Berwyn Day is Saturday, September 13th, 12pm-4pm at the Berwyn Park (2 blocks from Lidl) with games, a food truck, live music, arts and crafts, bake sales, raffles and giveaways, local vendors and organizations, and more!

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 August 6, 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

Assistant City Manager, Bill Gardiner mentioned the National Night Out (NNO) event held on Tuesday, August 5 at the College Park Woods Clubhouse. He thanked Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD), the University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD), and the Lions Club.  Mr. Gardiner said the event will rotate to various city communities in the future.  He also thanked staff from the Department of Public Services (DPS) including Ms. Sharon Fletcher.  Mr. Gardiner said the last Friday Night Live (FNL) concert series event of the year will be held on Friday, August 8 and will feature the Jimmy Charles band.  He mentioned the upcoming Pre Application Neighborhood meeting for the proposed Cruz Development on Wednesday, August 13.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Former District 2 Councilmember Bob Catlin 

Former District 1 Councilmember Mark Shroder

Former District 2 Councilmember Monroe Dennis 

AMENDMENTS TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

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

PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS

Bob Catlin, resident and Co-President of the Berwyn District Civic Association (BDCA) – he said the BDCA will hold its next meeting on September 18; prior to the meeting they will hold Berwyn Day on September 12 from 12noon – 4pm. 

Mr. Catlin said he wanted to share city history from 1985-1995, which was pretty bleak.  He said there was a bit of development with small office buildings.  The center of development was in Berwyn and included a car wash, gas station, and a Taco Bell.  There was also construction of the Metro in 1993 and the development of Paint Branch Road/Campus Drive.  

David Dorsch, resident – he asks the city to sell the house at 4704 Calvert Road because it should not be in the business of property management.  He said a traffic sign was installed on Calvert Road that he cannot read because it is in Spanish.  Mr. Dorsch said when people come to America they should learn English, and the city should not be discriminatory.  

CONSENT AGENDA

25-G-71 Approval of a Community Service Grant in the amount of $2,500 to the Calvert Hills Citizens Association for four (4) Community Events – Gary Fields, Director of Finance 

25-G-72 Approval of the Butts Ticket Systems (BTS) Pay Station Extended Maintenance Agreement in the amount of $161,280.00 for a five (5) year term commencing upon installation of the new pay stations – Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager 

25-G-74 Approval of the appointment of Alec Lynde to the Compensation Review Committee – Yvette Allen, City Clerk 

Councilmember Whitney made the motion to approve the Consent Agenda, seconded by Councilmember Esters.  

PRESENTATIONS:

A. Quarterly Financial – Gary Fields, Director of Finance

Mr. Fields said in all his years, he has not presented such a favorable financial report. He said there was no need to appropriate any of the $2.4 million fund balance. There was an initial projection that we would need to use at least $750,000 of fund balance to cover expenditures.  

Mr. Fields said $220,000 was used to get staff to the 50th percentile.  He said it looks like it was not spent, but he explained it was in contingency and accounted for in all of the departments.  

He said the Youth and Family Services department was slightly over budget due to increased staff salaries and health care costs. The City Attorney budget was slightly over budget.  Mr. Fields said this was an extremely busy year for the attorney and the former attorney is still doing some work for the city. Mr. Fields said the finance department was a bit over budget and explained that they are still working with Bank of America to collect convenience fees. 

Councilmember Esters asked what could be attributed to the revenues from Admissions and Amusement Tax and why we only spent 85% of the budget on contract police.  Mr. Fields said the city was way under budget last year for Admissions and Amusement tax and attributed it to the timing of receipt versus when we budgeted.  We have been at the same level since the third quarter. As for the contract police, Mr. Fields said that billing could be lagging. He will check into it.  

Councilmember Hernandez asked where excess revenue goes.  Mr. Field said excess revenue goes to fund balance.  

Councilmember Whitney asked for the percentage fund balance for FY26. Mr. Fields prefaced his response by saying these are unaudited fund balance numbers. He said we will be at 50% fund balance. Councilmember Whitney asked if the Admission and Amusement tax is coming from athletic events at University of Maryland. Mr. Fields said yes. 

Councilmember Hernandez asked if we received any amusement tax from the Commanders. Mr. Fields said no and explained the tax comes from local events in College Park.    

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell asked if the highway user tax is slightly lower than what we budgeted for and asked if we expected tax reassessments from city hotels. Mr. Fields said the information entered for 2026 is a slightly larger number, close to $1 million. He said during Covid, many hotels appealed their property assessments. Mr. Fields said he does not see this as an issue moving forward as their occupancy has increased, saying we may see their assessments may increase. Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell thanked Mr. Fields for his work and indicated that College Park was recognized among only fifty cities who have successfully balanced their budgets.  

Councilmember Ranker asked when we will see the most recent reports on spending. Mr. Field indicated it was attached to the packet. Councilmember Ranker asked at what point would we consider using the fund balance. Mr. Fields said the end of the year. He said if the revenues and expenditures stay neutral our fund balance will be $13 Million.  

PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION:

25-O-06 Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park amending Chapter 184, “Vehicles and Traffic”, Article II, “Parking Regulations”, by amending § 184-11 “Prohibited Parking”, by enacting § 184-11 D and E. to Prohibit Parking or Standing in a Bike Lane, and Chapter 110 Fees and Penalties – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services and Stephanie Anderson, City Attorney

Ms. Anderson introduced the public hearing. She said the ordinance prohibits motor vehicles from parking or standing in a bike lane on a city street unless it is an emergency vehicle actively responding to an emergency. The ordinance also provides for markings and signage.  

Mr. Shroder, resident and Chair of the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC), said several months ago they received a referral for city authority to sanction drivers.  BPAC believes that city should have the authority and use it.  Prior to the referral of this item he would have said there was not a problem, but members of the committee acknowledge that bike lanes on Route 1 are often blocked, and the state has been asked to address it.  He personally has been impacted by city contractors blocking the bike lanes. BPAC favors an ordinance to deter parking or standing in the city’s bike lanes.

David Dorsch, resident – said he understands what the city is trying to do and agrees with a lot of it.  He said what he notices is trucks parked to make deliveries to stores and apartments. Where are they supposed to be? If construction workers are parked in bike lanes near where they are working, should they not be there?  Before creating a blanket ordinance, we should consider those circumstances.  

After Mayor Kabir declared that the hearing had been held, Councilmember Whitney made the motion to pass the ordinance and was seconded by Councilmember Esters. 

Councilmember Mackie corrected a clerical error in the packet.

Councilmember Hernandez said he wanted to remind folks to give a period of grace.  We should look for data related to this as we consider legislation. 

Councilmember Esters acknowledged her colleague for bringing the item forward. She said she is normally in favor of a grace period but said this is a safety issue. She described a dangerous situation she witnessed on Rhode Island Avenue the previous week in which a truck was blocking the bike lane.

Councilmember Whitney said this will go into effect on August 27 and that ADA considerations are written into the ordinance.  

Councilmember Hew made a motion to make an amendment so that if the fine is not paid after 31 days it would be $250 rather than $210 dollars.  He said he believes it will get people to think twice about parking in a bike lane. The amendment was seconded by Councilmember Hernandez passed unanimously.  

Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance as amended.

ACTION ITEMS: 

25-O-08 Introduction of Ordinance 25-O-08, an Ordinance of the Mayor and Council of the: City of College Park – Vacant Property Registry – Miriam Bader, Director of Planning Motion 

Ms. Bader introduced the item, saying staff recommend Council introduce a vacant property registry.  

Councilmember Esters asked what happens if a property is vacant and not registered?  How will the city know? Ms. Bader said Code Enforcement has criteria they already use to determine if a property is vacant. Councilmember Esters asked if a house that is reported as vacant would be investigated by Code. Ms. Bader said yes.  

Councilmember Hernandez said there are businesses that are not vacant but are not often open. He said we should consider how we address such issues because the only people who do not benefit are those in the surrounding areas. He would like to consider the committee’s approach to such matters. Ms. Bader said the creation of the registry is the start.  

Mayor Kabir asked for confirmation that the ordinance would apply to both residential and commercial. Ms. Bader said yes but acknowledged the language can be tightened. 

Councilmember Whitney said we should spend time considering the language under multifamily units if they have an occupancy rate above 25%. She would like to know if there is a 50% vacancy as we consider our affordable housing discussions. She said the ordinance already takes into account students leaving for summer. Perhaps it needs to be a better threshold. Ms. Bader said the committee did not speak about the 25% occupancy but did talk about the departure of students over the summer.

Councilmember Hew appreciated the ordinance.  He asked about dwelling units.  He said ADUs are not allowed in the county. Ms. Bader said the city does not allow ADUs.  

Councilmember Ranker referenced 180-4 C of the ordinance and asked how the the intent to return to occupy would be considered. Ms. Bader said the intent is that they would provide a timeline for return, then staff would review the timeline. Councilmember Ranker asked what would happen if Fees and Penalties are not paid. Ms. Bader said the city would take them to court. If the court found in the city’s favor, the fees and penalties could be added to the property’s tax bill.  

Councilmember Rigg said the College Park City app includes the path by which people can report vacant property. He would not be concerned about missing things.  

Mayor Kabir said the ordinance will be introduced on 9/2 for a vote. 

25-G-73 Approval of a Business Retention Grant to Open Barre, LLC in the amount of $30,000 – Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development Motion By: 

Mr. Williams said he was making a request for a business retention grant. He said Open Barre, owned by Lauren Filocco, has been in operation since 2017.  They will relocate to Aspen Heights Apartments and have sixteen employees. If not for this grant, the business will not be able to continue.  

Councilmember Esters asked the applicant why they are they moving and asked if will it be open to all who are members. The applicant said the lease is ending and the newer space is safer and more conducive to their work.  

Councilmember Ranker said he has seen the current space, and it is not conducive to the business. He said he is happy there is another space available.

Councilmember Rigg said he shares the excitement of his colleagues and said this effort represents our focus on wellness. The grant will provide continued presence and growth in the city. 

Councilmember Mackie asked how parking would be reconciled. Mr. Williams said they are still in negotiations regarding parking. The business owner is looking for accommodations outside the complex to allow patrons to come and go.  

Councilmember Hew said he was concerned about the total amount of money already given to the business. Mr. Williams said several of the grants received by the business were  federal dollars, and he has encouraged owners to apply for those monies. Mr. William said he did not understand why relocation is a head scratcher. Many of the grants were provided by federal and state funds.  Mr. Williams said many businesses have been recipients of grants to help keep them afloat.  

Councilmember Hernandez asked the applicant what is causing them to move from the location right now and if she thought it was the best decision. The applicant referenced air quality issues in the current space which is unsafe for patrons.  

Councilmember Hernandez said he was trying to understand if there are other businesses  in similar situations. He said there are other businesses that have been denied.  Mr.  Williams reiterated that the business has been in the city for 8 years and employed several employees. He said the city has provided assistance for multiple businesses in D1, including Proteus, Popcorn Shop, and April Tree Child Care Center. Mr. Williams said if there is a business who claim they were denied arbitrarily please bring them forth.  

Ms. Filocco said business was closed due to covid, and the business recovered in 2023.  She has been able to dip into their funds to support the business when she did not pay herself.  

Councilmember Hernandez said he did not have an issue with her business but concern about limited funds.  

Councilmember Esters asked why the applicant wanted to stay in College Park.  Ms. Filocco said her business is a fitness hub that is helping to create a community connection.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell told the applicant that she supported what she brought to the city.  She said she thought it was a good investment to keep her business in College Park.  

Councilmember Whitney said we are constantly looking for third places in the city, she said she believed the business has fostered community and was glad that she was opting to stay in the city.  

Councilmember Hernandez said he will support due to her answer to Councilmember Esters’ question. 

Councilmember Ranker said he commends this small business and wants us to support where we can.  

Councilmember Hew said that given the owner’s testimony and the answers received he will be in support.  

Councilmember Rigg made the motion, which was seconded by Councilmember Ranker and passed unanimously.

WORKSESSION DISCUSSIONS

Discussion and review Chapter 151 Permit Parking and Chapter 184 Vehicles and Traffic of the City Code – Jatinder Khokhar, Director of Public Services and Jim Miller, Parking Enforcement Manager

Mr. Miller talked about parking issues throughout the city.  He said the parking issue boils down to permit parking.  We know that a lot of vehicles in the neighborhood belong to residents.  We have limited on-street parking and limited off-street parking.  We now have households with multiple members and rental units with lots of occupants.  We have technology and staff who use it.  It is not the end-all solution to a problem.  

He said Crystal Springs is one of the most condensed and volume-ridden places of any area he has seen. Other cities have been working with residents to better utilize their space for parking.  He suggested we limit the number of permits per household, saying the default of 5 is not ideal. The best example is Lakeland who requested parking permits. Council created three permits per property. We can determine where the proper numbers falls. He mentioned the possibility of charging for permits. Parking causes friction, he said, and we need the community to be better educated and understand how the city tries to address the issue.  

Mayor Kabir asked if Council should determine a new standard number of permits per house, and Mr. Miller suggested that be determined on a per property basis. 

Councilmember Whitney said she liked the idea of adjusting parking based upon the community and supported increasing enforcement staff and hours, saying none of the proposed measures work if they are not enforced. She is concerned about people who will want to build driveways. She proposed the idea of offering an incentive to those households with only one car.  

Councilmember Rigg said there is a lot of permit parking in his district. He said permit parking appeals to some councilmembers, but others have concerns. He supports more parking enforcement in the city.  The city has become far more urbanized and crowded.  We should and could promote further adoption of permit parking.  He would not support going neighborhood by neighborhood, rather standardizing parking throughout the community to be more equitable. He said visitor passes have created other issues. Exemptions are issued for special events, and that can be abused. We need to address visitor parking issues.  

Councilmember Esters said the city has grown over the years; we have many homes with 5-6 cars that take away from their neighbors’ opportunities to park.  She said she supports a limit on parking permits and supports charging for parking permits.  Parking is valuable and there should be a value attached to it. 

Mr. Khokhar thanked Mr. Miller and acknowledged Councilmember Whitney’s suggestion of providing incentives to those with one car.  He said we should restrict the number of cars throughout the city.  We should encourage more people to be sustainable.  He said he agreed with Councilmember Rigg that the approach should be more holistic.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell said she supports the idea of encouraging fewer cars as proposed by Councilmember Whitney, supports increasing parking staff, and returning enforcement to 10pm. She specified that parking in Crystal Springs is an issue. 

Councilmember Mackie said no one likes the idea of restriction, but this is a safety issue.  She said we are dealing with quality of life and safety. There have been times a fire truck could not get to a fire.  She said she was in support of the ideas proposed by staff, although some should be tweaked.  She said she is not sure about how we register vehicles, but recognized some older residents are not adept at using QR codes or technology.  She has never lived in a permit-parking zone, but she feels the fees are necessary.  If you do not have skin in the game restrictions are not going to be effective.  We should not allow paved areas that are not permeable.  

Councilmember Ranker said the University of Maryland has reduced the number of parking areas over time.  We are urbanizing and we do not control zoning.  He questioned whether or not we can incentivize the use of public transportation? He said communication helps us work together much better. He said his initial thought is to increasingly charge for more permits, but we do not want to make it too expensive for families.  

Councilmember Hew said we should not be issuing more permits than spaces that are available.  He said we want to address issues with long-term residents who are older and have only one car.  We should not be more accommodating to rentals.  He said we need to overhaul the whole system, and we need enforcement officers to address parking issues.  He also said the renewal of the parking permit needs to be streamlined. 

Councilmember Hernandez said he started his political career with a parking enforcement issue.  Every neighborhood and street has parking concerns.  He is not in support of a blanket approach.  He will champion more staff.  He said he believes the issue needs to be addressed more surgically.  

Mr. Miller said we have an idea of where there are problems, but it is a city-wide problem.  License plate readers cannot identify cars without plates.  If a car does not have a license, the reader gives them audibles. If they address a problem in one location, the issue shifts to another. 

Councilmember Hernandez asked how we are tracking parking enforcement.  He said he is against charging for parking, and he liked the incentive-based approach from Councilmember Whitney.  He said he will need to take it back to the residents. There are concerns, but many will not be happy about this. Biggest concern is that many residents have work vehicles. 

Councilmember Esters said our approach does not need to be one or the other, it can be both – a standardized approach with a particular focus on hot spots. 

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchel said there needs to be a conversation with the University about this matter to ensure we address it collectively.

Councilmember Mackie said we would like to bring this item to our communities. We have ideas, and we have expressed them.  She said there needs to be an overflow parking lot where folks can park.  She empathized with those who are on limited budgets. Quality of life and safety are her biggest concerns.

Councilmember Ranker said if a home has a driveway that can fit four cars, they can have five cars. Noteeveryone can do that. We should think about this as it applies to our environmental goals.  

Councilmember Hew agreed the University needs to part of the discussion, since they send students into our community.  When they have been asked about increasing parking it was thrown back at the city.  They continue increasing their enrollment.

Mayor Kabir said Council only agreed on increasing code staff, but not on other items.  He suggested another work session based upon council discussion.  This should allow council to take information to the community.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell suggested the city manager work with staff to put together some key points to share with the community. 

Councilmember Whitney reiterated the idea of a city-wide parking study.

Mr. Gardiner suggested that staff review the suggestions and come back with both short-term and long-term plans. He suggested the establishment of particular plans before it goes to the communities.  

Mr. Khokhar said one day he brought another car without a permit, and he had to ask the staff not to give him a ticket.  He said Parking staff take a lot of pride in their work and are here to enforce whatever council discusses.  He agrees with obtaining a consensus and then taking it to the community.  

B. Discussion of RealPage and similar software that may contribute to unfair rental practices. Explore potential collaboration with Prince George’s County State’s Attorney to evaluate possible legislative solutions.

Mr. Gardiner acknowledged that Councilmember Rigg brought this issue to Council by way of several residents including former SGA liaisons.  

Councilmember Rigg said that RealPage is basically being accused of collusion.  He said he is not sure if the city is the right venue to regulate.  He said Council should consider sending a letter to the 21st delegation to support legislation.  

Councilmember Mackie asked if we should make residents aware and let them know about their rights. Councilmember Rigg said people should be made aware that have a lot of property consolidation in this city. .  

SGA Liaison Amira Abujuma said it is something she has researched for the past year.  She said access to affordable housing is a necessity and RealPage works against that.  RealPage prompts landlords to raise prices even when the market would lower costs.  It is being used by some of the largest apartments in the city.  When prices are monopolized, people will pay more. The city could consider legislation. 

Councilmember Ranker said he would like staff to consider what other municipalities have done but Council should consider taking action. Are we willing to just wait to consider action when it may take a while?  

Mr. Gardiner said the city attorney looked into this matter and considered what the city has the authority to do. We might need a closed session to discuss.

Councilmember Hernandez said he is in favor of writing a letter. He also said he would like to know what the possible unforeseen impacts there might be of losing access to RealPage.

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

Councilmember Whitney said we need to be careful about language when we utilize from that dais.  

Councilmember Esters said a comment made by a resident earlier referring to a sign written in Spanish as being discriminatory.  This sign is an example of how this city is inclusive and welcoming.  

Councilmember Hew attended several conferences over the past few weeks.  He spoke at a senior committee event held at the College Park Woods Clubhouse on August 6.   

Councilmember Hernandez said D1 would be hosting a district discussion on Thursday, August 7.  

Mr. Gardiner reminded Council if there are questions about agenda items prior to the meetings they should work with staff to get information and make meetings more efficient. 

MEETING ADJOURNED

Click here to see the full agenda for the City of College Park Mayor & Council Hybrid Meeting on September 2, 2025, once it is available. Tune in, show up or share your thoughts/concerns about the following anticipated Consent Agenda and Action Items, and Worksession 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:

Introduction of Ordinance 25-O-09 – Grant a tax Credit Against the City Property Tax Imposed on Real Property withing the Revitalization Tax Districts

Public Hearing – An Ordinance enacting City Code Chapter 180 Vacant Property and amending Chapter 110, Fees and Penalties

Worksession:

Discussion of Potential Annexation Options

Early Lease Ordinance to establish a date that starts the timeframe before a lease ending.

Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: City Hall Community Room
Address: 7401 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740

The Pre-Application Neighborhood Meeting is intended as a way for the Project sponsor(s) to discuss the project and review the proposed plans with adjacent neighbors and neighborhood organizations before the submittal of an application to the Prince George’s County Planning Department. This provides neighbors an opportunity to raise questions and discuss any concerns about the impacts of the project before it is submitted for the Planning Department’s review. Once a development application has been submitted to the Planning Department, you may track its status at http://www.mncppcapps.org/planning/DAMSWEB/default.cfm. This meeting is being conducted by Cruz Development. This is not a City event.

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Branchville Gardens

There are several ongoing construction projects that will impact Districts 1, 2, and 3 this week.

WSSC’s contractor will work on asphalt repairs near the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Amherst Road in Calvert Hills.

The City’s contractor is wrapping up concrete work on 51st Avenue and has started jackhammering and removing damaged curbs in the 5000-Blocks of Indian Lane and Erie Street. Work also continues on Cree Lane. Parking restrictions are posted on orange barrels. Following concrete work, the City will schedule asphalt paving of these streets. More information about this project was included in the weekly bulletin, and residents can stay tuned to the weekly bulletin and the Engineering page’s news tab on the City website to receive updated information.

Thank you for your patience and understanding of the noise, parking, and access disruptions as we improve the City’s infrastructure.

National Night Out
Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location:College Park Woods Clubhouse
View Facility
Address: 3545 Marlbrough Way
College Park, MD 20740