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

Click here to watch the video of the City of College Park Mayor & Council Meeting on April 9,2024. 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 announced the month of April as “No Mow April” in the City, an initiative aimed to generate a healthy environment for pollinators. The Hollywood Farmers Market will begin on Saturday,  April 13 from 10am -2pm in North College Park. The market accepts both WIC and SNAP. The City’s Star Wars themed parade will be on Saturday, May the 4th. The College Park Woods Clubhouse dedication will be on Friday, April 12. The Can Ducky Derby will be held on Saturday, April 20 from 1-4pm at the Old Parish House located at 4711 Knox Road, College Park. The event is free, but you must bring a canned food item to participate. The new College Park website will launch on Monday, April 15. The city’s clean up days continue. The next one will be on April 20 from 7:30am – 12pm. The shredding event will be on May 18.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Mayor Kabir acknowledged former City Councilmembers Maxine Gross and Mark Shroder and former County Councilmember Dannielle Glaros.   

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell made a motion to amend the agenda by adding a letter of support to the County Council for CR-009-2024 the creation of a School Pedestrian Safety Workgroup.  

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS 

Maxine Gross, resident, and Chair of the Restorative Justice Commission (RJC) – announced an upcoming event on April 17 called “Lakeland in Root Shock” featuring Dr. Mindy Fullilove, author of Root Shock.  The event will be held at 7:30 pm at the Brazilian Seventh Day Adventist Church, former site of Lakeland High School.  

David Dorsch, resident – thanked the city for the $150 he received for the senior tax credit.  He mentioned that the city wanted to give students $1,500 credit and they are not residents. He said something was wrong here. 

John Frederick, Small Business Administration –  College Park businesses are eligible for disaster loans as the city is located in the economic disaster zone (e.g., if a business in College Park is impacted by the Key Bridge collapse).  Applications are due by December 30.  Loan centers are located in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, and interest rates start at 4%.  For more information, go to SBA.Gov or call  1-800-659-2955. 

CONSENT AGENDA

24-G-54 Letter of support to M-NCPPC for the renaming of the Lake Artemesia Natural Area to the Lake Artemesia at Lakeland Natural Area  

24-G-55 Letter of support to M-NCPPC for the renaming of the College Park Community Center to the Lakeland College Park Community Center 

24-G-60 Approval of Minutes from the March 23, 2024, Budget Worksession; the April 2, 2024, Budget Worksession; and the March 19, 2024, Council Meeting

24-G-61 Letter to Prince George’s County Council in support of CR -009-2024, School Pedestrian Safety Workgroup. 

Motion by Councilmember Mitchell, Seconded by Councilmember Whitney

 PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION

24-G-56 Recommendation for roadway design improvements in the 7200 block of Rhode Island Avenue (formerly, Traffic Calming) – Steve Halpern, City Engineer

Mr. Halpern reviewed the report. The 7200 block of Rhode Island Ave is a one-way residential street located in Calvert Hills.  Traffic study conducted on April 26, 2023, and May 5, 2023.  Speed was not determined to be a problem, but staff observed cars and bicyclists traveling in the opposite direction to the posted traffic flow and conflicts with bicycles and cars at the intersection with Calvert Road. 
According to Mr. Halpern, this presents real potential for pedestrian and bike safety issues. 

A public hearing was held on September 5, and it was referred to the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). They endorsed improvements to the area. They recommend a concrete barrier to direct flow.   

Councilmember Rigg asked if a concrete barrier would cause issue to stormwater drainage in the area.  Mr. Halpern said it would not. Councilmember Adam said residents asked for flex bollards and stripping at the intersection. Mr. Halpern said those improvements would be allowable and would accomplish the same outcome as the concrete barrier.  

The Bike and Pedestrian Safety Committee endorsed the improvement.

The motion to approve the recommendation was made by Councilmember Rigg, seconded by Councilmember Adams, then unanimously approved.

ACTION ITEMS

24-G-57 Preliminary Plan of Subdivision (PPS 4-23002) for Project Turtle by LV Collective to create a 2.71-acre parcel along the east side of Baltimore Avenue between Melbourne Place and Navahoe Street. 

The applicant is seeking permission to construct a mixed-use development with 299 student apartments. 13,305 square feet of retail space and 2,219 square feet of community space for use by the Lakeland community to be used as the Lakeland Legacy Center free of charge.  See Project Turtle submittal, MNCPPC Preliminary Plan of Subdivision Report, and City recommendations.  

The proposal is consistent with the city staff recommendation. Over the past few years, the city has already worked to ensure ADA compliance in the Lakeland Community. As a result, staff suggested improvements within a half mile.  

The County requires the provision of parkland, and the developer seeks to include private recreational space for residents. The city is recommending the developer also provide recreation space to be available for use by the public.  

Council comments and inquiries focused on provisions of curbside pickup, location and timing of construction, the use of community space for perpetuity, and a pedestrian crossing at Navahoe Street.  

Mr. Haller, attorney for the developer, said the project has been around since 2022 as it has taken a while to deal with environmental issues. He said the primary entrance to the property will be on Melbourne Place and they have already planned to provide curbside pickup. Mr. Haller said the project would be developed using the previous zoning codes (this is allowed by the county through 2026).   

Presentation by Developer – Andre Sahakian

Mr. Sahakian spoke of the Day Dreamer concept as part of their work. LV Collective incorporates fitness and wellness into their projects. They understand the impacts of their work on the community and take great pride in it. They look forward to bringing an award-winning project to College Park. They currently have developments in Atlanta and Austin.  

Councilmembers focused on whether or not the developer considered multi-generational housing, the price range for apartments, their work with the businesses formerly located in the Campus Village Shopping Center, cost of commercial space, conveyance of the Declaration of Covenants with the property,  affordable options, ensuring commercial spaces are occupied, the congestion of Route 1, pedestrian traffic and safety, stormwater management, presence in the Lakeland community, discussion with the College Park Volunteer Fire Department, environmental consideration, and safety and security.  

Maxine Gross, resident – thanked the LV Collective for the community space for the Lakeland Community and agreed with the comments around the dedication of park space. She expressed concern about the bike and pedestrian safety provisions in Berwyn because the primary impact of the building is indeed in Lakeland.  Would like the monies to be used in the Lakeland community.  She said there are areas in Lakeland where it is difficult for pedestrians to walk safely and could be improvement in utilizing micro- mobility in Lakeland. 

Councilmembers asked whether streetlights along the Trolley Trail next to Lakeland Park would be considered a BPIC improvement and asked that councilmembers be consulted as BPIC improvements are being proposed.

Councilmembers voted unanimously to support the PPS.

24-G-58 Discussion and possible action with respect to the City’s position to the Historic Preservation Commission re the proposed Hillel security fence on Yale Avenue 

Ms. Bader provided an overview of the amended DSP requesting security fencing.  On December 5, the Council reviewed the amendment and approved the concept with the stipulation that Hillel meet and talk with council about the placement and materials for the fence and any opportunities to improve the look of the fence. On March 5, the applicant applied for an historic area work permit (HAWP) for construction of the building and fence. The Old Town Historic District Local Advisory Committee recommended approval of the fence as presented. The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is scheduled to meet on April 16 to review the request.  

Councilmember Hew expressed concerns about the pointed tips on the fence. He said animals and people have been impaled by such spikes. Mr. Taub said he understood the councilmember’s concerns, but the security consultants made the recommendations for this security fence and the design is meant to be a deterrent. He said the DSP and the fence had been approved by the HPC.  

Councilmembers voted 7-0-1 to recommend approval of the fence.

24-G-59 Presentation of the final report from the Needs-Based Student Housing Subsidy Subcommittee, acceptance of the report by Council, and discharge of the Subcommittee – Mayor Pro Tem (Council action on the proposal is scheduled for the April 16, 2024)

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell presented an overview of the report and asked that the report be accepted and the committee be discharged.  See the subcommittee report.  

Richard Biffel, non-resident – mentioned an article written by the SGA liaison regarding the proposed program. He said College Park taxpayers are not interested in paying for student housing and called the program ill-conceived and said the City would be sponsoring a “rent raffle.” 

Council focused on alternatives presented to broaden the program, disagreements among members of the subcommittee, a request for the final report to be posted to the city’s website, and lessons learned from this subcommittee as it relates to their charge.  

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS 

Presentation by UMD on the Bright Horizons/UMD Child Development Center on Calvert Road – Carlo Colella, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, University of Maryland (11 yrs) 

Carlo Colella, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, University of Maryland provided an update on this collaborative project.  

The Bright Horizons/UMD Child Development Center is a university-centered childcare center on the south side of college park in the old elementary school. The City owns the land, which the university has leased for 40 years. The arrangement was to guarantee space to university employees, residents, and those outside of the city. The center is operated by Bright Horizons, which has centers across the country. 

Designed to support 120 students between the ages of 6 weeks – 5 years, the center is fully occupied at the infant and toddler level and there are waiting lists at that level.  The $7.5 million investment is the University’s contribution to the endeavor.  The student-to-worker ratio ranges by age group, and the tuition was based at the median of comparable rates in the area. The center, which was recently accredited by the American Association for Childcare, is currently experiencing an operating loss, and is looking to enroll 120 students to break even.  They currently enroll 107 students.  

Councilmember comments focused on the benefits of this amenity, increasing tuition costs, the accreditation process, scholarships, alternative options for childcare, and use of the community space.  

Discussion with WSSC Water on FY 25 budget and possible rate hikes 

Mr. Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, introduced Munetsi Timothy Musara, Chief Financial Officer, and  Letitia Carolina-Powell, Budget Division Manager, to discuss the WSSC proposed FY 25 Budget and rate increase that would impact city residents.   

According to Mr. Musara, there is not enough federal funding to deal with the needs of water infrastructure.  For FY 25, the agency requested a 11.6% rate increase for revenue enhancement.  8.5% was approved by Montgomery and Prince George’s County and meant an overall decrease in budget. Their major objective during the upcoming fiscal year will be to focus on workforce, compliance, building infrastructure resiliency, and cybersecurity.  

In response to questions about efforts to maintain affordability, Mr. Musara said the agency is working to maximize external funding, monetize real estate, connect with congressional and state delegations, and continue the revenue recovery strategy to reduce customer delinquencies.  

Council comments and inquires focused on customer service, environmentally-focused programs, programs to reduce water usage, communication of possible rate increases to the community, consideration of monthly billing, allowing the use of unmetered water, and work to avoid water main breaks.  

Legislative Review (there is a possibility that action will be taken on time-sensitive bills) 

Due to time, the legislative review was pushed to April 16.  (Session ended on April 8).  

REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

SGA Mirani inquired about Council Appointees to interview and select student applicants to serve as SGA liaisons for the upcoming school year.  

Mayor Kabir, Councilmember Hernandez and Councilmember Mackie will serve.  

COMMENTS FROM THE MAYOR, COUNCIL, STUDENT LIAISON OR CITY MANAGER

Councilmember Rigg recognized Mayor Kabir for his work through long council meetings during Ramadan while he was fasting.

Councilmember Adams acknowledged the discussion of the Bright Horizons Child Development Center and the acceptance of the student subsidy committee report and proposal. 

Councilmember Hew said he enjoyed watching the recent solar eclipse at the College Park Aviation Museum. 

Councilmember Hernandez said he was looking forward to the Farmer’s Market and North College Park Neighborhood clean-up on April 13.  

MEETING ADJOURNED

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on April 16, 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:

ACTION ITEMS:

24-G-67 – Council action on the Needs-Based Student Housing Subsidy Pilot Program

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS:

1. Consider amendments to the City Code that would prohibit certain yard furniture and provide for fines for non-compliance.
2. Discussion of Council advisory board prior to opening recruitment 
3. Legislative Review