Comments are 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 watch the video of the City of College Park Mayor & Council Meeting on March 12, 2024. 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.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Mr. Young mentioned the Downtown Management Authority meeting that will be held at City Hall on March 13 at 9:30 am. He also mentioned the Lakeland Playground ribbon cutting to be held on Thursday, March 21 from 5pm -6pm. He concluded his remarks by announcing that the State of the City address will begin at 7pm and will showcase all the city has accomplished in 2023 and what we can look forward to in 2024.
Councilmember Whitney inquired about how to report blocked storm drains. Mr. Young said the best way to report these issues is via the College Park Connect app.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Former City Councilmember Maxine Gross and Bob Catlin were acknowledged.
AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Councilmember Mackie moved to remove 23-G-46 from the agenda until further notice with a second from Councilmember Adams.
Councilmember Mackie moved to approve the agenda as amended and was seconded by Councilmember Whitney. Council approved unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS
Bob Catlin, resident – supports the letter from city in support of the minor map amendments to the Berwyn commercial area on Berwyn Road. The Berwyn Civic Association will meet on March 21 in the Yoga/Wellness Center located at Berwyn Road and Rhode Island Ave. He said the latest edition of the Berwyn Newsletter will be a twelve-page, special issue commemorating 50 years of the publication sharing information about the city and the Berwyn community.
CONSENT AGENDA
- Approval of a letter of support to the County Planning Board and County Council in favor of proposed text and minor map amendments to prevent overdevelopment of the Berwyn Road Commercial area.
Move to accept the consent agenda Councilmember Mackie, seconded by Councilmember Whitney.
ACTION ITEM(S)
- Follow up on the petition request for permit Parking on Gettysburg Lane
Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager said we thought there was a vote in favor of postponing the item last week, but there was not. He said the ongoing issue will not be resolved with parking permits. The property was cited for unruly social gathering and has been taken to the court system. He said if there is another unruly social gathering infraction, the fine would be increased from $500 to $1,000. Mr. Miller shared information from the city of Baltimore that indicates they not only offer fines for unruly social gatherings, but also require community service. He said that the city may want to consider ways in which to strengthen its response to violations moving forward.
Councilmember Mackie thanked staff for their work on the issue.
Councilmember Hew, who was attending the National League of City (NLC) conference in Washington, DC, said he spoke to a city manager from Minnesota where they use fines, and a third infraction would result in the removal of their rental license. (In a follow up email, staff confirmed that the College Park violation can also result in the removal of rental license).
Councilmember Mackie moved to suspend the action on the matter until further notice to allow time for the central issue to be resolved, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell.
Councilmember Mackie read a statement that outlined the reason for tonight’s motion and said District 4 Councilmembers will continue to work with staff to address the issue by way of the city code.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked everyone for their assistance.
WORK SESSSION(S)
Ms. Hartmann thanked the city for their ongoing support. She said CPCUP has grown as an organization that is helping to advance programs in the community and has been recognized nationally.
Ms. Hartman fielded comments and questions from Council that focused on clarifying how the Community Preservation Trust (CPT) is promoted, use of the program to stabilize housing costs in all neighborhoods in the city, use of College Park realtors, request for more discussion about the work of other prongs of CPCUP like Sustainability, Education, and Public Health and Safety, notification of public meetings (next public CPCUP meeting will held on April 15 and will be added to the City Calendar), community art, accruing a critical mass of housing, consideration of condos for the CPT, the live-where-uou-work program (Live+Work College Park), housing quality in the city, utilizing Spanish speakers to assist residents where needed, budget request from CPCUP to the city, and the consideration of legislation that may help the trust.
UMD graduate students Dominique Gebru, Mimi Sanford and Asia Jones of the University of Maryland’s PALS Program presented the group’s visioning project.
Their project, which is independent of the Restorative Justice Commission (RJC) work, included an analysis of the history of the community. They then created three scenarios projecting 10 years from now: Status Quo (remain the same), Reform (some change with existing tools and mechanisms), and Revolutionary (radical change). Three themes considered in this project were housing and land use, community infrastructure, and climate change.
Status Quo – Business as usual, little to no intervention. With no change, the community will face a continued decline in home ownership and rise in student rentals. It will be a close knit but shrinking community.
Reform – Use of every existing tool. It is a good start but does not fully address the needs of the community. Multigeneration ownership, but rising home costs and more student renters. Strong connectivity opportunities for economic development.
Revolutionary – Access to existing and new mechanisms of change.
The Revolutionary scenario envisions restoring housing justice for Lakelanders who were harmed by Urban Renewal through reparations. The community will have diverse housing options as a renewed example of Restorative Justice.
The presenters were thanked for their work and the specific examples used. They were asked about thoughts on constraining student housing and said that the University could preserve land on campus for student housing like other institutions have done.
When asked about what reparations look like for Lakelanders, the presenters said that reparations are what Lakelanders want and need. They said 95% of what they proposed were grounded in things that have already been done in other places.
Presentation of new City Website
Ryna Quiñones, Communication and Events Manager, introduced the new site and said feedback had been taken from residents, the Seniors Committee and focus groups. Now, some of the most used sections are highlighted on the site. The changes should help users find information more easily. The translation tool is more visible, translates into 130 languages and now translates the whole site. The new site will be activated in the next few weeks.
Ms. Quiñones fielded comments and questions from Mayor and Council that focused on existing documents, accessibility, the look of the updated site, the lack of connection to the College Park Life webpage, the reason why the SGA Liaisons are not listed on the city’s website and a request to highlight the reporting feature. Mr. Young responded to Mr. Sprinkle and let him know the SGA Liaisons are not listed because they are not part of the Mayor and Council. Upon additional questions from Mr. Sprinkle, Mr. Young said Mayor and Council can add them to the website, but he would advise against it.
LEGISLATIVE REVIEW
Mr. Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, provided the legislative review. He said legislation about allowing cigar lounges is dead, and we are still waiting for MML legislation on affordable housing. He said March 18 is crossover day, and between now and that date there will be a lot of movement. We will receive more information after crossover day.
HB1306 – tax on food and beverage. The bill has not moved from committee.
Mayor Pro Tem Mithcell shared information about County Bill CB007- there is an upcoming hearing on revising the Elderly Tax Credit. The proposed legislation will enable eligible seniors who apply to receive the credit even if they receive the Homestead Tax Credit.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Councilmember Adams moved for Mayor and Council to reconsider the need to hold an election if we are 180 days out from the election and would like us to discuss an appointment of the Mayor Pro Tem (Request submitted).
Mayor Kabir inquired about the creation of a Charter Review Commission.
Councilmember Esters moved to add the adoption of the RJC request to adopt the Grant/Scholarship program (Pending request).
Councilmember Adams moved to request for a traffic study on Edmonston Road, saying residents are seeking traffic-calming measures.
COMMENTS FROM MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISONS or CITY MANAGER
Councilmember Adams recognized Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell for her leadership role in the National League of Cities (NLC).
Councilmember Hew attending NLC Summit and will be participating in the Hill Climb event. He will bring back information about resources from the conference.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked Councilmember Adams for his acknowledgment. She said the NLC Congressional Summit is a powerful opportunity for cities to come together.
Councilmember Hernandez said he was able to meet academic leaders at College Park Academy and Hollywood Elementary. Thanked SGA for hosting the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem and asked them to host other councilmembers.
SGA Liaison Sprinkle wished good luck to students on final season and happy spring break.
Mr. Young followed up regarding the College Park Life webpage that was established by the city’s Economic Development department and the reason why it is approached differently.
MEETING ADJOURNED
CLOSED SESSION
Pursuant to the statutory authority provided by the General Provisions Art. § 3-305(b) of the Maryland Annotated Code, the Mayor and Council will meet in a closed session to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom this public body has jurisdiction; any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals. They will not return to open session after the closed session ends.
Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on March 19, 2024. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Workshop discussions proposed to be on the agenda 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:
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:
24-G-48 Renewal of the contract with Streetcar Suburbs, Inc for the College Park Here and Now Newspaper for the period 4/1/24 – 6/30/27 in an amount not to exceed $195,000, subject to the approval of the City Attorney
24-G-49 Renewal of contracts for employees’ health and dental insurance coverages, worker’s compensation, and the City’s general liability insurances for FY 2025
24-G-36 Approval of a contract amendment with Hagerty Consulting, Inc. for an additional amount not to exceed $200,000 for the term 3/26/24 – 12/31/26 for assistance with the administration and compliance requirements of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund received under ARPA, subject to the approval of the City Attorney (This motion requires a super majority vote)
24-G-51 Letter of support for the application that Laurel Cats, Inc. is submitting in partnership with Beltsville Community Cats (BCC) and Bowie Citizens for Local Animal Welfare (Bowie CLAW) for funding under the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Spay and Neuter Program for Fiscal Year 2025 –
24-G-46 Approve the Mayoral appointments of _______________ and ________________ to the Vacant and Blighted Property Tax Committee
WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS:
- Discussion with PGCPS Representatives about school transportation issues, water quality issues, bus locations, school safety guards, and the Dora Kennedy French Immersion School\
- Discussion with Advisory Planning Commission to discuss concerns and recommendations
- Discussion with Noise Control Board
- Legislative Review (there is a possibility that action will be taken on time-sensitive bills)
The College Park District 2 Digest 