to read that Councilmembers Adams, Esters, Rigg, and Whitney met with a representative of short-term rental company rather than the owner; seconded by Rigg; passed unanimously.

WORKSESSION/DISCUSSION 

Mayor Pro Tem Position

Councilmember Rigg recognized the Mayor Pro Tem’s service in the wake of the former Mayor’s resignation. He said we ask too much of the Mayor, saying more support is needed to fill ceremonial functions. 

Currently, the Charter says the Mayor Pro Tem (MPT) will serve in the absence or incapacity of the Mayor, but City Manager Young said that did not cover the former Mayor’s situation. Council agreed better language should be developed to allow the MPT to act in such case, as well as in emergency situations or if the Mayor were to refuse to sign something Council voted to move forward on, as has happened elsewhere. Currently, the MPT cannot do anything if the Mayor does not give consent. 

Some councilmembers were concerned about stripping existing powers from the Mayor in our weak mayor structure. Council agreed to continue current practice of the Mayor choosing the MPT subject to Council approval and said the goal is not to weaken the role of the Mayor, rather to support the Mayor and mitigate risks. Staff support for Mayor and Council was also suggested. Moving forward, we need to review the charter and draft edits. Any changes will not take place before the new council is seated.  

Legislative Dinner – October 11, 2023

Mr. Gardiner gave an overview of the Legislative Dinner scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, 2023, saying.  it’s a time for council to talk with County, state and federal delegation about priorities and ask for funding and support. He reviewed the agenda and answered questions.   

ADJOURN

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on October 17, 2023. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Workshop discussions that may interest District 2 residents. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need accommodations to participate in a meeting, including language translation:

PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ORDINANCE 23-O-09:

A. Ordinance 23-O-09 regarding regulation of short-term rentals.

 ACTION ITEMS

23-O-08 regarding the possible adoption of a Tax Credit for elderly individuals and the parameters thereof.

The Public Hearing was held on October 10, 2023.

23-G-157 Consideration of Business Retention and Attraction Fund grants 

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS 

A. Discuss an increase in grant value for the City of College Park New Neighbors Homeownership Grant Program for qualified law enforcement personnel