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 held on February 18, 2025. By going to this link, you can 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 said he was pleased to announce the City of College Park has received the Government Finance Association award for the presentation of its budget. He said the award represents a significant achievement by the city and reflects commitment by the governing body and staff to the highest principles of government budgeting. To receive the award, the city had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for budget presentation to assess how well an entity’s budget document serves as a policy document, financial plan, and a communications and operations tool.  Mr. Young thanked members of council and residents who participated in the process. He mentioned we will start the budgeting process again in the next few weeks. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Former District 2 Councilmember, Bob Catlin 

PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS

• Women’s History Month 

• Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 

 AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

There were no amendments to the agenda. Motion to approve agenda made by Mayor Pro Tem, Mitchell, seconded by Councilmember Hernandez. 

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS

Bob Catlin, resident, former City Councilmember – said the Board of Directors for the Berwyn District Civic Association (BDCA decided to reduce the number of meetings from 9 to 6. Meetings were not held in December, January, and February. Mr. Catlin provided an accounting of the history of homicides in College Park, concluding by saying that the Prince George’s County Police Department has not been able to solve murders that were not committed by a relative or friend of the victim. 

Husain Waheed, non- resident – provided information about work with the University of Maryland Research Center. 

Oran Shareef, resident – said he sent an email about affordable housing. He works for a company called BOXABL. He said he would like to make a presentation to the city about the home offered by his company. The homes are about $50,000 and would help with the affordable housing issue. 

CONSENT AGENDA

25-G-23 Approval to submit the Terms and Conditions Form to participate in the EmPower Maryland rebate program, in partnership with Pepco, for the Duvall Field Renovation Project – Rakhmel Rafi, Grants Coordinator 

25-G-27 Approval of a Property Use Agreement (PUA) for a new Class B, Beer, and Wine alcoholic beverage license for the use of Shake Shack Maryland LLC, t/a Shake Shack, 4394 Knox Road, College Park, Maryland 20740 – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services (BOLC agenda on February 25, 2025)

Motion to accept the consent agenda made by Councilmember Hernandez, seconded by Councilmember Esters.

PRESENTATIONS: 

Proposed Pedestrian Crossing at Greenbelt Road and Rhode Island Avenue – Steve Halpern, City Engineer, Masakatsu (Mas) Fukui, P.E., Consultant Project Manager, SHA Office of Traffic and Safety, Dean Randolph, Chief, SHA Office of Traffic and Safety and Erich Florence, SHA Deputy District 3 Engineer

Mr. Halpern introduced the design team to discuss the work to be done at the intersection of Greenbelt Road and Rhode Island Ave. 

Mr. Fukui said the corridor is well-traveled, and the goal is to improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. The main point of the project is the installation of flashing beacons (RRFBs). He said they will reconstruct all the ramps on the southwest corner, and the equipment will be solar-powered. 

Councilmember Esters thanked Mr. Halpern and SHA and said this project was a long time coming. She mentioned concern with moving the median as expressed by residents and asked why that is proposed and how changes would improve safety.  

Mr. Fukui said the median is being moved because it is too narrow. He said standard signs will not work, and it is not ADA accessible. 

Councilmember Whitney asked if the median could be widened. SHA’s Eric Florence said they could consider widening the median, but that would mean decreasing the lanes. Ms. Whitney said that narrowing the lanes could be a good thing since doing so is commonly considered a traffic-calming measure. 

Councilmember Hernandez thanked SHA and the District 2 Councilmembers. He asked if there was a way the refuge island could be maintained. He mentioned the flashing beacon near his home that has been malfunctioning and said he wants to make sure there is a plan to maintain the fixtures in the future. SHA staff mentioned that the beacon was low on battery and said SHA has the ability and the facility to maintain the devices. While batteries are one of the issues, it is not the only issue. 

Mayor Kabir asked if the beacons will be the same as others along Rhode Island Ave. Mr. Fukui said they would be, but they would be solar-powered. 

Councilmember Hew – asked if the lights would ever turn red. He was told that will not turn red. Councilmember Hew said that people know red means stop. He asked about widening and lengthening the refuge island. 

Mr. Fukui said bumping out the corner should help with pedestrians passing. Mr. Florence said SHA would consider a hawk signal at this intersection, which would turn red. 

Councilmember Mackie asked if there will be a raised crosswalk or flat; it will be flat. She asked what type of warning there will be for drivers prior to the intersection. Mr. Fukui said the signage will be refreshed. Councilmember Mackie asked about extending the time allotted for crossing. Mr. Florence said SHA would look into it. 

Councilmember Esters asked how long it would take for SHA to look into the matter discussed, Mr. Florence said approximately two weeks. 

Creating a Vacant Property Registry – Miriam Bader, Director of Planning and Community Development; Bob Catlin, Chair of the Vacant and Blighted Properties Tax Committee (VBPTC); Darrin Sharp-Vice-Chair of the VBPTC.

Ms. Bader introduced the agenda item. She said Mayor and Council adopted a resolution on March 5, 2024, to create a Vacant and Blighted Property Tax Committee to make recommendations to Mayor and Council on a vacant and blighted tax proposal in College Park. The Phase 1 charge of the committee was to:  Develop and reach consensus on a clear definition of vacant and blighted property in the city; utilize best practices from other jurisdictions that have implemented similar tax program to establish definitions; make recommendations on combining or separating vacant and blighted, and on which properties/occupancy types a vacant and blighted property tax should apply to; and report findings to the Mayor and Council withing 4 months.  The committee reported their findings to the Council on September 10 and the Council added a Phase 2 charge for the committee to investigate the feasibility of creating a Vacant Property Registry. 

Councilmember Esters thanked the committee for their work and asked if exceptions included those individuals/households seeking permits. She also asked about renewal of registration and whether a restriction would be placed on how many times a home could be placed on the registry because for some, it may just amount to the price of maintaining a vacant property when our goal should be to improve the property. Mr. Sharp said exceptions did include those seeking permits. Mr. Catlin reminded Councilmember Esters of the purpose of this discussion was the creation of the registry. Penalties would need to be discussed during another phase of their work. 

Councilmember Whitney asked about the exception related to individual dwelling units in multifamily residential buildings that consist of two or more dwelling units shall not be considered vacant for purposes of this Ordinance.  She asked why that decision was made, as it may be helpful to have that data. She acknowledged where the report did not want to consider vacancy over the summer months in order to make it reasonable for student apartments in the city. She said it seemed to contradict the sentence at the bottom of page 45 that said “The Council should consider differentiating penalties among residential properties, commercial, and mixed-use properties. 

City Attorney Nate Foreman said he added the language at the end of page 45 and would look at it again. He said their focus was mainly on creating a registry. The creation of the registry was to figure out how to consider what was vacant and blighted, how we can assist Public Services in addressing properties that were habitually vacant and help if the council were interested in imposing a differential tax on these properties. This phase is not the end goal, it is the start. When you have large multifamily properties that have some vacancy but not complete vacancy, it seems unfair to consider them as vacant as their occupancy changes often. This was a recommendation that Council will need to decide; the committee is willing to make changes. He said the additional exception was added after the committee reviewed the document and it may not have been properly vetted. 

Councilmember Whitney said in addition to the consideration Mr. Foreman outlined, we are also talking about affordable housing, and if we have vacancy throughout the city because they can hold on to the property and drive prices up, it would be helpful to have that information. She suggested it could be crafted in a way so as not to be overly burdensome. She referenced the Applicability section of the document that says…” whether or not the real property is improved with a building or other structure—that has not been used or legally occupied for more that 90 days is considered vacant.” She did not like the inclusion of “used or”, as it may allow property owners to use property in an unintended manner. She suggested removing that language. 

Councilmember Rigg thanked the committee for their work. He asked about active violation stop work orders, saying we would not want people to get a stop work order, then walk away, versus those who are working to obtain proper permits. He asked how we can differentiate. He suggested they can include a timeline.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked about the term “agent” and whether that person was required to be on nearby. 

Mr. Sharp said the thought was that if the agent were out of town, they would have an agent who was in town. He said it would be updated to “local agent.” Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell felt that would be helpful as we often have issues with owners and agents who are overseas. She said she agreed with Dr. Esters about placing limitations on vacancies. She suggested that after a certain amount of time there be an infraction for non-use. 

Mr. Catlin reiterated that the second phase of the committee’s work would be to consider a tax on vacant properties. He said it would be important to gather the data before taxing individuals. 

Councilmember Rigg thanked the committee for the inclusion of the table outlining the registration and penalty fees. He said he believes that registration fee should be nominal and the penalty fees should be healthy.  

Councilmember Whitney agreed with Councilmember Rigg that the registration fee should be nominal, and the penalty should be healthy. She asked if the city could share the administrative costs. Mr. Young said a fee study could be done. 

Councilmember Mackie asked for what happens when there is a death or health issue. Mr. Sharp said it is an exception. Ms. Bader said they did consult with code officers regarding how such issues are handled. 

Councilmember Hernandez said he trusted those with residential property, but he is interested in the commercial properties. He asked for a sneak peek into how we address commercial properties. It is not only blighted but does not allow for occupancy. Mr. Sharp said there are a lot of different dynamics that may be in play regarding occupancy, sometime vacant properties are collecting rent. 

Councilmember Esters said there should be a differentiation between vacant and blighted commercial properties given the various dynamics that can be associated with vacancy. Ms. Bader said the committee discussed this issue and thought issues of vacancy and blight should be considered separately. 

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS:

Legislative Review (there is a possibility that action will be taken on time-sensitive bills) -Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Mr. Gardiner said there had been discussion with the county committee on the land use vote. He said the issue was taken up this week, but we should find out the fate of the bill next week. Mr. Gardiner said there have been over 3,000 bills introduced in session, and it has been very busy. He said the bill to increase infraction fines is looking good for us and shared that council-approved letters were forwarded to the appropriate committees.

Councilmember Whitney asked for clarity on HB330 (Improvements to Property Adjacent to Rail Stations). She said she would like to make sure Lakeland is protected given the language we moved forward last year. She asked about HB705 (Real Property -Short-Term Rentals) and if we should write against it. Mr. Gardiner will be looking into the bill. 

Mayor Protem Mitchell asked for updates on HB707 (Notation of Nonapparent Disability -Eric’s law) and said that Delegate Wilkins is seeking support. She also asked how HB372 will impact us and if we should weigh in. 

Mr. Gardiner said there have been rumblings about reducing the amount of money coming to municipalities from the A&A tax (MML priority bill). Mr. Young said there are many things the state is doing to reduce its costs and impose the burden on localities (i.e., streetlights)

REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Councilmember Whitney asked about the residential overoccupancy and when it will come to the council. Mr. Young said it would not happen any time soon as staff are working on currently working on numerous issues. 

Councilmember Rigg made a motion to bring the issue of RealPage to Council as brought to us by tenants union. He said he spoke to Mr. Young, and, although there is an affordable housing task force, this issue is time sensitive. Mr. Young disclosed we are a client of RealPage and use data, but we don’t use it to set rent. He noted there are issues as identified by the States Attorney General.

Councilmember Rigg noted that the request references SB609, and Council may want to consider supporting that. Rigg moved for a work session on the item, and Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell seconded. Council unanimously voted to add it as a future agenda item. 

COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE

Husain Waheed, non-resident – mentioned his work with the UMD research center and the proposal he has put forth. 

VJ, resident – would like to thank the Mayor & Council and SHA for the discussion about improvements slated to be made at Rhode Island Ave and Greenbelt Road. He is a bike commuter, and this is a path he takes each day. He said the city should consider improving the bike path to bring it closer to the sidewalk. He would also like the council to include barriers that will make the lane safer. 

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

Councilmember Mackie attended the recent CMAST meeting. She described it as a great collaboration between the city, the university, and the county,  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell attended CMAST. She talked about new hazing reports and traffic during games. She mentioned an upcoming game on Thursday, February 20 with USC. 

Mayor Kabir attended a local officials meetings with CASA and a Bi-County Community Meeting on the land use authority bill. Based upon the discussion, there is a belief that the bill should have  abetter chance this session because more cities are involved. The current bill provides for zoning authority if cities have a certified planner. 

Councilmember Whitney said her heart goes out to the many federal employees living in the city and the region. There are so many fired who were high performers. 

Councilmember Hernandez attended the recent CASA Know Your Rights session. He is working to determine what can be shared with the council. He has heard from the Food bank where there are concerns. He mentioned the County Executive election starting the end of February. Heart goes out to fellow federal elected officials. He encouraged them to reach out to Congressional representatives. He said Governor Wes Moore has created a website for fired federal workers that should be a resource. 

SGA Liaison Otte recognized Black history Month and Women’s History month. 

SGA Liaison McDonald – encouraged more people to attend UMD Sporting events. She also mentioned a UMD class that offers naturalization and the Naturalization Clinic. 

Mr. Young said city staff recently had follow up with RecWell Staff that resulted in a good conversation. There will be a roll out of programs the city will help publicize to our residents. We have reached an agreement with the Union negotiation. He will forward information to Council shortly.

ADJOURN

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on March 4, 2025, when it is available. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated 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

• Approval of Pay Stations Contract
• Resolution establishing an Affordable Housing Task Force

Discussion 

• The Mark rezoning from RTO-L-E to RTO-PD for the re-development of a student housing facility (involving the razing of the College Park Towers and the construction of new student housing) located at 4330 Harwick Road and 4313 Knox Road.