Comments are by Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park. This week’s post was delayed due to travel.

Announcements

Councilmember Kabir announced that the community meeting regarding the feasibility study for the North College Park Community Center has been postponed due to a glitch with registration. The meeting will be rescheduled, and information about a new date will be provided soon.

Please note: Since the Council meeting, the community meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 12 at 6:30pm. For more information regarding this upcoming meeting, please see Events section of the College Park District 2 Digest.

The Hollywood College Market will begin its season on Saturday, May 7.

Councilmember Whitney thanked the city staff for assistance in helping her and Councilmember Mackie create a flyer exclaiming Don’t Dump…Donate to be shared with students moving out of their residences.

Councilmember Adams thanked all involved with the Tree Giveaway on Saturday, April 23, including the Girl Scouts and Tree and Landscape Board (TLB). He also commented on his appreciation for the size of the trees given away.

Councilmember Riggs thanked city staff for their assistance with the Route 1 Rampage held on April 24^th.

Councilmember Mackie shared the upcoming date for the county’s prescription drug drop off.

Councilmember Mitchell reminded everyone that Maryland Day would be held at the University of Maryland on Saturday, April 30^th and that the city will have a booth on site.

Mayor Wojahn mentioned his recent trip to Boston which allowed him to connect with six other mayors to discuss issues related to racial justice and equity. He also acknowledged and thanked Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell for ensuring that a successful PGCMA meeting was held Thursday, April 21.

Megha Sevalia, SGA Liaison, announced that the application for upcoming SGA Liaison closed on Tuesday, April 26. She also shared that it was the first day of campaigning for the upcoming SGA elections.

City Manager Kenny Young shared the news that the City of College Park, MD was selected to present on the power of partnerships during the upcoming International Town and Gown Association (ITGA) conference scheduled for June 6-8 in Clemson, South Carolina.

Proclamation 

Mayor Wojahn read the City of College Park Children’s Mental Health Matters Campaign 2022 Proclamation

Amendments to the agenda – Amendment to 22-G-74 (Councilmember Kabir)

Councilmember Kabir put forth a motion to take the approval of amendments to the Mayor and Council’s Rule and Regulations off of the consent agenda to allow for discussion. Seconded by Councilmember Mitchell.

Presentations – Quarterly Financial Presentation – Gary Fields, Director of Finance

Mr. Fields provided a presentation of the Financial Report – 3^rd quarter

According to Mr. Fields, personal property taxes are up significantly and are much higher than expected. He believes the increase can be attributed to new development. Admission & Amusement taxes are down due to COVID -19. Overall, revenue is doing well, and our expenditures are below what was expected. Mayor and Council expenditures are higher due to the allocation of grants, which make up the majority of the funds. Mr. Fields provided brief explanations for the decrease in expenditures including the delayed hiring of the City Manager, which did not occur until September 2021, and the events planner, who was hired later than expected. The events budget is below expected expenditures because fewer events have been held.

Mr. Fields thanked Councilmember Whitney for finding the needle in the haystack pertaining to the increase of the facilities budget. He explained that when the FY22 budget was planned, they had to guess at what the utility costs for the new City Hall would be, and the costs were much higher than estimated.

Redistricting Commission – Official constitution of the Redistricting Commission and charge to Commission Members

The purpose of the City of College Park Redistricting Commission is to review and recommend the appropriate reapportionment of the city council districts. The commission will commence their work now and are scheduled to complete their work by September 2022. The following individuals will serve on the Commission:

Robert Day
Jordan Dewar
Betty Colonomos
Val Graham
Alan Hew
John Krouse
Fritz Leopold
Delmar Nelson
DW Rowlands
Marilyn Yang

Discussion About Amending Mayor and Council Rules and Procedures

Councilmember Kabir wanted to amend the proposed new rules to ensure notice be given to councilmembers rather than requiring that all eight councilmembers be in attendance when a city-wide or council-level issue is presented. He wanted to maintain flexibility.

Councilmember Kennedy believed that we were going to steer away from talking about council-level issues when not meeting as a body.

Councilmember Mitchell mentioned her concern about inhibiting engagement with residents.

Councilmember Kennedy indicated that we have identified a tension point and are working in the right direction.

Introduction of the Budget Ordinance for 2023 – Public Hearing will be held on May 10^th.

The overall budget amount of $30,460,335 constitutes a 15% increase, most of which is due to general fund transfers from lost revenue recovery. Many changes occurred to get operating expenses out of the capital budget and into the general fund. CIP projects are just under $3 million. The budget also includes departmental capital for one-time budget items.

General Comments

Mayor Wojahn shared a text message from UMD Cycling Team. The team expressed appreciation for City staff and the University of Maryland for helping to make the success of Route 1 Rampage possible.

Meeting Adjourned

Click here to see the meeting agenda for April 26, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on April26, 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for May 4, 2022

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

City Manager Report 

No announcements from the City Manager

Amendments to the Agenda

Councilmember Whitney asked to add an Earth Day proclamation to the meeting agenda. 

Councilmember Mitchell asked to add the City’s support of federal legislation to create a VA-Style home loan program for first responders and police. 

Mayor Wojahn read the Earth Month Proclamation. 

Food Scrap Program Presentation – Mr. Marsili, Director of Public Works

Mr. Marsili thanked residents who have taken food scraps to drop-off locations since April, 2019. They have saved the City from sending seventy-five tons of materials to the landfill. He went on to outline the specifics of the proposed curbside Food Scrap Collection program. Individuals will sign up on the City’s website and their address will be validated. They will then specify what type of cart they would like, either 5 or 12 gallons. It is anticipated that the initial roll out will garner 175-200 registrants in the system and residents can opt in at any time. 

Mr. Marsili indicated it should take about two months to get the program up and running. It is estimated that over the first year the number of participants will grow to six hundred, and then one thousand after the second year. The City’s initial cost per participating property would be $14.50 with an estimated total monthly cost of $2,500. As participation grows, the operating costs will increase, but the cost per resident will decrease. In the first year, it is estimated that the program would divert 107 tons of food scraps from the landfill. With the increase of participants over time, it is anticipated the program will help divert 212 tons of waste annually. The City will work to create awareness about the importance of diverting food scraps and helping to sustain the environment. 

Councilmember Kabir thanked Mr. Marsili for the presentation, mentioned the positive emails that he has already received, and asked when the program will begin. Mr. Marsili shared his hope for the program to start in July or August of this year. Mr. Kabir asked if Compost Crew, the name appearing on buckets and carts pictured in the presentation, would be the vendor for the program. Mr. Marsili said it is possible, but there are a number of vendors doing this work, and the actual vendor is yet to be determined. Councilmember Kabir asked if the pick-up of food scraps would be done in conjunction with trash pick-ups. Mr. Marsili indicated that initially pick-ups could be on the same day as scheduled trash pick-ups but that if the program is as successful as anticipated by year 2, it would probably be necessary to schedule food scrap pick-up for a separate day to limit the number of crews circulating through neighborhoods. Councilmember Kabir asked if a city composting program had been considered. Mr. Marsili said that he would look into the possibilities of a composting program. 

Councilmember Mitchell thanked Mr. Marsili and asked about working with other municipalities. He mentioned the possibility of working Greenbelt. He felt the project would get a lot of attention and is looking into a cooperative contract to work with other areas. Councilmember Mitchell asked if there would be education to build awareness about the program. According to Mr. Marsili, education is a critical component to ensure residents understand what to do and how to do it. Councilmember Mitchell shared her hope that the City would subsidize a portion of the bucket/carts utilized by residents. 

Councilmember Mackie asked a few clarifying questions. She referenced Mr. Marsili’s comments about the collection company picking up food scraps and changing the compostable bags. Councilmember Mackie then asked if Mr. Marsili could give an idea of what size container a household would need based on number of family members. Mr. Marsili did not provide a breakdown but said that, if needed, residents could use their own, smaller collection containers inside the house, then dump them into larger containers outside until collection day. When Mackie asked if the City would continue to have drop-off points or would transition entirely to curbside pick-up, he replied that the collection points at Davis Hall would remain until the level of resident participation in curbside pick-up had been established. 

Councilmember Esters thanked Mr. Marsili for his work and asked how he determined the anticipated participation rates he shared. He indicated that he did his research on similar programs in other municipalities and their participation rates. 

Councilmember Kennedy acknowledged that people do not like change and things that are inconvenient. She went on to mention the importance of education and asked if those who compost could receive some type of incentive. 

The Mayor acknowledged Councilmember Mitchell’s suggestion of paying 50% of the cost for receptacles. He suggested this be done for an indefinite period and then be reassessed for the FY24 budget.

Councilmember Riggs acknowledged Mr. Marsili for his work and leadership in helping to reduce our tonnage, carbon food print, and bulk trash. 

Councilmember Whitney shared her excitement for the program. Although she composts in her household, she looks forward to using the program for food scraps she does not currently compost that the program will accept. 

Quarterly Update on Strategic Plan – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Mr. Gardiner informed Mayor and Council that the City is currently in the fourth quarter of the strategic plan. His presentation focused on third quarter accomplishments as well as a few challenges. 

Accomplishments

• Major progress with the implementation of Accela
• Permits and IT connected for new Seniors Offices – Director of Youth and Senior Services would be happy to give a tour of the new offices 
• Finalizing processes for public use of City Hall Space
• Black History Month Activities, including book giveaway for children and adults. 
• Women’s History month activities, including readings done by Councilmembers
• Ten staff members participating in GARE (Governor’sAalliance on Race and Ethnicity)
• Egg-ceptional Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza – 800+ people attended
• Continued reduction in household and bulk refuse
• New Playground in Sunnyside Neighborhood ready for construction 
• Improved alignment of contract office diversity and city demographic – Moving in the right direction 
• Expanded eligibility for homeownership 
• MOU with the Partnership for a community housing trust
• HR and City Manager meetings with small employee groups to discuss engagement survey
• Continued wellness activities and employee awards

Challenges

• Need to update procurement policy, development of the policy has taken a back seat to the development of financial policies
• Issues with hybrid meetings and equipment in City hall. There is a need to add capacity and resources to deal with these issues. 
• Public art and oral history projects 
• Finalizing acquisition of open space on Roanoke Place and identifying potential additional parcels
• Recruitment for Fleet Office Supervisor and Racial Equity officer

Councilmember Mitchell thanked staff for their work for the egg hunt and thanked Mr. Gardiner for sharing the challenges including the recruitment of the racial equity officer. She acknowledged the issues that many municipalities have in hiring the right people in the current job market and shared her belief we will find the right person soon. 

Councilmember Kennedy asked if an update could be given on the education OKR. She would love to see that prioritized. 

Councilmember Adams mentioned that the UMD is willing to offer 3.5 acres of open space and may be amenable to an additional four acres, although it is not guaranteed. He believes the City should consider annexation of land on Adelphi road. 

Tree Canopy – Brenda Alexander, Horticulturalist

Ms. Alexander along with members of the Tree and Landscape Board (TLB) returned to the Council to discuss the proposed tree canopy ordinance and recommendations. The topic was previously brought to Council in July 2021, and a public hearing was held in August, but no vote was taken. Since that time, TLB has focused on meeting with University of Maryland and County Officials to talk about how to they can work with the City to preserve and enhance the tree canopy. Ms. Alexander referenced the previous tree canopy assessment which indicated loss of tree canopy. The ordinance and recommendations from the TLB will help to mitigate the loss. 

Councilmember Esters asked how long it would take for a new assessment to be done taking note of Ms. Alexander’s comment that the longer we wait to do anything the more trees the City will lose. Ms. Alexander said it would likely take a minimum of six months to conduct the assessments and present the findings.

Councilmember Kabir asked about the possibilities of a program where a contractor would plant trees that would not take City staff resources. Councilmember Kabir indicated that we should get more data but is concerned about waiting too long because we will lose more trees. He asked if there would be way to get anecdotal data. 

Councilmember Mackie asked for verification that the tree assessment is done aerially. Ms. Alexander indicated that it is and added that it includes nationally collected data. Councilmember Mackie asked if there has been consideration of programs to help rid the City of invasive species. Ms. Alexander shared the TLB is considering ways to rid the City of invasive species on public land, such as ivy, but said that expanding that work to private residences would require interaction with the community. 

Councilmember Mackie asked if there has been consideration of moving phase 3 to phase 1 and what has been discussed. Ms. Alexander mentioned that some portions of phase 3 have already begun with the discussions having been held with with UMD and Parks and Planning. 

Councilmember Esters asked Ms. Alexander if the City has considered working with organizations such as Casey trees. Ms. Alexander indicated there have been discussions with Casey Trees. There would be a cost associated.

Councilmember Mackie asked if we’ve considered starting with having developers plant trees in the city first? Ms. Alexander said they’d have to find locations in the city that meet the requirements (land owned by the city and not UMD or MNCPPC, etc.). She said they might have to designate tree conservation areas and that they’ve also considered whether residents could offer up contiguous properties as tree conservation easements. 

Councilmember Adams asked why 20% pruning required permitting. Ms. Alexander indicated if a tree is pruned more than 20% there is potential for damage. Stuart asked why a six-month replacement period was part of the process rather than 12 months. Ms. Alexander acknowledged the language indicated 6-months or appropriate planting time. Councilmember Adams asked whether the $500 fee was meant to be a nuisance fee and if it was thought of as a mechanism to prohibit removal. Ms. Alexander explained that it was meant to be a deterrent. She went on to say the fees had been higher, but over the course of 2 years and various discussion the fee had been reduced. 

Councilmember Mitchell asked the City Manager about staffing issues mentioned by Ms. Alexander. Mr. Young indicated the conversation about staffing issues had been held between himself, Mr. Marsili and Ms. Alexander. He indicated that there should be further discussion about addressing these issues once Mayor and Council have determined how they would like to move forward. 

The Mayor asked about the Urban Tree Master plan and what it would do. Ms. Alexander said it would include some recommendations. It could be a comprehensive plan that will include many components regarding how we handle trees. Mayor Wojahn asked if there is anything that will come from the master plan or a new assessment that may change our decision making. Ms. Alfred, TLB Chair, did not believe the master plan would change our decision. The county Planning Board suggested that if we had the master plan in place, it would allow the City to get fee-in-lieu payments directly from developers to plant trees in College Park. 

TLB member Dr. Lea-Cox informed Mayor and Council that the idea of the master plan came out of a discussion with Park and Planning and would be part of our strategy in dealing with trees removed by developers. He went on to say, having a master plan helps us in approaching developers and accessing funds from the county. TLB continues their work to build relationships with the University, Park and Planning and residents. Dr. Lea-Cox does not believe the City needs another assessment. According to Mr. Lea Cox lost eight thousand trees last year, largely due to clearing near the College Park Airport. The permitting process will enable us to start collecting data. He hopes that the assessment shows only shows a 2% decrease, but he believes the City currently has a 35% tree canopy. 

Todd Reitzel, TLB member, indicated that a lot of the discussion has been had about planting new trees but that will not help the tree canopy; we need to protect mature trees. 

Discussion 

Councilmember Riggs agreed with Mr. Reitzel and did not believe that we should wait, nor did he believe that an additional assessment would change our decision-making. Councilmember Kennedy was open to accepting Phase 1 of the ordinance. Councilmember Adams mentioned that he would be open to Phase 1 with some changes, including the removal of a penalty. Councilmember Kabir asked that we focus on data collection versus penalty and understood we need to move forward in order to meet the city’s strategic goal.

Mayor Wojahn acknowledged that a fee is not included in phase 1 of the recommendations put forth by TLB. 

Councilmember Esters acknowledged the work of the TLB on this issue over the years and expressed her interest in moving forward with the ordinance.

Councilmember Whitney acknowledged the crucial nature of where we are with the canopy that we need to move forward. 

Mayor Wojahn acknowledged that members of Council are all at different places with the ordinance, but he believed there were at least fifty percent of the council who would like to move forward. He asked that those who would like to make changes get together with their colleagues to change language and that this be brought back to discuss, make a decision and then allow for an additional public hearing. He encouraged those who wanted to amend talk with members of TLB.

Suellen Ferguson, city attorney, indicated that councilmembers should be considering whether or not they want to make adjustments to the ordinance itself. Mayor Wojahn acknowledged the ordinance should be brought back to another worksession to discuss and come to consensus. The plan is to bring this back to Council on May 4^th 

Parking on the 4700 block of Cherokee Street – Bob Ryan, Director of Public Services and James Miller, Parking Manager

Results of the City Engineer’s office traffic assessment report on Cherokee Street were presented. The report concluded there is no reason to prohibit parking on either side of the street but did reveal a sight distance concern on the north side of Cherokee for vehicles exiting driveways from Ferris Manor Apartments and Berwyn Baptist Church. 

Councilmember Esters accepted staff recommendation to allow for a public hearing on the matter. 

A public hearing will be scheduled to allow for residents to weigh in on the creation of a new permit parking zone on the south side of Cherokee and prohibitions on the north side of Cherokee to mitigate sight distance concerns.

MNCPPC Comments on the Budget – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager

Mr. Gardiner reached out to MNCPPC on the previous list of requests. Mr. Gardiner shared the following:

• College Park Community Center is not in the CIP – Funding will be in upcoming CIP
• Hollywood Park – funding anticipated to be in the next CIP
• Lighting on Trails- aware of the requests considering solar lighting 

Councilmember Esters and Councilmember Whitney asked for Lakeland Park to be added to the list for improvements. Councilmember Whitney indicated a particular interest expressed by Robert Thurston, Lakeland Civic Association President, in making the park a multi-generational “play” destination, and there may be funds available from AARP to create such a space. 

Councilmember Esters asked that the College Park Community Center be added to the list given some discussions about improvement. There will be follow up with Mr. Gardiner about specific concerns. 

Other issues mentioned were sending a letter thanking MCNPPC for the feasibility study for a North College Park Community City; Paint Branch Park bridge connection to the Northeast Branch Trail; more lighting on trails; netting around the handball court at Sunnyside Park; and a ramp up to the gazebo in College Park Woods Park.

Councilmember Adams asked about creating parking zones for VEO Ride near the parks. Suellen Ferguson indicated this would need to be worked out between Park and Planning and VEO ride. 

Agenda Items for Four Cities Meeting 

Councilmembers called for discussing the bid for FBI headquarters; modified mufflers and speeding cars; and update on planning involving Greenbelt Road improvements; and food scrap composting.

Special Session to approve letter of support for federal legislation to create VA-style home loan program for first responders and police.  Sending a letter of support was approved unanimously.

Click here to see the meeting agenda for April 19, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on April 19, 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for April 26, 2022

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

Announcements

Hayden Renaghan, SGA Liaison, announced the College Park Cleanup form is up and running and the student organized cleanups are happening. She encouraged councilmembers to share the form with residents.

The city manager did not have any announcement this week

Councilmember Kabir shared information about the cleanup to be held in North College Park on April 16 from 9am – 11am. Supplies will be provided by Public Works and free breakfast and t-shirts will be available to volunteers. 

Councilmember Esters – Thanked those who joined the District 2 Community Forum that she and Councilmember Whitney held on April 9. She also announced the Lakeland Civic Association meeting scheduled for April 14 at 6:30pm. 

Councilmember Mitchell recognized Delegate Joseline Melnyk and Delegate Benjamin Barnes for their leadership appointments to the Health & Government Operations Committee and the Appropriations Committee, respectively. 

Mayor Wojahn acknowledged the attendance of former Councilmember Peter King and Dr. Bernache, Education Advisory Committee (EAC) Chair. 

Amendments to the Agenda

The following items were added to the agenda: 

Request to sign letter of support for Climate Change Action Plan to be submitted to the PG Board of Education – Councilmember Esters

Easter Proclamation – Councilmember Mackie

National Public Health Day – Councilmember Whitney  

Passover Proclamation– Councilmember Mackie 

Dr. Kabir requested that the Commemorative Bench Policy action item be moved to the Consent Agenda. 

Public Comments (Consent or Non-Consent Agenda Items)

Mary King – Next week’s work session will re-introduce the tree canopy discussion. She researched the tree canopy discussion, which began in 2017. When the discussion was initiated, development in the city had started to take off and tax credits were offered to developers. Developers cut down numerous trees, yet they were not held to the same standard as residents will be with the proposed ordinance, which places the burden on the residents. 

Presentations 

Employee of the Year

Jacob Vassaloti was recognized as employee of the year. Mr. Vassaloti was hired on June 14, 2021, as the GIS analyst right after college. He played an integral part of in the development of a Bulk Trash database and has assisted with concrete maintenance and street paving. He works closely with the city engineer to perform traffic investigations. His parents joined him for the recognition. 

Economic Development Report 2022

Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development, introduced his presentation by sharing the economic development webpage, which shows the progress of projects in the City. The data provides information about companies as they apply for permits. He also acknowledged IonQ , a company headquartered in College Park that was recently recognized as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential companies. 

Mr. Williams went on the share a few other notable mentions:

• Deal of the year – City Hall (Moody’s Bond Rating Aa1)
• Most Valuable Deal – Terrapin Row 
• Notable transactions – Southern Gateway, Acquisition of 4704 Calvert Road property, Shop Made in Maryland, Brandywine Trust (Triple AAA rating), and the Hollywood Farmers Market at Hollywood Shopping Center
• Mr. Williams discussed the ARPA Grants offered by the city to individuals and businesses. He indicated the majority of the small business grants have been given to women-owned businesses. Mr. Williams is currently working with Gary Fields, Director of Finance, on compliance reporting to the US Treasury. 

A major business development incentive mentioned by Mr. Williams was the Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise (RISE) Zone, an incentive that offers a 5-year tax credit or rental assistance. He also mentioned the revitalization tax-credit, ARPA business assistance grants, and the Business Assistance and Façade Improvement grants as other ways the City is encouraging economic development. 

Mr. Williams talked about a few businesses we should expect to see in the City soon, including Trader Joe’s which is planned to be a 14,000 sq ft project and Kettle Korn, a small business that will open at the Hollywood Shopping Center. He also mentioned Shop Made in Maryland which is slated to open in fall when students return to campus. 

When discussing the revenues received by the city from businesses, Mr. Williams mentioned both the admission/amusement and property taxes. In his review of City population, Mr. Williams noted we are seeing more graduates stay in the city and become part of the community.

Councilmember Kabir thanked Mr. Williams for his presentation and expressed his appreciation for the economic development information online. He asked Mr. Williams if data about student apartment vacancy rates could be made available. Councilmember Kabir also inquired about economic development opportunities in Hollywood. Mr. Williams acknowledged the councilmember’s comments and shared that 30% of the ARPA funds were to businesses in Hollywood.

Councilmember Mitchell asked about the establishment of a city-wide business roundtable. She acknowledged Councilmember Kabir’s comment about apartment vacancies and indicated that information about apartment vacancy rate could provide an opportunity to talk to management and determine how we can utilize the apartments differently. Councilmember Mitchell also asked if

there had been a focus on identifying small businesses to encourage to locate in the city. 

Councilmember Kennedy asked Mr. Williams about the City’s strategic goal related to attracting small businesses (15%) and the property tax base. She acknowledged that small businesses have barriers. She also mentioned that many people will not be going back downtown to work, due to the pandemic, and are looking for more options close to home.

Councilmember Adams asked about the possibility of FBI relocation to the area and if the City was positioning itself to benefit from that were it to occur. Mr. Williams talked about preparing for spillover. Councilmember Adams also asked how we could bring more walkable commerce to the City and mentioned the need for more social activities, which he considers to be part of economic development. 

Councilmember Esters indicated how she was struck by the data regarding our populations. She said based upon the numbers, it appears that we have more children, more individuals between the ages of 25 – 34 (which may be indicative of more young families), more individuals between 65-85. It appears that we are losing residents between the ages of 45-65. She asked how population data factored into economic development. What is being done to keep those who are here and attract those we are losing?

Councilmember Whitney said that she thinks we’re losing the 45-65 group due to people with high school-aged children choosing to move out of the county. She mentioned a conversation with a resident who would like to stay in College Park, but their children are getting older, and they want them to get a good education. She said she talked to the resident at length about how one can get a good, public education for their children in College Park, and she said a lot of people aren’t aware of those options. She also noted how some city residents are looking to move out of their single-family homes and into a senior-oriented middle-to-high income development in College Park, but no such options exist. She said the city needs to find developers who want to provide housing options that will work for that population.

Councilmember Mitchell reiterated the importance of education and collaborating with the school system to keep people here. 

Councilmember Adams mentioned that we want to consider annexation for some unincorporated areas of Adelphi.  

Consent Agenda 

22-G-62 Approval of Minutes from the February 15, 2022, Work session; the February 22, 2022 Regular Meeting; and the February 22, 2022 Special Session. 

22-G-63 Approval of a letter of support for CB-014-2022 – Accessory Disposable Food Service Ware   

22-G-64 Approval of a three-year contract with VeoRide for Mobility Share Services in substantially the form attached. 

 22-G-65 Approval of an on-call contract for engineering services to Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP in substantially the form attached– Steve Halpern, City Engineer   

 22-G-66 Approval of an on-call contract for engineering services to Charles P. Johnson, and Associates, Inc. in substantially the form attached – Steve Halpern, City Engineer    

22-G-67 Approval of an on-call contract for engineering services to Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.in substantially the form attached – Steve Halpern, City Engineer   

 22-G-68 Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding with WSSC to reimburse the City for resurfacing of Edmonston Road due to water main work, and a related amendment to the contract with NZI Construction Corporation to include construction of the Edmonston Road Sidewalk and resurfacing Edmonston Road, in substantially the form attached– Steve Halpern, City Engineer

22-R-07 Approval of a Commemorative Bench Policy – Robert Marsili, Director of Public Works

Action Items

Approval of a change in purpose for the public-school education grant awarded in December 2021 to Paint Branch Elementary School – The school no longer needs support for Chromebooks as they are able to meet those needs through other sources. They wish to instead use the grant to support the school’s Chinese immersion focus through the incorporation of visual artifacts, plants, and student art projects. The EAC approved of the change in purpose. Council approved this request. 

Closed Session

Council met in closed session after the meeting to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice; and to consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. Mayor and Council received legal advice about an MPIA complaint, discussed the status of a contract dispute, and discussed a settlement agreement. Council did not return to open session after the closed session ended. 

Click here to see the meeting agenda for April 12, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on April 12, 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for April 19, 2022

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

City Manager report 

Kenny Young, City Manager, shared one announcement about the upcoming Community Public Safety Meeting to be held on Monday, April 11 at 7:30pm. The meeting will feature Det. Ryan Minnich, Detective, Financial Crimes Unit, Cyber Crime and Pawn. Det. Minnich will  speak on ways to protect yourself from Financial Crimes, and steps to take should you become a victim. Click here to join the meeting. 

Proclamations – Ramadan and Transgender Day of Visibility

Council entered into Special Session to make appointments to the Restorative Justice Commission:

The following individuals were appointed: Isabella Alcaniz, Zabrina Anzyl, Karin Brown, Carrington Carter, Robert Catlin, Jill Clements, Andrew Fellows, Maxine Gross, Violetta Sharps Jones, Rashard McCreary, James McShay, Nikki Pancho, Petrella Robinson, Ian Rowe, Courtnie Thurston, Robert Thurston, Marcques Washington, Jody Wildly, Wendi Williams and Patrick Wojahn.

Comment taken from audience:

Ms. Maxine Gross – shared her commitment to Restorative Justice for the Lakeland community. Thanked the council for their work, and indicated that when she viewed the list, she was not familiar with many of the people. She asked two questions. 

1. Are these individuals committed to restorative justice for the Lakeland community?
2. Will 51% or more of appointees be made up of Lakelanders (current or past Lakeland residents or descendants of current of past Lakeland residents) or individuals with documented support for their inclusion from one of Lakeland’s legacy organizations?

Ms. Gross added that we need to make sure the right individuals are at the table because this work is too critical. Mayor Wojahn shared the application process was open for a couple of months. All  applicants who currently or formerly lived in the Lakeland Community were appointed. The mayor expressed his confidence in the process and his ability to answer yes to both questions posed by Ms. Gross. He concluded by saying the city will consistently reach out to the Lakeland community throughout the process to ensure that those not on the commission have their voices heard. 

Denise Mitchells spoke to the legacy of Lakeland, the Lomax family, and her confidence, without hesitation, to the individuals chosen to serve on the commission. 

Presentation from University of Maryland Chief of Police David Mitchell on live monitoring of security Cameras 

Carlo Colella, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the University of Maryland, introduced the presentation by indicating that university leadership asks the City to reinstate the live monitoring of 22 off-campus cameras. Mr. Colella spoke of the partnership between the City and the University of Maryland and the efforts to make the city a safe place to live, work and play. He mentioned a variety of efforts including the extension of the code of conduct beyond campus; exploration of Shot Spotter technology; economic development and increasing demand for office space in the city; College Park Academy; the new City Hall; and the Calvert Road School early childhood education center and preschool. 

He said reducing crime is a multifaceted issue, and live monitoring allows the opportunity to respond to things quickly. The University has approximately five hundred cameras in areas of the campus that are state supported (Please note:  Housing and parking facilities are not state supported). The University is proposing to charge an in-house rate for the live monitoring. $592 per camera, per month. Minus the current costs, which would amount to $504 per month per camera over what we are paying now to record video.

Chief Mitchell acknowledged the new City Hall and applauded the city for having cameras replaced and enhanced. He mentioned there are live-monitored cameras in the College Park Shopping Center that UMD does not charge for. He went on to discuss the increased number of calls for service, and the increasing phenomenon of mental health needs. Chief Mitchell mentioned work being done to connect students with mental health professionals. 

Mayor Wojahn provided background information from previous Council discussions on this same matter a few years ago. He referenced Council’s request for data that had yet to be provided. Chief Mitchell indicated that data was provided but emphasized the difficulty in providing comprehensive data when numerous cameras did not  work consistently. 

Mr. Young indicated that one of the first things he worked on when he started his position was working to update cameras that did not work and working with the University to update the servers.

Councilmember Kabir mentioned the need for data to support the request and privacy concerns among residents. 

Councilmember Esters expressed her understanding of the multifaceted nature of the work to keep the community safe and acknowledged the benefits of live-monitoring to enable proactive response. She indicated that it would be helpful to have the data to support this request but asked her colleagues not to focus only on the data. 

Councilmember Adams spoke to his support of using the existing infrastructure and asked about cameras near a sorority house on Yale, saying he was surprised they’re not included on the list of cameras already live-monitored by UMD, saying he believe the house is state-owned property. He figures fees the students pay would already cover the cost of live-monitoring for those cameras.

Councilmember Riggs spoke of his support of the effort and suggested Council revisit his past suggestion of implementing a special taxation district downtown that would subsidize the cost. 

Sidewalk Design for Hollywood Road Sidewalk 

Mr. Douglas Bobb of Mead and Hunt provided a presentation about the status of the project. Terry, Schum, Director of Planning, indicated the design is being funded through the state with federal funding. The state has reviewed the design and provided detailed feedback. 

Mr. Bobb Spoke of the various guidelines they have been required to follow, including city, state, and DPIE (Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement). He mentioned the virtual community meeting held on January 22, 2022, which was attended by five residents and two councilmembers. There was broad support for the project from participants. He went on to discuss issues at that intersection of Hollywood and Rhode Island due to drivers not handling the areas well. 

Councilmember Kennedy spoke of her appreciation for the design and how much it pains her to see mothers with children walking in the street to the playground. She expressed her interest in this project being constructed as soon as possible. 

Dr. Kabir shared his appreciation for the presentation to the community. He shared that this street has been used as a cut-through from Rhode Island to Baltimore Ave. He appreciates the traffic calming aspect of the project. 

Review and approval of additional recommended uses of remaining ARPA And Lost Revenue Recovery Funds

Gary Field, Finance Director, provided an overview of Lost Revenue Recovery funds versus APRA. The budget ordinance needs to be reported by April 26th. City Manager Young asked the Council to be cautious about the use of funds for items that will need to be sustained as we do not normally have this amount of revenue during the budget process. He indicated that speed camera revenues can be used for live-camera monitoring. 

Councilmember Adams discussed concern about things we seemed to have made a commitment to that could wait. 

Mr. Fields shared that we could place some funds in the General fund under contingency.

Councilmember Kennedy asked Mr. Fields to highlight items that would become operating expenses versus one-time funding. 

Councilmember Adams expressed concern about spending funds in FY23 instead of FY24

Councilmember Whitney asked for information about the remaining balance for APRA grants given to individuals. Mr. Fields said it was $480,000, and it was noted that we might be able to give additional aid to families that have already received grants.

Gary Fields talked about setting aside contingency funds for anticipated expenses. 

There was a discussion/confusion about whether or not we were talking about multi-year budget versus Capital budget. Mr. Fields suggested that he could provide a CIP-like budget to view spending commitment overtime. 

Three-Year Contract with VeoRide for Mobility Share Services

Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney, provided an overview of discussion regarding VeoRide. She explained that new requirements for parking were determined by VeoRide; the company felt in order to fulfill their commitment, riders would need to be required to put their vehicles in designated VeoRide parking spaces across all three entities. If not parked in designated areas, riders will continue to incur costs. VeoRide understands that they are still responsible for picking up vehicles parked in undesignated spaces within two hours. 

Ms. Schum shared that, where possible, all entities worked together to come to agreement. She indicated there are fifty parking hubs and over fifty bike racks in the city. From our State grant we will add more bike racks and parking hubs. She informed Mayor and Council that she needs input from them to determine where parking hubs and bike racks should be within the various neighborhoods The City is working to obtain a service that connects VeoRide with other micro-mobility. 

Terry Schum explained that the scooter is by far the most popular vehicle of those provided by VeoRide. She informed Mayor and Council there will be a total 150 scooters and 50 e-bikes in the city, both Class 1 and 2. 

Councilmember Riggs expressed his appreciation for the work that had been done, and suggested a parking hub next to a bus stop on Edmonston Road 

Councilmember Mackie asked how students will be educated about the changes in requirements. Ms. Sevaliah, SGA Liaison, indicated that most students know about the changes because of the restrictions on campus. She is concerned that there will not be enough parking spaces within the City to make it convenient. 

Ms. Schum shared that the City intends to put bike rack in hubs that do not currently have them. She went on the indicate a micro-mobility study was done in the City to look about parking destinations and connections to other transportation systems. For instance, she said, we would want to establish hubs near where you have a concentration of group homes where a lot of students live.

The mayor said he wished we’d allow parking wherever it’s safe, saying, “We dedicate a lot of real estate in this city to cars. I think as long as ebikes aren’t parked in a place that isn’t safe, they should allow to leave it where they want.”

Ms. Schum closed by saying we’ll be constantly reevaluating our approach, saying if ridership goes down, we’ll have to reassess. She said more parking was paramount.

Follow up discussion of Mayor and Council Rules and Regulations 

Discussion to distinguish between townhalls and issue-specific meetings. Suellen indicated the distinction is between talking to residents and answering questions versus a discussion on a topic that has come forward to council. Civic Associations can ask for Councilmembers to come and speak. 

Council discussed whether the procedure for requesting future agenda items is working. The point was made that councilmembers need to follow the procedure completely and thoughtfully, not view it as a process of simply checking boxes. 

Legislative Update

Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, mentioned a County bill introduced by Councilmembers Glaros, Ivey and Dernoga that would prohibit food establishments from providing accessory disposable food cutlery unless requested by a customer. It was noted that the CBE had sent a letter urging Council to send a letter in support of the bill. The council voted to add sending a letter of support to the Consent Agenda for the April 12^th meeting.

Mr. Gardiner also referenced the increased funding in the State budget for Community Preservation Trust to $7.9 million.

Councilmember Mitchell asked about SB405 – Income Tax – Retirement Income Subtraction Modifications and Senior Credit (Retirement Tax Elimination Act of 2022). Mr. Gardiner did not have details but said he would inquire. 

Meeting Adjourned

Click here to see the meeting agenda for April 5, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on April 5, 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for April 12, 2022

If your sleep has been disturbed by the sounds of cars with modified exhausts or you’re concerned about recent incidents in which groups of motorists have gathered to engage in dangerous driving or impede traffic, now is the time to act. Senate Bill 612 is being considered this week, and while the time for public comment has closed, there’s still time to contact legislators and express your support for the bill.

The following message was sent by Prince George’s County Councilmember Tom Dernoga. Delegate Mary Lehman has expressed her support for the bill, as well:

Friends,
Please contact the State Delegates below and send this request to all of your friends, especially those in other Counties.
Dangerous driving, racing, modified mufflers and exhaust systems have proliferated out of control. Here are this weekend’s incidents.

Laurel — PGC Police Vehicle attacked 
https://bit.ly/3u7Z55X
Baltimore — “video shows standstill traffic Saturday night in downtown Baltimore as some drivers performed dangerous burnouts and donuts, blocking traffic on the roads.”
https://bit.ly/3u9fpDi
Silver Spring — https://bit.ly/3J8fpYJ

Senator Beidle has SB 612 (Street Racing, Exhibition Driving, and Noise Abatement – Prohibited Acts, Enforcement, and Penalties) to provide enforcement tools for the police. Senate Bill (SB) 612 passed the Maryland Senate 47-0! 

However, the Bill cannot get a hearing in the House of Delegates. It is now pending in the House Environment and Transportation Committee. We need as many residents as possible to contact the House, particularly the Speaker’s office and leadership team, the House Environment and Transportation Committee (ENT) Chair, and members of the ENT Committee to stress the need to move this legislation in this week. The 90-day session ends at midnight on Monday, April 11, but there is still time. 

SB 612 calls for heavier punishments for violations and addresses:

• Excessive, abrupt acceleration or deceleration of the motor vehicle;
• Skidding, squealing, burning, or smoking of the tires of the motor vehicle;
• Swerving or swaying of the motor vehicle from side to side while skidding;
• Engine of the motor vehicle producing an unreasonably loud, raucous, or disturbing noise;
• Grinding of the gears or the backfiring of the engine of the motor vehicle;
• Any of the wheels of the motor vehicle losing contact with the ground.

You can help by getting neighbors and other friends across the state to send emails and make calls to the Speaker’s office, ENT Chair Kumar Barve’s office, and members of the House Environment and Transportation Committee to urge action. Please make your message to lawmakers personal but keep it short. Be sure to reference the Senate bill number and title.

House Speaker, Speaker ProTem and Majority Leader

adrienne.jones@house.state.md.us

sheree.sample.hughes@house.state.md.us

eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us

House Environment and Transportation Committee (ENT) Chair and Vice Chair

kumar.barve@house.state.md.us

dana.stein@house.state.md.us

ENT Members

marlon.amprey@house.state.md.us

carl.anderton@house.state.md.us

regina.boyce@house.state.md.us

barrie.ciliberti@house.state.md.us

jerry.clark@house.state.md.us

linda.foley@house.state.md.us

david.fraser.hidalgo@house.state.md.us

jim.gilchrist@house.state.md.us

anne.healey@house.state.md.us

marvin.holmes@house.state.md.us

jay.jacobs@house.state.md.us

jay.jalisi@house.state.md.us

mary.lehman@house.state.md.us

brooke.lierman@house.state.md.us

sara.love@house.state.md.us

charles.otto@house.state.md.us

neil.parrot@house.state.md.us

roxane.prettyman@house.state.md.us

sheila.ruth@house.state.md.us

vaughn.stewart@house.state.md.us

jen.terrasa@house.state.md.us

melissa.wells@house.state.md.us

william.wivell@house.state.md.us

Thank you again for speaking out and caring about safety.

Sincerely,
Thomas E. Dernoga

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

Announcements 

Councilmember Kabir mentioned the Community Clean up that will take place in Hollywood on April 16th.

Councilmember Kennedy wished everyone Happy Spring!

Councilmember Esters mentioned the upcoming meeting for the Greenbelt Corridor Plan on March 23^rd at 8pm. She also mentioned the upcoming District 2 Community Forum that will be held April 9th from 2pm – 3:30pm for residents to share input and ask questions of Councilmembers. (Click here to view the flyer. Click here at 2pm on April 9th to attend via zoom.)

Councilmember Whitney indicated that the District 2 Community Forum will be held virtually. She also invited those who missed College Park’s Age Friendly Action Plan Visioning meeting on March 14^th to share their ideas about creating age-friendly policies in the city on the Planning Department’s Vision Board. (Click here to access the Vision Board.)

Councilmember Adams offered thanks for drainage pipe repairs that took place in Calvert Hills.

Councilmember Riggs mentioned the upcoming Cleanup day in Calvert Hills on March 26th. He acknowledged that he would not be able to attend due to the Council’s all-day budget meeting. 

Councilmember Mackie announced the Hyattsville Library is slated to open on March 30th

Councilmember Mitchell announced the District 4- Community & Budget Meeting in April (more details to come) . She acknowledged Councilmember Kennedy’s presentation on the preservation trust for the recent National League of Cities Conference and recognized Dan Alpert, former SGA Liaison, for filing to join the Montgomery County Central Committee.

City Manager Report 

Kenny Young, City Manager, indicated starting March 25^th, the State Highway Administration will shift the lanes on Route 1 (Baltimore Ave) to start working on the median. 

The City Manager will be traveling to the Black City Administrators conference in Grand Rapids Michigan the week of March 28. 

Amendments to the Agenda

Councilmember Mitchell requested that we send a letter of support for HB 227, which would

establish Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal State holiday and a State employee holiday in Maryland. Motion made and accepted to add to the consent agenda

Comments from the Audience on Consent or non-Consent agenda items

Mary King – Two presentations and the city is ready to commit $3 million. How will one hundred homes in this program help to provide housing stabilization? Not convinced the program will help to attract people to College Park. Are we helping the city or long-term renters?

Former College Park resident (Currently lives in Hyattsville) – Concerned about the health of Old Town and College Park generally. Concerned about the qualifications for those who commit to living in the house for 5 years. Industry categories seem arbitrary, why weren’t teachers and nurses included? If you want to benefit people, open it up to everybody. Others should have the opportunity to benefit from the grant. Suggested restrictions that reference renting to two others be clarified to indicate it is concurrent. Did not understand why the City is waiving the covenant. 

The State of the City Address- Mayor Wojahn – Mayor Patrick Wojahn gave his first State of the City Address 

Consent Agenda (See complete meeting agenda to see consent items listed)  

Action Items – None

Closed Session- Mayor and Council reviewed applications for the Restorative Justice Commission and discussed the City Manager’s performance evaluation. They did not return to open session after the closed session ended. 

Meeting Adjourned

Click here to see the meeting agenda for March 22, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on March 22, 2022

City of College Park Proposed Operation Budget and CIP (Fiscal Year 2023) held on Saturday, March 26, 2022 – Agenda

The next regular meeting of College Park City Council will be April 5, 2022. 

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

City Manager’s Report – There were no announcements from the City Manager this week. 

Amendments or approval of the agenda 

Special session added to the agenda to discuss draft proposal by the 21^st delegation to request $50 million from the state to make a one-time contribution to University of Maryland to subsidize the construction or acquisition of affordable graduate student housing and to discuss a request of $4 million from the state for the Community Preservation tTrust.

Proclamation in support of Ukraine added to the agenda.

Presentation from CPCUP on the neighborhood Preservation Development Committee

Councilmember Kennedy led the presentation on the Community Preservation Trust. First presented to Council on January 11, this initiative will help us to meet strategic goals related to affordable housing. Specifically, this initiative will focus on the preservation of affordable single-family homes and includes the establishment of a ground lease. The establishment of the program will be based a shared equity model. The cost for purchasing a home through this program will be based upon what the buyer can afford to pay, and the land grant will fill in the gap. The following work has been completed since the last meeting with Council:

• Meeting with expert at Enterprise Community Partners
• Review of Best Practices
• Retention of Legal Counsel
• Meetings with lending Companies
• Development of financial models and initial policies
• Continued search for third party financial support

Key policies for consideration are related to applicant eligibility and prioritization (Based upon Average Medium Income (AMI) and targeted neighborhoods. Targeted neighborhoods are based upon the percentage of rentals vs. owner-occupancy). The program will require a commitment to occupancy. 

Trust seeks to be self-sufficient as soon as possible. It is estimated that operating expenses will cost $350,000 annually. Homeowners will be charged monthly fees, which, depending on income level, will range from $75-$200, less than the typical private mortgage insurance (PMI) payment. It is anticipated that once 80-100 homes are in the program, the Trust will be self-sufficient, and it’s estimated it will take 10 years to reach that goal. 

Councilmember Riggs asked about safeguards against situations that the city would not approve of (e.g., a developer or investment group purchasing property). Edward Maginnis, Assistant Vice President for Real Estate, University of Maryland, indicated that transparency of the process and the strict rules should serve as safeguards. 

Kenny Young shared that the use of ARPA funds will require quarterly reports, and that those funds need to be expended by 12/2026. The City will need to determine at what point it will request unexpended funds back from the program. There are specific dates by which the City must provide reports related to the use of ARPA funds. So, check-ins with the Trust should be built in. 

There is a plan to establish a subcommittee of the trust that would then become the Board of the trust.  The board will initially report to the CPCUP but will eventually spin off into a separate 501c3. Councilmember Kennedy explained that a commitment of $3 Million from the city may help to encourage others to give, and said there were plans to seek funding from both the University of Maryland and the state. 

The goal is for the program to start in early fall. There are additional details about structure and operation that have be determined (application process, structure of prioritization…) and an Executive Director will be able to make such determinations. Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney, informed Council the MOU would apply to the current entity and its successors.

Mr. Maginnis indicated the Trust will allow for flexibility. He went on to describe it as a tool that should be used opportunistically and indicated that Council can determine how the funds provided are used. Councilmember Kennedy shared that through the program, appreciation of home values would be tied to the labor market rather than the real estate market. 

Discussion on draft proposal by the 21^st District Delegation on Graduate Housing 

Discussion was introduced by Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager. Edward Maginnis was asked to share input on the topic. Although Mr. Maginnis was not in attendance to talk about this matter, he explained that the University has been trying to work on graduate housing for a while, but the challenge has been trying to find the right price point. 

Councilmember Stuart Adams commented that $700 and below was a reasonable price point to look at and said he figured funds would largely go toward rental, but he asked if cooperative housing had been considered as part of the solution. Mr. Maginnis wasn’t sure if that had been discussed, but he thought it a creative approach to the problem.

Councilmember Esters said that $50 million sounds like an excellent seed to grow affordable housing for the city’s graduate students, and she wondered if additional funds might be available in the future. Mr. Maginnis said it was most likely a one-time offer., saying the state probably won’t be amenable to another ask. He said even if $50 million doesn’t solve the problem, the University will continue seeking solutions.

Councilmember John Rigg noted that the demand for housing for undergrads of modest means is almost as urgent as that for grad students. He said they often have to get more loans than they should be getting. 

SGA Liaison Megha Sevalia mentioned that on-campus housing occurs on priority, but those living off campus, collaborative housing is the most affordable housing. Renting single family homes off campus is the cheapest option. She indicated that affordable undergraduate options should not be left to chance, and added that it seemed contradictory to focus on students housing needs yet develop programs to encourage owner occupancy. 

Motion made and approved for Council to go into Special Session

Special Session 

Motion made and accepted to send a letter to the state in support of the $4 million request for the Community Land Trust.

Motion made and accepted to send a letter to the state in support the 21st Delegation request for $50 million to address affordable graduate student housing.

Motion made and approved to exit Special Session

Develop rules and regulations for City Park, playground, and recreational areas to ensure the safety of facility users

Director of Public Services Bob Ryan approached Council to ask for approval to rewrite Chapter 148 to update some of parks and recreation facility guidelines. He said Public Works had been polled about the rules that are needed. He continued that Chapter 148 had not been rewritten for a few decades, saying that some language was clearly outdated. The inclusion of enforcement provisions in the form of $50 fines was requested, although he noted that code enforcement typically issues warnings first. 

Mayor Wojahn asked if it benefitted us to include prohibitions on behavior that’s already illegal. Mr. Ryan explained that Contract police officers cannot write municipal infractions, but code officers can. 

The Mayor was concerned about rules against camping or using parks at night, saying it broaches on criminalization of homelessness, saying in such situations we look to utilize 211 and homeless outreach programs to give people access to services, rather than using enforcement.

City Attorney Suellen Ferguson explained that code officers do not deal with criminal matters. It’s more of a “move that (activity) out of here” approach.  She said the city would not be criminalizing any activity – no infraction would create a criminal record – code enforcement routinely tries to get compliance without fines. This is just regularizing the rules so signs can be posted.

Mayor Wojahn pointed out that even fines can build up for people.

Councilmember Esters asked if there’s any objective to ensure that the rules are reviewed on a consistent basis to ensure they don’t become outdated.

Ryan said his department would draft a rewrite and come back to Council in about a month.

Amendments to New Neighbor Homeownership Grant Program Guidelines

City Director of Planning and Community Development Terry Schum started the discussion by revisiting where the Council left off at its February 8^th meeting, with a motion on the table to support staff’s recommendations, which were:

1.removing the restrictions on the status of the house that can be acquired (a non-owner occupied property rented for a period of two or more years, an owner-occupied property rented by two or more persons for a period of two or more years, newly constructed, in foreclosure, or a short sale); and

2. increasing the grant amount from $5,000 to $10,000 if the house was a non-owner occupied property rented for two or more years or an owner-occupied property rented by two or more persons for two or more years. 

Schum continued that the competing motion kept language as currently existed but would add a lot of different employees – anyone employed or living in the city of College Park or anyone employed in the Discovery District.

Schum explained that the program was created to encourage home ownership, but the annual $50 thousand budget is never fully spent. Staff’s goal, she said, is to simplify the program and maximize use of the funding to get as many new homeowners in the city as possible. She sees the competing amendment as more of a live-where-you work program that’s more related to transportation goals than homeownership. Current grant requirements allow it to be used either by certain public safety personnel or for the purchase of a property that had been rented in the previous 2 years. She said she sees the lack of availability of former rental properties as what is limiting the utility of the program, hence staff’s suggestion to lift all restrictions other than the requirement that the buyers live in the property for 5 years.  

Councilmember Stuart Adams, who’d put forward the alternate amendment, was in agreement on increasing the grant to $10 thousand for formal rentals, but thinks we could quickly go through the budget because staff recommendations open the door too wide by removing restrictions on the $5 thousand grant. He stated that he couldn’t find another grant program in the country that placed so few limitations on recipients. 

Ms. Schum stated that grants would be given on a first come, first serve basis and reallocated annually, saying that that was not unusual. 

Adams said he thinks we need to keep some eligibility requirement to make sure we have funds remaining throughout the year and do not run out of funds for buyers seeking prioritized homes like prior rentals, short sales, etc. 

Counsel Ferguson suggested a way to avoid the issue about money running out would be to divide funds up for different parts of the year.

Councilmember Fazlul Kabir said he likes that staff’s suggestion is easy to communicate. But he also recognizes concerns about funds running out too soon, and some homebuyers getting money whether they need it or not. Still he thinks the alternative language is too lengthy and has too many conditions. Make it simple. He suggested restricting it to living or working in College Park, saying that language would cover the firefighters and EMTs. 

Councilmember Esters stated her concerns that not maintaining some level of eligibility might open it up to those who don’t need the money.

Councilmember Whitney disagreed with the notion that opening eligibility somewhat by offering the grant to people who live or work in College Park changes the grant from a homeownership program to a live-where-you-work program. She argued that under the amended proposal, the grant was still being issued to people on the condition that they live in their homes for five years after purchasing them. She said it should always be the goal to solve as many problems as possible when we spend money, saying that decreasing traffic and its negative effects in addition to increasing homeownership was a better approach.

Councilmember Rigg wanted to second Kabir’s call for simplicity. He said the program is not a lot of money, and he doesn’t think we increase uptake by making it more complicated. He expressed concerns both about staff workload and about prioritizing certain emergency personnel, saying it opens up a can of worms. He thinks it’s better to make it simple and broad and narrow it down later if needed. 

Councilmember Kennedy agreed that staff burden on something like this is deciding factor. 

Ms. Schum stated that the goal when the program was started was to reach 50% owner occupancy, and now we only have two neighborhoods that don’t meet that goal. She thinks opening up the program will hasten that progress. 

The conversation then turned to additional ways to qualify for the $10 thousand grant, with Councilmember Adams asking if homes purchased in neighborhoods that are registered historic districts could also quality.

Mayor Wojahn asked if we could instead focus on neighborhoods where a certain percentage of the properties are registered as rentals.

Ms. Schum said they could monitor the owner/renter status quarterly.

It was initially suggested that homes in neighborhoods exceeding 55% rental registration would qualify. As two neighborhoods in District 2, Lakeland and Berwyn, are currently at 49% rental, Councilmember Whitney countered with 50%. 

Councilmember Adams brought forward for a vote the amended motion 

1. limiting the $5 thousand grant to certain emergency personnel, University of Maryland College Park students, and people who live or work in College Park, and 
2. increasing to $10 thousand the grant amount for homes that were non-owner occupied for two+ years, in foreclosure or short sale, or were located in neighborhoods in which 50% or more of the homes are registered as rentals.

The motion carried with a vote of 5-2. Councilmember Mitchell was not present. It will appear on the March 22nd consent agenda. 

Legislative review  

Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager, informed Council there were no major changes to legislation beyond was what outlined in the legislative review. No new legislation will be introduced after the crossover date of Monday, March 21^st. 

Councilmember Adams asked about HB1259, which would require municipalities to authorize the addition of ADUs on property. 

Gardiner said it had had a hearing. 

Mayor Wojahn said we do occasionally take positions counter to the MML.

Adams said he would like the Council to consider supporting the legislation, especially considering the recent Maryland Matters article on ADUs.

Adams moved that we enter Special Session to consider sending a letter in support of HB1259.

Adams said the law required municipalities to allow ADUs “with certain restrictions”, so they could limit by lot size, number of pp, home ownership in primary dwelling, etc.

Ferguson said the District Council didn’t take up the issue because there are different views on it, but they do intend to take it up again. 

The mayor explained that MML opposes it because it forces municipalities to make a certain choice. MML would oppose any state law that would restrict local control. He said we should take a week to understand it a little better. He’d spoken with District 3 County Council Representative Dannielle Glaros about it, and she said a recommendation was for the Housing Opportunities for All Work Group to look at the issue. 

Councilmember Rigg said he’s nervous about voting tonight or at all, especially with MML against it. He wants to maximize the ability of our city to make this right for College Park and thinks we need to consider it carefully with a lot of community involvement.  

Adams moved Council exit Special Session

Requests for/Status of Future Agenda Items Mayor and Council

Adams put asked that we consider joining the National Association of City Transportation Officials at a future worksession.

Meeting Adjourned

Click here to see the meeting agenda for March 15, 2022

Click here to view the Mayor and Council Regular Meeting held on March 15 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for March 22, 2022

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

Announcements /Comments

Hayden Renaghan, SGA Liaison, shared with Council the success of the recent IFC/PHA clean up.  Four chapters conducted the cleanup that reached Norwich Street, College Ave, Hartwick Street, and Rhode Island Ave.  A form will be sent out to City Councilmembers to share with residents to complete to request cleanups in their neighborhoods.  Once completed, the information will be shared with IFC and PHA to schedule and coordinate cleanups. 

Councilmember Kabir shared information about the upcoming North College Park Community Association meeting to be held on Thursday, March 10 at 7pm.  He acknowledged that new Councilmembers Adams and Whitney will be in attendance.  

City Manager’s Report 

Kenneth Young, City Manager shared information about the City’s Summer Youth Camp Scholarship Program and indicated that application information is posted on the City webpage. He also shared information about the virtual meeting to be held by M-NCPPC on Thursday, March 10 at 7pm to discuss plans for a new playground at Paint Branch Elementary School, the upcoming visioning workshop to be held on March 14 regarding the College Park Age-Friendly Action Plan, and the upcoming Greenbelt Corridor Plan visioning meeting to be held on March 23.   

He closed his comments by mentioning that the City and the University of Maryland were chosen by the Washington Business Journal as a finalist for the 2022 Best Real Estate Deals in the Best Redevelopment category for the new City Hall. The overall winner in each category will be announced at the awards celebration on Thursday, April 28^th. He recognized the outstanding work of Ed McGinnis, Suellen Ferguson and Tracey Skinner.

Proclamations and Awards

Mayor Wojahn read a Women’s History Month proclamation.

Consent Agenda

Councilmember Riggs requested adding the action item related to the North College Park Community Center (22-G-42) to the Consent Agenda

Councilmember Whitney requested that we add sending a letter in support of HB1333, a bill that would stiffen the penalties formodified mufflers, to the Consent Agenda so the Council could show its support prior to the March 10^th hearing,  provided such a letter had not yet been sent. City Clerk Janeen Miller confirmed that it had not, and the matter was added to the Consent Agenda.

In addition to the above-mentioned items, the Consent Agenda included:

22-R-05 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission Regarding Variance Application Number CPV-202202, 6909 Rhode Island Avenue, College Park, Maryland, Recommending Approval Of A 10.0% Lot Coverage Variance From Section 27-442(C) Table II Of The Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance, For An Addition.  

22-G-37 Award renewal contracts for employees’ health, dental and worker’s compensation insurance coverages, and the City’s general liability insurances, for FY 2023 for a total budgeted cost of $1,874,182 –Teresa Way-Pezzuti, Director of Human Resources  

 22-G-38 Approval of a contract amendment in substantially the form attached to the Consultant Agreement with Mead and Hunt, Inc. for additional services in the amount of $33,394.36 to complete design of the Hollywood Road sidewalk project – Terry Schum, Director of Planning    

22-G-43 Authorize staff to contract with Cable Video Specialists, Inc. in the amount of $63,310.58 to purchase the Cablecast hardware, software, warranties, and installation services as described in the attached quote.  Council waives its regular procurement process to authorize this purchase – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager   

 22-G-50 Approval of minutes from the February 1, 2022 Work session; February 1, 2022 Special Session

The Consent Agenda approved by Council

Public Hearings 

Petition Request for Traffic Calming in the 4600 Block of Guilford Road 

The overview of the traffic study was conducted by Steve Halpern, City Engineer.  The volume of traffic met the criteria for traffic calming measures while the speeding criterion was not met.  According to Mr. Halpern, there were no accidents that have been reported from the study area. 

Keann Bhatt was the initiator of the traffic calming petition and provided anecdotal input regarding speed that occurs during the week despite the traffic report.  Mr. Bhatt mentioned enthusiastic support from neighbors for traffic calming measures.

Ms. Gee does not mind a traffic calmer but does not want it in front of her house.  She indicated that there was an accident in front of her home 6 years ago and said she didn’t understand why it was not included in the report that was shared.  Renewal of Participation in the Greater College Park RISE Zone Program

Michael Williams, Director of Economic Development, led the discussion on this matter.  He indicated that the Stone Straw property was not part of the original application and will not be included.  The tax credit offered through this program will be 50% rather than 75%.  The State also offers a 10% tax credit to participants.  

According to Mr. Williams, RISE zones are used to attract economic entities and activity.  There is only one Enterprise Zone in Prince George’s County while there are are over 100 opportunity zones. 

In 2016, the Mayor and Council voted to participate in the Greater College Park RISE Zone for five years.  The program will offer incentives to tech companies, and this particular program will offer rental assistance to companies as greater incentive. State legislation passed last year created the rental assistance portion of the program and funding to support it. Subject to availability, the state will offer $3 for every $1 of assistance a RISE Zone entity elects to offer. The program will be a key component to the economic development of the City.   

Ms. King testified about the large impact of the Greater College Park RISE Zone. 

Ms. Cook testified that we should stopped giving huge tax credits and use the money for our residents. 

Ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget

Gary Fields, Director of Finance, gave an overview of the ordinance intended to allow the City to accept a set amount of recovery funds in the amount of $10 million.  Whatever funds are not used can be transferred to Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds.  

Councilmember Kabir asked about the procedures to allocate the $10 million.  Gary Fields mentioned that some will be in the current fiscal year and the remainder will be in FY2023.  He mentioned another $3.5 million that City Council will need to take action on spending.  Mr. Young mentioned that later in the week Council will receive the proposed FY23 budget and will need to determine how funds will be spent.  

Ordinance for Revitalization Tax Credit

City Attorney Suellen Ferguson led the discussion for this proposed ordinance to allow for a change in the level 2 Revitalization tax credit. The ordinance would allow the City to offer a larger credit for a longer period of time.  Can be utilized if the County grants a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) for a development. Ferguson explained that passage would allow Council to consider providing further incentives for government-supported projects, such as affordable housing developments.

Mr. King expressed concern about the lack of a public session/discussion of this matter.  

Mrs. King said the proposed tax break would be a whopping tax credit.  She asked for the city to consider a financial consultant to understand a developer’s financial practices before granting such a tax credit.  

Ordinance regarding the acquisition of 4704 Calvert Rhode/7307 Rhode Ave

Kenneth Young, City Manager, provided an overview of the property and details regarding the potential acquisition. Specifically, he addressed how we got to 1.7 million dollars. He said the county’s assessed value for 470 Calvert Rd is $700 thousand. He noted that assessed value tends to be much less than market value and added that the existing rental brings in $48 thousand in annual revenue. Based on comparable lots that sold nearby, the five lots on the remainder of property would market at $200 thousand each, bringing the total value to $1.7 million. The Phase 1 Environmental review found no issues, and a title report and appraisal are underway.  

Councilmember Riggs asked how it is looking to close prior to 3/17.  Mr. Young indicated that things were moving in that direction. 

Councilmember Mackie asked for an explanation of R-55 and R-18 zoning.  Terry Schum, Director of Planning, explained that R-55 pertained to single-family units and R-18 pertained to multi-family units.  

Councilmember Adams asked about the funding that would be used to make the purchase.  Mr. Young indicated that CIP funds would be used, not ARPA funds.  

Dr. Kabir asked about how residents would be engaged to give input into the use of the property.  Mr. Young shared that he did not want to move beyond the Council on determining how that would happen. He indicated that Council would meet to discuss engagement on this topic.

David Dortsch questioned the emergency of the ordinance.  

A resident asked how the contract has been signed if the council has not approved and said the city should not go into property development business. 

GW Rowlings –Hopes the city will buy the property because it has been maintained as affordable housing for those who currently occupy the property.  Believes it would help the city to begin an affordable housing program.

Mrs. King – Does not believe that the council should pay 1.7 million for open space.  If there is an emergency, she said, the council created it.  

Alaina Pitt said she’s still not pleased with the process, but after speaking with Councilmembers, she is for the purchase as long as housing is what it is used for.  Housing is what is needed, especially dense housing.  She spoke of the importance of housing near Metro and employment.  

Mary Cook expressed concern about the process, saying staff should have brought this to the Council much sooner since they knew about it a year ago.  She thought it unwise to make this purchase outside of the budget process, some would say irresponsible.  

Action Items

22-G-39 Council consideration of the petition request for traffic calming in the 4600 block of Guilford Road – Steve Halpern, City Engineer – Motion made and seconded with a unanimous vote in favor by Council. 

22-R-06 Adoption of a Resolution confirming the City’s participation in the renewal of the Greater College Park RISE Zone application – Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager – Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor by Council.  Comments – Councilmember Mackie will support even though she is conservative when it comes to tax credits.  Councilmember Kabir thanked the residents who came out to testify.  Councilmember Mitchell indicated her appreciation for the work on the application and understands the potential for such a program to help the economic development of the City. Councilmember Whitney pointed out that bringing more tech businesses to College Park with these incentives could help make College Park the place to be for such businesses, saying that creating that critical mass also leads to better amenities for everyone in the city. She compared it to walking down the street and seeing a half empty restaurant next to a bustling one and asked, “Which one are you going into?”

22-G-41 Approval of additional FY 22 public school education grants to Cherokee Lane Elementary School and Hollywood Elementary School – Carolyn Bernache, Chair, Education Advisory Committee and Kiaisha Barber, Director, YFSS   22-O-02 Adoption of Ordinance.  Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor by Council.  Comments – Councilmember Mackie thanks Dr. Bernache and the EAC for their work and mentioned that she in fact attended Cherokee Elementary School.  Councilmember Esters acknowledge that the grants offered are not big-ticket items, but impact big outcomes related to student development.  She thanked everyone involved in the work. 

22-O-02, An Ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget (FY 2022 Budget Amendment #2) to transfer the recovery of lost revenue of $10M from the ARPA allocation – Gary Fields, Finance Director.  Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor by Council.  

22-O-03 Adoption of Ordinance 22-O-03, an Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Amending Chapter 175 “Taxation”, Article IV, “Revitalization Tax Credit”, §175-10 “Eligibility Criteria” To Authorize The Mayor And Council To Approve A Level Two Tax Credit For A Property That Has Received Authority From Prince George’s County For A Payment In Lieu Of Taxes Under §7-506.1 Of The Taxation-Property Article, Annotated Code Of Maryland – Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney. Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor by Council. Comments – Councilmember Rigg said the opportunity to provide incentives for affordable housing is another tool we can use to meet our goals. Councilmember Kabir pointed out that the Council is not approving a tax break for a specific development. He said that it is considering an ordinance that would give it the option to offer tax credits. He said we’d have to look at what a development would offer in terms of affordable housing, location, and what kind of impact the development would have on the community as far as traffic and schools, etc. Offering the credit will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

22-O-04 Adoption of 22-O-04, An Emergency Amended Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park Authorizing The Acquisition Of Certain Property Located At 4704 Calvert Road and 7307 Rhode Island Avenue, College Park, Maryland, For A Public Purpose.  Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor by Council.  Comments – Councilmember Riggs said that if the City did not purchase swiftly, we would lose this opportunity, especially since others are interested.  He also commented that, contrary to testimony, this purchase would be part of our strategic plan, specifically as it relates to affordable housing and green space.  He shared a previous conversation he’d had with the owner where he asked if they ever wanted to sell, to consider the City; he was glad to see that the City was considered.  He went on to share his support of staff and their work related to this acquisition. Councilmember Mitchell indicated that she would support this purchase and seek input from residents. Councilmember Kabir indicated his support but discussed his concerns about the process.  He made a visit to the site and understood concerns that residents expressed for maintaining the character of the community.  He thought there should have been an appraisal of the property before the signing of the contract.  He asked about a financial analysis of what is proposed for the property.  Councilmember Adams expressed his hope that regardless of location, the Council would move expeditiously in the future to take advantage of such opportunities.  Ms. Sevalia, SGA Liaison, asked if there were any specifics about when the public discussion surrounding the use of the property would occur . Mayor Wojahn responded that any discussion or decisions will be a fully public process. (Note that no timeline for considering use of the property had yet been established since the purchase had not been finalized and due diligence had not yet been completed.)

22-G-40 Presentation and possible action on the request to amend Detailed Site Plan 09028-2 for MSquare/Discovery District – Terry Schum, Director of Planning. Ms. Schum explained that the request did not include a detailed staff report or recommendation.  She went on to explain that the applicant is asking to go through the limited minor amendment process.  The County’s Director of Planning is leaving the decision to College Park and Riverdale Park to determine and identify whether the requested changes should be considered minor, which would allow development to proceed without a revised site plan, or  major, which would require the developer to present a revised detailed site plan to the Planning Board.  

Gibbs and Haller’s Thomas H. Haller, the attorney representing the developer, indicated that it was the first time he had come before the College Park City Council to talk about building in  College Park rather than Riverdale Park.  Dean Lopez of MSquare/Discovery District developer Corporate Office Properties Trust  explained that this is a 15-year-old joint venture.  He said, to date, there has been an investment of $22 million.  They have watched the community become a more thriving area and discussed other advantages such as the proximity of WMATA and the connection to Riverdale Park.  He went on to explain that they were coming to Council because the difference between a minor change and major change could mean an additional 5-6 months; he said there’s a great need for space now.  

Councilmember Mackie asked if there had been a recent traffic study.  It was explained that an initial traffic study was conducted about 20 years ago.  The change in the configuration of the buildings would not call for a traffic study, but their goal of adding another building in the future would require one.  Councilmember Whitney asked Mr. Williams for his input regarding the project.  He explained that he did not want to step on Ms. Schum’s toes but likes the project and encouraged Council to listen to the developer. Councilmember Esters asked how quickly the developer would like to move forward with construction. Mr. Lopez replied that construction is seasonal. They want to break ground later this year, before winter, and to have site prep done before the worst of winter. He said that having to present a revised site plan would miss those seasonal deadlines, pushing the project farther back into next year.

Motion made and seconded with unanimous vote in favor. 

Closed Session

Mayor and Council met in closed session to review applications for the Restorative Justice Commission.  They did not return to open session.  

Click here to see the meeting agenda for March 8, 2022

Click here to see the Mayor and Council Work session scheduled for March 15, 2022