The memorial services for Leonard Smith, Monroe Dennis’ stepfather, began at 10 am on Thursday, February 10th. You can attend the livestream by clicking on the video link on his obituary page.

Leonard Julius Smith passed away at the age of 94 on December 23, 2021. He served as President of the Lakeland Civic Association and was a former member of the College Park City Council and a longstanding and well-respected member of the Lakeland community. Please click here to read Mr. Smith’s full obituary. I cannot reproduce it here, as it is copyrighted.

You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Leonard Julius Smith.

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

City Manager’s Report

Mr. Young mentioned the City’s Free Tree Giveaway that will take place on Earth Day (April 23, 2022). Residents who are interested should click here to complete the registration form by March 4^th.   For more information, see the following link:  https://www.collegeparkmd.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=331

The City is offering a limited number of COVID-19 tests for residents during the month of February. Click here to learn more and reserve a test today (As of February 3, the city has given out all tests for the week of January 31).  Information will be posted again when more tests are available. 

The City is accepting applications for the Restorative Justice Commission. The charge of this commission will be to recommend concrete restorative actions to the Mayor and Council to redress the harms impacting current and past African American residents and their descendants.

Members of the RJC will be appointed by the Mayor and Council for three-year terms. Those interested in joining the RJC should click here to complete and application  and submit it to Janeen S Miller at jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov by February 14, 2022. For more information, visit: www.collegeparkmd.gov/boards.

Transit Equity Day Proclamation read by Mayor Wojahn

Washington Gas – Presentation 

Washington Gas Company joined the Council Worksession to give an overview of their work and their response to gas leaks in the area. The representatives who participated included Daminque Branch, Community Involvement Representative; Brandon Todd, Director of Corporate Policy; and Paul Zohorsky, Vice President of Operations. They discussed aging infrastructure in the area and their work to replace piping. They educated Council about the different level of leaks and how they are addressed (Levels 1, 2 and 3). Level 1 leaks are addressed the same day, Level 2 leaks are addressed within 60-90 days and Level 3 leaks are fixed within 15 months. 

There was a discussion of a satellite survey tool being piloted in DC that can assist in identifying leaks quicker, which will allow them to be repaired sooner. There is hope that the pilot will be successful, and the satellite survey tool can be used in Maryland. Representatives informed Council they take gas leaks seriously and stressed the importance of residents reporting gas leaks. Residents who smell gas should call 911 or the Gas Emergency line at 844-WashGas. They also stressed the importance of calling 811, Miss Utility, before digging or excavating on your property to avoid inadvertently damaging gas lines. Election Debrief with Board of Election Supervisors

Chief John Payne, and other members of the Board of Election Supervisors attended the work session to provide an overview of their report on the 2021 election to Mayor and Council. Their report focused on the following as it related to the recent election:  date, polling location, no early voting, applications for absentee ballots, ballots, election day, preprocessing and canvass, voter turnout and the cost of the election. The discussion focused on low voter turnout (10.35%), the lowest turnout since 2013, and the increasing cost of running an election. Councilmember Riggs shared his thoughts on voter turnout and how we should consider how to engage more members of our population into the voting process, including youth and non-citizens. Councilmember Whitney shared a resident’s suggestion that the City consider moving to ranked choice voting.

Additional discussion centered on the fact that, of the 13,579 absentee ballot applications that the City mailed, at least 1,895 were returned to the City by the Post Office as undeliverable. The BOES contacted  the Prince George’s County Board of Elections to ask if would be possible for the City to send the undeliverable mailings to the County so they could update their voter rolls, but the Board of Elections declined, saying they could only remove the voters from the rolls if they themselves had sent the mail that was returned The BOES asked Mayor and Council to send a formal letter to the Board asking it to reconsider, which the Mayor and Councilmembers agreed to do. 

 Given the reliance on the US Postal Service, the BOES asked Mayor and Council to consider increasing the time between election day and canvass to allow more time for ballots to arrive. Council was asked about the interval of time they felt was acceptable. When the BOES was asked if they had a specific timeframe they would like to see, two weeks was suggested. Two weeks seemed rather long for most Councilmembers, and a week was suggested as a reasonable amount of time. 

The BOES along with the College Park Ethics Commission offered a training at the onset of the election season, but no candidates attended. Some candidates had not determined they would run at the time the training was offered. There were a number of suggestions made to ensure attendance for future trainings including making the trainings mandatory, offering the trainings online, and offering the training more than once. 

The debrief concluded with Mr. Payne reminding Mayor and Council that decisions about the 2023 elections should be made by fall of 2022 to allow the BOES to devise their election plan and secure vendors. He also mentioned his understanding that redistricting would need to be addressed in this calendar year, and that once redistricting occurred, the BOES would need to validate those addresses listed for each district were in the County’s Board of Elections database. 

Amendments to the New Neighbors Homeownership Grant Programs Guidelines

Terry Schum, Director of Planning, provided background on the homeownership grant program offered by the City since 2005. The program was established by the City to provide $5,000 in closing costs to those purchasing single-family homes in the City and agreeing to reside in the property for at least five years. The purpose of the program was to help with the conversion of rental properties to owner-occupied housing. Currently, eligible properties are only those that have been rented for a minimum of two years, properties in foreclosure or subject to short sale, and newly constructed homes. In 2016, there was an amendment to the program, which allowed the grant to be combined with the CPCUP homeownership grant which offers $15,000 to University of Maryland staff and faculty. Buyers not subject to the program’s property restrictions include City employees, police officers, firefighters, and emergency technicians. Since inception of the program, there have been sixty-nine (69) grants provided equaling a total of $360,000 or 4-5 grants per year. In an effort to expand the program and incentivize homeownership in the City, staff recommended the following amendments:

• Eliminate the requirement for a property to have been a rental for a minimum of two years, except in the case where City funds are combined with the homeownership grant offered by CPCUP
• Increase the grant amount for the purchase of a former rental property from $5000 to $10,000

Councilmember Adams asked Mayor and Council to consider changing the two-year rental requirement for a property to 3 years and 1 day to help avoid sellers from taking advantage of the IRS capital gains benefit in addition to receiving the grant. There was further discussion about whether or not the city would have enough funds to sustain the program after lessening the requirements and increasing the dollar amount, what professionals should be offered exception, if salary range should be considered rather than profession, and if the $10,000 amount being considered should be adjusted to $7,500. There were councilmembers who expressed their approval of the amendments as presented by staff, while others felt that we needed more clarity on the objectives of the program. This will be an action item on the February 8^th Council Meeting Agenda. 

The Council then moved into Special Session to consider whether or not to send letters of support for pressing Bills moving through the Maryland legistlature. 

The Council voted unanimously to send letters supporting the following Bills:

HB254 – The  Vision Zero Implementation Act of 2022, which involves assessment of  future crashes at specific crash locations, specifically to: 

1. Assess each individual fatal pedestrian and bicyclist fatality occurring on SHA roadways within 6 months after the crash;
2. Identify engineering countermeasures consistent with Safe System approach; 
3. Consider the countermeasures that are appropriate for the highway context (e.g., urban, rural, modes of travel)
4. Publicly post the assessment to SHA web site

HB381 This Bill would modify the manner in which the chief executive officer of a municipality may fulfill certain notice requirements concerning proposed municipal charter amendments. 

HB39 This bill would require the Maryland Dept. of Planning to do a study and make recommendations for the use of surplus state property for affordable housing, especially within half-mile of a transit station. This could be interesting as a way to explore affordable housing along the Purple Line route on and around campus.

The Council then moved out of Special Session to consider whether or not to put sending letters of support for the following Bills moving through the Maryland legislature on next week’s Consent Agenda. 

The Council voted unanimously to put sending letters supporting the following Bills on next week’s Consent Agenda:

HB656 This bill from Del. Charkoudian on bike/ped safety would help direct MDOT funding toward increased safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. 

HB398 – another affordable housing bill, this Bill would require the Prince George’s County District Council (the County Council when it considers zoning issues) to pass an inclusionary zoning requirement providing 25% of all units for affordable housing for all new development within a 3-mile radius of any Metro (WMATA) station in Prince George’s County

HB551 – a rent stabilization bill that would limit rent increases on certain rental properties during or within 12 months after a state of emergency to 2% per year or 1% every six months. ( applies to properties that are at 15% of market rate or lower)

Click here to see the meeting agenda

Click here to watch the meeting.

Click here to see the meeting agenda for Tuesday, February 8, 2022

We are looking for residents from District 2 to serve on the various City Advisory Boards/Committees. In particular, we are looking for individuals who may be interested in serving on the following committees to ensure representation of District 2:

Education Advisory Committee
Noise Control Board
Recreation Board (Soon to be renamed “City Events Advisory Board”)
College Park Seniors Committee

The City is also looking for volunteers to join the Restorative Justice Commission (RJC).  This commission will work together to identify and recommend concrete restorative actions to the Mayor and Council to address harms impacting current and past African American residents and their descendants. Click here to apply for a position on the RJC.  Applications are due by February 14, 2022. 

We encourage you to take a look at the following page for more information about the City’s Advisory Boards/Commissions. Please click here to apply. Applications should be submitted to the City Clerk,  Councilmember Esters or Councilmember Whitney.

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

Mr. Kenny Young announced the hiring of our new Racial Equity Officer, Raven Rodriguez. Rodriguez will begin working with the city on Monday, January 31st and is expected to attend the Council Worksession on Tuesday, February 1st to be introduced.

Consent Agenda Items

The following ten items were on the consent agenda:

• Approval of a letter to the Board of License Commissioners in support of liquor license renewals for establishments located in the city. 

• Acceptance of FY22 Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) grant for $15,000 to enhance the Lakeland Walking Tour. 

• Acceptance of a $5,000 grant from the Prince George’s Arts Humanities Council (PGAHC) for Public Art Planning. 

• Acceptance of the Maryland Bikeways Program FY22 Shared Micro-mobility Station Improvements Grant for $54,080

• Approval of appointments to City Advisory Boards for the following individuals with terms to expire on June 30, 2024:
  • Mike Meadow – Advisory Planning Commission
  • Tina Batten – Board of Elections Supervisors
  • Susan Miller and Carson Peters – Education Advisory Committee
  • Carissa Janis – Seniors Committee
  • John Horowitz – Tree and Landscape Board

• Approval of the FY23 budget calendar as presented during the Council Worksession held on January 18, 2022, and approval to maintain the City’s Homestead Tax Credit rate of 0% for FY23 in order to provide residents with the maximum tax relief associated with this credit. 

• Approval of 2022 work plans from the following City advisory boards
  • Animal Welfare
  • Bee City USA
  • Committee for a Better Environment (CBE)
  • Education Advisory Committee (EAC)
  • Recreation Board/City Events Advisory Board (recent name change)
  • Seniors Committee
  • Tree and Landscape Board (TLB)

• Approval to extend the micro-mobility share contract with VeoRide to March 31, 2022. 

• Resolution of the Mayor and Council of College Park to authorize the City to participate in the National Proposed Settlement Agreement with Mckesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and the Amerisourcebergen Corporation and in the proposed settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ortho-Mcneil-Janssen Pharmaceutical, Inc., to resolve all opioids litigation brought by States and Local  Political Subdivisions against these Defendants and to authorize the City to negotiate and enter into an agreement between the State of Maryland and the City concerning the proceeds relating to the settlement of the opioids litigation. 
  
• Resolution of City Council of College Park to adopt the recommendation from the Advisory Planning Commission related to variance application number CPV-2021-09, 9726 51^st Place, College Park, Maryland recommending the approval of a variance to construct a driveway. 

Action Item

The one action item on the Work session agenda was the approval of a City letter to the Prince George’s County Council on the Preliminary Adelphi Road Sector Plan and Proposed Sectional Map Amendment.

• Councilmember Adams suggested strengthening comments related to UC-201. He specifically suggested that UC-201 south of the intersection with US-202 change to a park trail and shared used path. In addition, he suggested a park trail and shared-use path from the intersection of Guilford and Knox roads to the intersection of t-202 /t-203/t-206 at Mowatt Lane. 
• Terry Schum, Director of Planning felt that these changes to the City’s comments were feasible and made sense, and the Council unanimously approved the inclusion of Councilmember Adams’ recommendations.
• Council voted unanimously to approve a letter withcomments/recommendations to be sent to the Clerk of the Prince George’s County Council opposing the Preliminary Adelphi Road – UMGC Road-UMD Purple Line Station Area Sector Plan and requesting additional time for amendments to the plan.
• The Mayor and other members of the Council indicated that development near the new Purple Line station is important to allow for walkability and sustainability, but the plan, as written, needs to be improved to preserve natural green space such as Guilford Woods, consider the development of impervious areas and meet the needs of the university center.
• Click here to read the City letter that was sent to the Prince George’s County Planning Board and District Council on this matter on Friday, January 28^th. 

Closed Session

Council entered into closed session to consult with Counsel to obtain legal advice, consider matters related to collective bargaining negotiations, and to consider the acquisition of real property for a public purpose.

Click here to see the Agenda for the Council Meeting on January 25, 2022.

Click here to watch the recording of the Council meeting on January 25, 2022.

Click here to see the Agenda for the Council Worksession on February 1, 2022.

College Park District 2 Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney would like to express their condolences to the City of Hyattsville for the loss of their Mayor Kevin Ward. Our hearts go out to Mayor Ward’s family and all who loved him and valued his leadership. If you are in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, help is available 24/7. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

The Hyattsville Wire shared the following remembrance:

In Memory of Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward

All Statements below are from District 2 Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.

FY2023 Budget and Homestead Tax Credit

Gary Fields, Director of Finance presented this topic to Council. According to Mr. Fields, we are well into the budget process. Directors are engaged and, to date, we have received a few suggestions from community members. The Council will review and give input into the budget during an all-day meeting on March 26. Things are going well so far in FY22, and he does not foresee any issues that would negatively impact the budget year. ARPA funds should help to offset any cost related to the pandemic. 

Fiscal Year 2023 will be impacted by property tax revenue. The City will not know the impact until receipt of the Constant Yield Rate; the budget will be based upon the Constant Yield Rate.  City employees in the Union should see a 2.0% cost of living increase, plus merit increases, as applicable. Negotiation and contract finalization with the union is underway for FY2023. 

The City’s Homestead Tax Credit cap has been maintained at 0% for some time in order to give residents the maximum benefit, and it is recommended that the cap be maintained at 0% for  FY2023.

The Council will see a request to adopt the budget calendar and keep the cap for the Homestead Tax Credit at 0% on February 4th. Council agreed to add this to the Consent Agenda. 

Decennial Redistricting 

Assistant City Manager Bill Gardiner led the discussion. The process is to begin in February 2022. The council will need to consider options for the redistricting process which include appointing a Redistricting Commission or having the Council carry out the work; and conducting the analysis and district map creation internally or working with a consulting firm. 

Council discussion focused on the following:

The need to establish a commission and conduct a transparent process, especially in light of what recently occurred at the county level. 

Mixed thoughts about the use of consultant. Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney, shared that the city counts differently than other places; it considers the number of residents and “actual voters” (Federal court case determined this charge). The consultant would need to understand this difference in the process.

The limited numbers of individuals from district two who voted in the recent city election was mentioned during the discussion, and City Clerk Janeen Miller explained that actual voters consist of residents registered to vote on February 1 of the year reapportionment occurs who have voted in either the immediately preceding statewide or citywide election. She pointed out that we can also include residents who were omitted from the last count and those who occupy new structures. A question was posed asking how we account for new structures. According to the City Clerk, this means residents who have rented from or moved into structures since the most recent census count occurred.

Former Councilmember Robert Day was in attendance. He chaired the 2010 process and was asked to share his insight as we move forward. He expressed that the use of a commission is important. He indicated that Census numbers had to be matched for each address and that we need to work on drawing lines for neighborhood boundaries and said that a resident wrote the program that was used in the 2010 census, which was performed without a consultant. Day valued the expertise of the residents and students on that commission, saying their knowledge of neighborhood boundaries and dorms were key to striking the required balance across districts.

Councilmembers asked about the proper use of technology during the redistricting process. City Manager Kenneth “Kenny” Young said that the City would need to purchase new software to help with the process, and Ms. Ferguson cautioned that off-the-shelf software would not likely be able to account for College Park’s unusual counting system. 

There was an argument made for the use of a consultant who has the expertise to help guide the process. 

During discussion, there was a mention of a change to the structure of the Council. The City Clerk informed Council that a change to the current structures would require a charter amendment prior to redistricting. 

A potential structure change that included at-large members was mentioned as an opportunity to provide for more student representation and for individuals who maintain a broader connection to the city in addition to those in individual districts. 

A question was posed about the boundaries of the student population given that many students do not know who their council members are. 

There was a mix of thoughts about whether to explore a reconfiguration of districts. There was a reluctance to consider such a change on a short timeline considering what we witnessed with the redistricting process at the county level. A consensus formed around continuing with the current configuration for the 2020 Decennial Redistricting but revisiting the idea in 5 years, when there’s ample time to consider possible impacts and lay the groundwork for Charter Amendments, were the Council to move in that direction.

Discussion of Workplans from the Advisory Boards and Commissions.

Council conducted the annual review of workplans from City Boards and Commissions. 

The city Boards and Commissions required to submit an annual workplan include the following:

Animal Welfare Committee:  Committee’s asks for extra coverage at the shelter when the Animal Control Officer is unavailable and installing electronic locks at dog parks to prevent afterhours loitering were deemed doable.

Committee for a Better Environment: Discussed plans include painting two storm drains per year with “Only Rain Down the Drain” messaging and artwork to encourage residents to put nothing but water down the drains; continuing with tree id program, launching a badge campaign of Bee City’s No Mow Month; reducing plastic waste; and possibly reissuing the sustainability survey biannually.

Education Advisory Committee: Plans for the coming year are continuing with longstanding commitments, carrying out charges of the City Council, such as education grants; making sure plans & grants align withs strategic goals Council has identified; investigating PTO/PTA membership grants to increase membership & participation in neighborhood schools.

Recreation Board Committee: Name to change to City Events Advisory Board to reflect updated mission that focuses on hosting citywide events instead of renting fields, responsibility for which has shifted to Public Services.

Seniors Committee: AARP Livable Communities has blossomed into a robust subcommittee on its own; working with Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which has new leadership. The Seniors Committee is working on getting more communication out about these activities. 

Tree and Landscape Board: Council expressed appreciation for the TLB’s commitment to enhancing the City’s tree canopy and willingness to go back to the drawing board following public comment on The TLB’s Urban Forest Protection recommendations. The Council wants to invite them back to revisit the issue. A Citywide Urban Forest Master Plan is in the works that might help the City acquire County funds for reforestation, and a free tree giveaway is being planned.

Review of Community Input and Survey Results for ARPA Funding 

Mayor and Council identified some general uses and projects for a portion of the ARPA funds ($8.8 million) but sought to engage the community for ideas on how the funding could be spent. Community suggestions mirrored Council suggestions. 

Mr. Fields was asked to share how many people actually responded to the survey. He did not know but indicated he would share the details later. There was a review of the ARPA Allocation Fund, FY 2022 Amended Budget, and the FY 2023 Projected Budget. According to Mr. Fields, the City can assume up to $10 million in lost revenue due to impacts from the pandemic. Allocating ARPA funds as lost revenue provides the City more flexibility in spending those funds, as budgets or goals curtailed by pandemic shortfalls could potentially be funded.

There was mention of the North College Park Community Center project and a recent letter from County Council Member Thomas Dernoga. Council was asked to consider $1 million from ARPA funding to support this project. 

Staff shared that the funds would need to be spent by 2025 but said the Council would get into the details of precisely how ARPA funds were to be spent during the budget planning process.

Discussion/Scope of Work for City-Wide Storm Water System Assessment Project

Steve Halpern, City Engineer, led this discussion. He informed the Council that the city is seeking proposals from stormwater engineering firms to undertake a comprehensive storm water drainage study using EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) application on the twelve sub watersheds within the Anacostia River Watershed (Note: of the twelve sub watersheds, Guilford Run and Narragansett Run are the largest). The purpose of the project is to assess stormwater conveyance in each of the watersheds in order to reveal any flood prone areas that may impact housing and explore opportunities for stormwater quality and quantity features that would benefit neighborhoods. The study would conclude with a report and presentation to Mayor and Council on the existing conditions and recommendations for improvements. The estimated cost for the project is $600,000. Councilmember Adams wondered if some of that money could come from a FEMA grant received by the State of Maryland.

City Manager Young said that Halpern and staff have been looking into grant opportunities, and Halpern indicated that the proposed study may quality for FEMA and/or state funding. 

Mr. Halpern said stormwater issues have had significant impact throughout the City. These issues need to be modeled so we can determine where the problems are located. He clarified that the study specific to Calvert Hills has been completed and that work is currently being done on a design for improvements. The city-wide study will assess how water is flowing and help to determine chokepoints. 

Council stated that it wants the consultant who conducts the study to both explain our authority over the floodplain and to include policy fixes for the issues identified.

Click here to view the video stream of the actual meeting. 

Click here to see the Council meeting agenda for Tuesday, January 25.  

A COVID vaccination clinic is being held Monday, January 24th from 4 PM till 8 PM at College Park Academy. Below is the link to book an appointment.
Appointment Booking Link: https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/0057621139

COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit Distribution

Prince George’s County will continue distributing at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits this week through libraries and community centers, with changes to a few times and locations. Test kits are free and residents must show proof of County residency when picking up a test kit. One test kit, which contains 2 tests, will be distributed per person ages 2 years or older present at the time of pick-up, while supplies last. Distribution times and locations are included in the flyer. #PGCCOVID19

El condado de Prince George continuará distribuyendo kits de prueba rápida de COVID-19 esta semana a través de bibliotecas y centros comunitarios, con cambios en algunos horarios y lugares. Los kits de prueba son gratuitos y los residentes deben mostrar un comprobante de residencia en el condado al recoger un kit de prueba. Se distribuirá un kit de prueba, que contiene 2 pruebas, por persona de 2 años o más presente en el momento de la recogida, hasta agotar existencias. Los horarios y lugares de distribución están incluidos en el volante. #PGCCOVID19

White House COVID-19 Test Kit Delivery

The White House is now providing free rapid at-home COVID-19 test kits. Every home in the U.S. is now eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. You must provide your name and residential mailing address. Tests will ship through the mail within 7-12 days of ordering, with no shipping fees. To order your tests, visit: https://www.covidtests.gov/

(All Statements below are from District 2 Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.)

Proclamation – Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here to read the proclamation.

Consent Agenda included the following items:

• Approval of a letter to be sent to Prince George’s County requesting funding for a sidewalk on Rhode Island Avenue between Paducah Road and Sunnyside Avenue in North College Park. 
• Interim authorization for the City to pay its portion of operating expenses for the One College Park Condominium (New City Hall) to a bonded operating account in the name of Lincoln Property Management, LLC, building property manager, until the Board of Directors is appointed and functional, in accordance with an agreement to be reviewed and approved by the City Attorney. 
• Approval of the appointment of the city manager, assistant city manager, and finance director as the city’s representatives to the Board of Directors for the Council of Unit Owners of One College Park Condominium (New City Hall) effective January 11, 2022, for a three-year term starting from the first annual Membership meeting of the Board. 
• Approval of Council Meeting minutes from the following dates:
  • Emergency Session on October 18
  • Work session on October 19
  • Regular meeting on November 9
  • Regular meeting/Work session on November 16
  • Work session on January 4

There were no public comments on consent agenda items.

Presentation – College Park Neighborhood Stabilization and Housing Trust. Click here to view the presentation.

• Presented by Kate Kennedy, Committee Chair
• The following individuals from the Committee were also in attendance:
  • Ken Ulman Vice Chair of the Committee
  • Ed McGinnis, Assistant Vice President, UMD Office of Real Estate – legal guidance
  • Eric Olson, Executive Director, CPCUP – envisioned the project
  • Robert Wagner, CPCUP Chair
  • Robert Day – former City Councilmember
  • Robert Thurston – Lakeland Civic Association, President 
  • Maxine Gross – former City Councilmember, Chair of  the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, Inc.
  • Melissa Bondi of Enterprise Community Partners – Working with CPCUP on plans and affordable rental housing

“The goal of the Trust is to preserve and enhance quality of our community and neighborhoods, address affordability for graduate students, young professionals, families, seniors, people who want to live, work and go to school here, with a commitment to equitable access and environmental sustainability. 

The Trust will operate City-wide. But it will begin by focusing on neighborhoods that our University Community Vision 2030 data showed either a low percentage to begin with, or a precipitous drop in owner-occupied properties. Initial targets that should be considered: Lakeland, Old Town, Berwyn, Daniels Park, Calvert Hills, College Park Woods, and Crystal Springs neighborhoods.”

• Excited by the work on the Community Preservation Trust 
• The ask will be for dedication of $3 million in ARPA Funds
• Why such a project? – affordable housing and sustainability 
  • College Park Strategic Plan/CPCUP Strategic Plan 
  • We want to continue to attract diverse members of our community 
  • We want to increase the number of owner-occupied properties in the city
    • Timeline – Long-term investment. It will take many years to see the change we want to see. 
    • Could use as a tool for aging-in-place. Trust could provide money for upgrades or repairs needed in exchange for executing a ground lease 
    • There is a need for affordable rental housing as well, although this program will not focus on rentals. 
• Major Components of the Program  
  • Shared Equity
    • Both the homeowner and the Trust buy into the property. When the property is sold both the homeowner and trust will receive a portion of the profits.
    • Owner will need to qualify.
    • Will be based on income – sliding scale 
  • Ground Lease
    • Ensures that the properly remains owner-occupied and the Trust has the first right to purchase the property.
    • Will detail what happens if buyer defaults, whether improvements can be bequeathed to family (yes), maintenance, etc
  • Homeowner Education – to ensure homeowner is ready to take on the responsibility
• Estimate for annual operating costs?
  $300,000 per year
• What would help the trust be self-sustaining?
  • $9 million initial capital funding 
  • Twenty homes
  • Eventual proceeds from home sales
• Funding for this program 
  • In addition to the $3 million request from the City, CPCUP is in conversations with UMD, and affordable housing funds will be sought at local, state and federal levels.
  • When Trust homes sell, the Trust’s portion of profits are folded back into the program.
  • Fees from the home sale or monthly fees might also help with operating costs, but must balance with affordability.
• Questions from Council included:
  • Will the trust need to come back to the city for financial support?
  • How will the trust be protected? 
  • How long will it take for the trust to reach the purchase target of 20 homes?
  • Is affordable student housing being considered as part of the program?
  • Could Section 8 homeownership vouchers (HCV) be used by buyer?
  • Could incentives for green initiatives be included?
• Comments from the Council included:
  • A need to focus on the Lakeland Community.
  • Education of owners will be vital to the success of the program.
  • Consider purchasing blighted or abandoned properties.
  • Encourage current homeowners to pledge to sell home to Trust in future.

Action Items

• Approval of an amendment to the Duvall Field Park Design contract with KCI Technologies, Inc. to include a flood plain area study as required by Prince George’s County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE), in the amount of $35,000. 
  • Terry Schum, Planning Director for the City of College Park explained that the City came to Council to receive approval for funding for a floodplain study that KCI Technologies was advised would be necessary. However, just prior to the Council meeting DPIE information was received indicating that the requirement for the flood plain study may be waived. Duvall Field is not in a flood plain and the development project is already required to address storm water impacts it creates.
  • KCI will come back to the city with 60% design.
  • FYI – The scope of work for the city-wide flood plain study will be brought to Council during the 1/18 work session.  
• Discussion of January 22 Council Advance/Orientation 
  • Given the current surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, Mayor and council revisited the modality of the Council orientation/advance scheduled for January 22. Mayor Wojahn spoke of the importance of conducting portions of the meeting in-person. However, he acknowledged concern for health and safety and asked if the meeting should be rescheduled, held virtually, or if it should be held over the course of multiple days with a portion held virtually and a portion held in-person. After discussion, the council agreed to move forward with holding a virtual meeting on January 22 focused on portions of the agenda. An in-person meeting will be scheduled for a later date. 

The next City Council Worksession is on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 7:30 pm. Due to the upward trend of Covid-19 cases in the region, it will be virtual. Click here for information on how to join. You can review the agenda here.

Additional COVID-19 Testing Site Opening in College Park–Starting Saturday, January 15.

Thanks to MNCPPC, Express Healthcare will be able to expand its services to provide additional rapid and PCR testing in the community at:

Wells Ice Rink
5211 Campus Drive
College Park, MD 20740

Testing will operate Monday through Friday 8:00 am-6:00 pm and Saturday & Sunday from 9:00 -7:00 pm. No appointment needed. Drive-Up Only. The opening of this site will assist in reducing traffic congestion on Baltimore Avenue and in the Lakeland community and provide additional testing in the community.