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 April 1, 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 the city’s Spring Cleanup events will be Saturday, April 5, April 12, April 26, and May 17. He mentioned the Council Budget Session to be held on Saturday, April 5. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Former Councilmember Robert Day 

PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS

College Park Volunteer Fire Department 100th Anniversary Proclamation 

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Councilmember Mackie. 

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS

Ethan Pham, non-resident – UMD alumnus who graduated in 2024. He said he loves the City of College Park because of the residents and businesses. He wanted to serve the community and started the College Park flea market with SHOP Made in Maryland which served 35,000 patrons. The city has stopped operation due to zoning law. He learned this after quitting his job to run College Park Flea as his full-time job. In less than a week, he collected over three hundred signatures for a petition. He is asking the Council to consider allowing College Park Flea to continue operating while they consider how to work better together. 

CONSENT AGENDA

25-G-34 Award of four FY 2025 Education Grants: Berwyn Heights Elementary School in the amount of $2,750 for Books for Every Student Program; Paint Branch Elementary in the amount of $8,000 for Field Trips and Assemblies; Paint Branch Elementary PTO in the amount of $500 for meeting refreshments and activities and Hollywood Elementary PTO in the amount of $500 for meeting food/coffee and movie night – Kiaisha Barber, Youth, Family and Senior Services Director 

25-G-36 Approval of a letter of support for the application that Laurel Cats, Inc. is submitting in partnership with Beltsville Community Cats (BCC) for funding under the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Spay and Neuter Program for Fiscal Year 2026 – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services 

25-G-38 Approval of the appointment of Purdom Lindlad to the Childcare Task Force as the Education Advisory Committee member – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Councilmember Esters made a motion to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Councilmember Hernandez. Approved unanimously.

PRESENTATIONS: 

State of the City – Mayor Kabir 

College Park Academy Presentation – Sandy Abu-Arja, Executive Director and Nicole 

Nelson, Director of External Relations, Chair of the Board of Directors Robert Day

Dr. Abu-Arja acknowledged Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell as a former member of the College Park Academy (CPA) Board. She also acknowledged the City of College Park, the University of Maryland and Prince George’s County for their involvement in the development of the school and its ongoing success. Dr. Abu-Arja said CPA was established in 2014 and offers a rigorous educational experience for grades 6-12 and the school offers admissions via lottery system. She explained that CPA works to meet students where they are and offers them opportunities to excel. She also invited the council to visit the academy and take a tour with student ambassadors. She mentioned 6 signature programs of CPA that align with University of Maryland programs (Business / BSOS / Computer, Mathematical & Natural Sciences/ Education / Engineering / Public Health). 

Ms. Nelson said the school has partnerships with various entities including the City of College Park, UMD Discovery District, Prince George’s Community College, Bowie State University and Capitol Technology University that allow students to earn college credits, provide extracurricular opportunities, and foster innovation. She said CPA invites individuals to share their expertise and welcomes visitors and internships. 

Dr. Abu Arja said CPA has been recognized as the number one high school in Prince George’s County and said if there were opportunities for community service they would like to be involved. She said CPA students obtain their required Student Service Learning (SSL) credits prior to high school, which allows them to focus on their studies, attend conferences, and be thought partners. She said six board members are from the University of Maryland. She said they are fortunate to have high student and staff retention. Each year CPA has identified AP scholars and for the past two years the school has achieved the Platinum Award from the College Board. She said rigorous college prep is their mission. All students are required to take AP courses, 93% of students attend college and 35% are accepted at and attend the University of Maryland. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said that if it were not for Dr. Loh, former UMD President, we would not have CPA. She asked about how CPA students were prepared to pivot during COVID. Dr. Abu-Arja said she was surprised at how quickly they could pivot. She said very little training was needed for staff, and they were asked to help eleven other districts in transitioning to online and hybrid and get them back face-to-face. 

Mr. Day said during Covid, 99% of Maryland schools dropped classroom participation to 50%, but CPA kept their participation rate at 97%. 

Councilmember Esters asked how their student alumni attending University of Maryland interact with current students. Ms. Nelson said CPA created an alumni association and alumni who attend University of Maryland and other schools come back to participate in an Alumni Panel and Alumni Day. 

Councilmember Hernandez asked if they would help with the county. He mentioned his understanding of their interest in expanding CPA in Prince George’s County and asked how they are seeking ways to expand. Mr. Day said if they do not build another school, they are looking to build into an existing school and would like to expand into the College Park if they can. Councilmember Hernandez asked about CPA’s relationships with elementary schools in the city. Dr. Abu-Arja said when CPA started, they did not have a catchment area. Currently, about 35% of sixth graders are from thethe College Park area, and 55% of the population has a sibling connection. She said they have 1500 students on their waiting list every year. Councilmember Hernandez mentioned Congressman Ivey’s funding for service academies and mentioned he did not see any service academies at CPA. Mr. Day said he has known Congressman Ivey for years and they are working closely with the Congressman who will be their commencement speaker this year. 

Councilmember Mackie asked for a timeline for College Park Academy Elementary. Mr. Day said they cannot do that at this time, but they are working with the superintendent to understand parameters. 

Mayor Kabir said all members of the Council are talented and would welcome the chance to talk to students. Mr. Day said he would hold the Council accountable for coming to CPA to do a tour with an ambassador. 

Councilmember Whitney asked if there are tours for interested families. Dr. Abu-Ajar said they do not normally do individual tours with prospective families, but they do host three prospective parent nights. She said there is also a virtual tour they can share with prospective students and parents. 

PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION:

25-O-01 – An Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, amending City Code Chapter 125-10, “Housing Regulations”; “Chapter 141-6 “Refuse Toter and Recycling Containers; and Chapter 110 Fees and Penalties – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney

Mr. Khokhar introduced the item. He said that during the February 11^th Council meeting staff were instructed to move forward in introducing an ordinance to restrict the storage of tables or other surfaces from being used for drinking games and being kept a semi-permanent fixture. The proposed ordinance amends Chapter 141-6-A to ensure refuse and recycling carts are used only for the intended purpose and to require the placement for storage of such carts in the rear of the property or the side of a house adjacent to the main structure at a certain time after pickup and provide for violation notices and payment of penalties. Ms. Anderson, City Attorney, said there was some confusion about the date of the hearing per the notice. So, the item will be kept open to allow for comment. 

Councilmember Rigg asked why no action would be taken tonight. Ms. Anderson said both April 1 and April 8 were listed as hearing dates in the notice so there is a desire to allow opportunity for public comment. Councilmember Rigg said the purpose of the ordinance is to limit the storage of beer pong tables in the front year and the use of toters for beer pong. There was an error in the College Park Here and Now about the purposes of the ordinance. 

Councilmember Mackie asked if the city could post the link to the correction of the article that led to some confusion.

Councilmember Hernandez mentioned previous consternation regarding overreach of where the toters are located but said he had since had the displeasure of seeing for himself the issue Councilmember Rigg is trying to address. He said he would be supporting the amendment. 

Councilmember Ranker asked, as someone who is new, if it is already in the code that the trash carts should be stored in the rear or side of homes. Ms. Anderson said the reference to cart storage is in code 119-3-B and 141-6-A. She said that language was not changed in the amendment. 

Councilmember Ranker asked if passed would we see an increase in the number of violations. Director Khokar said he did not anticipate increased notices of violation.

William Sullivan, resident and Manager of Fraternity House – Every year he works with residents and neighbors, and they are organized in their effort to understand and abide by regulations. He asked if people are familiar with IFC and Panhellenic. He said each year there is an opportunity to meet with the house facilities managers at least twice a year and suggested communication with these individuals. 

Councilmember Hernandez said that the council had previously talked about lack of student input and asked if Mr. Khokhar could meet with groups. Mr. Young said each year there are knock and inform activities to ensure that areas with large student populations are informed. 

Councilmember Hew said students need to understand the regulations and the University needs to be part of the conversation. 

Ms. Anderson said the record will remain open on this item through April 8. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if anything would go out to inform residents they can still comment. 

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS

Residential over-occupancy – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services

Mr. Khokhar provided background on this subject and said the issue of residential over-occupancy has come up over the last 10 years. He said if they receive a complaint they inspect and look for violations for overoccupancy, then occupants are given time to remedy the issue. They have found understairs areas used for sleeping purposes, emergency egress violations, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector issues. He mentioned the IBTS (Institute for Building Technology and Safety). He said that with the residential parking permit (RPP) zones, the Parking Department will verify the number of people on the lease before they issue permits, but they have not requested a copy of the lease. He thinks they could make that a requirement. He mentioned a recent listing for a College Park house with 8 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said we are trying to ensure the best quality of life for those who rent properties. She said she has concerns about investors having eight -10 bedrooms where they claim family, but it becomes an Airbnb. She said anything we can do to make the rules more stringent would help. She said the announced inspection is an issue; they should be done unannounced. 

Mayor Kabir asked if Code Enforcement can show up unannounced and if they can go if there is a complaint. Mr. Young said we need to have access to the interior of the property. If we show up unannounced, we are just wasting our time. Ms. Anderson said in order to properly enforce, we need to get inside. 

Councilmember Mackie said this is a subject that will require a couple work sessions. Residents can also make complaints using the app. She stressed that code enforcement officers need our help. She said that rental ads, unregistered rentals, and the amount of trash from these homes are ongoing issues. She said her mother lived next door to such a property. 

Mayor Kabir asked about council options. Ms. Anderson asked Mr. Khokhar to look at the code and identify where it can be strengthened. 

Councilmember Esters said this was an ongoing issue. She said we see advertisements for homes with numerous bedrooms but have been told that a house can have many bedrooms despite the regulation of only five unrelated people. She said these ads are red flags and asked where these are seen that special attention be paid to these homes. 

Councilmember Whitney said she has been hearing the same complaints from everyone and being told that it is not enforceable. She asked about other solutions/ideas that may be done in other college towns. She suggested posting on all advertisements through the University information about the regulation of five unrelated people in a home and asking Off-campus housing to share this information. She suggested we might require notice be posted on the doors of all rentals about the regulation with a warning that some could lose their housing for overoccupancy. She stressed that, while overoccupancy might make rent more affordable, it makes homeownership less affordable. Finally, she suggested that landlords who are repeat offenders lose their rental occupancy license. 

Councilmember Ranker said he would like to see more legal options taken to address the issues. It impacts both those in violation and those who are in compliance. He asked for an interactive map to show which homes are registered as rentals. 

Councilmember Hew, who is part of the International Town and Gown Association (ITGA), said it would be hard to retroactively do, but we could limit the number of rentals in the city. This could be a competitive lottery for landlords who win these lotteries. It was done in a college town in Montana. Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said there was legislation in 2015 regarding this and it did not go through due to pushback from landlords and residents. 

Councilmember Hernandez said in his review of this matter he thought about his background. He said there are some tenants who respect the rules and then there are 4 to 6 properties that are known as problem neighbors. These homes often have many cars with different out-of-town tags. The property owners tend to be out of state. He said he would like to see focus on solutions that fit within existing codes. He said solutions to over-occupancy will result in negative impacts on affordable housing. 

Councilmember Rigg said one of the issues around overcrowding includes the overcrowding streets with parking. Each property has five parking permits and three visitor passes. What about a policy that restricts the number of parking permits and visitor passes? If we are willing to take this on, we should expect pushback. There used to be a comprehensive listing of landlords and rent properties on the city’s website. He said residents have the right to know who to go to if there’s a problematic rental property on their street. He said Ann Arbor posts the landlord info on the door of the residence.

Mr. Khokar said we currently require a local agent within a 10-mile radius but said we could consider restricting that. They said he would need to take the comments to the City Attorney to determine what is possible.

Councilmember Esters said she understood the need for a listing of property owners but has concerns about making that information public due to privacy concerns and well as potential harassment. 

Councilmember Whitney said she did not want us to lose sight of this as an affordable housing issue for people who want to buy homes and settle in College Park. She said the house she and Councilmember Esters toured had two full kitchens. She suggested Council could address some of Councilmember Hernandez’s concerns by advocating for changes at the county level that would allow 2 families to share a home.

Councilmember Hew said there was a need for responsible permitting, we are providing unlimited rental permits and parking permits. 

SGA Liaison Otte said parking is definitely an issue. She said students rely on the affordability of housing within the community. If a change occurs, students can be kicked out before the school year starts because they learn their landlord are renting to them illegally. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell mentioned the former Quality of Life Committee. She suggested Mr. Khokhar and his staff have conversations that allow him to come back with recommendations. 

Mr. Young said investors have been able to dictate our housing market. We have to treat all family dwelling units the same regardless of whether a family lives there or the owner is using it as a business. He suggested we could partner with 21^st delegation to push legislation forward to have different tax rates for single family homes used as businesses.

Mayor Kabir asked Ms. Allen, City Clerk, to provide the Council with a copy of the Quality-of-Life Report. 

Mr. Khokhar said he will have conversations with other college towns to identify best practices. 

Legislative Review 

Mr. Gardner, Assistant City Manager, said the state legislative session will be over the week of April 7. He provided updates on the following:

• Bond bills submitted for Attick Towers and housing development by the airport.
• Governor Moore’s major legislation is the Housing for Jobs Act
• Bike lane bill allows for 30-minute stops for delivery. If passed out of committee, our lobbyist will lobby against it. 
• The city requested two bond bills, one for Attick Towers redevelopment ($350 thousand) and one for landscaping and a garden at Youth and Family Services for 4250 or $275 thousand. 
•  Bond bill to CPCUP to cover stormwater requirements for Aviation Landing project and possible the tennis center project.
• Mayor asked once the budget passes if we can have a list of all we gained for a press release.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked how the Governor’s budget impacts municipalities. Mr. Gardiner said the state budget will have a direct impact on the County government. State and County Youth and Family Services grants may be reduced. Mr. Young said SHA is looking at cities taking on street lighting costs. Municipalities will fight to keep that from happening. 

Four Cities Meetings Agenda Items: Greenbelt: April 24, 2025 –Limit to two agenda items

Mayor Kabir asked if there has been a response from Chief Green to the letter from the Four Cities about support for fire departments. Mr. Young said there has not been a response. 

Councilmember Mackie suggested a discussion regarding the anticipated cost of utilities, and the Director of the Environment to talk about bringing a composting site to North County.  

Mayor Kabir suggested we discuss the impacts of Executive Orders and what the other cities are doing to address them.

Four Cities Meeting had been scheduled for April 24 in Greenbelt but was changed to May 1

REQUESTS FOR / STATUS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Councilmember Rigg said SGA Liaison Otte has been trying to get student apartments to post a notice telling their tenants how to access the city’s mental health services but has not gotten a response. He asked that Council back her by sending letters to local student apartments making the same request and asked that a draft letter be put on next week’s Consent Agenda. Council supported the suggestion.

Councilmember Hernandez asked when back Vote 16 will come back to the council now that all seats are full. He was told it was scheduled for the April 8^th agenda. 

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

Conner Johnson, resident- it would be important to have rental data to make informed decisions.

William Sullivan, resident – many students have entered the university and become residents of College Park. The landlord contract is an overburdening contract of despair that they have no control over. There are instances where landlords do not care, and during the pandemic cost increased. He said during home inspections, students come to his office to hide so their house is not fined. 

Husain, non-resident – spoke about transformative economic efficiencies.

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked the owners of Prime Time for their recent opening and Mr. Williams, Director of Economic Development, for helping bring them to the city. 

Councilmember Hew said April marks the recognition of the Earth. Earth Day is in a few days (April 22), and No Mow April helps pollinators. Councilmember Hernandez said he attended the CPCUP unveiling of the last goldfish (7415 B Baltimore Ave), and said Eid Mubarak to those celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.

MEETING ADJOURN

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on April 8, 2025. 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:

Consent:

• Resolution establishing an Affordable Housing Task Force – Miriam Bader, Director of Planning

Action Item(s)

• Introduction of an Ordinance: Stop Sign Monitoring, Systems
• Adoption of an Ordinance: Placement of refuse or recycling carts
• Adoption of Charter Resolution: Extending voting rights to College Park Residents aged 16 and 17 in City Elections only
• Adoption of Charter Resolution: Amending the time frame of how a Council vacancy can be filled – Special Election or Appointment:

Worksession Discussions

• Draft Ordinance establishing a vacant property registry – Miriam Bader, Director of Planning and Community Development and Nate Foreman, City Attorney 
• Discussion on VEO Rideshare Proposed Amendments to the Contract – Carlos Nunes, Senior Planner