Council Worksession – January 4, 2011

First of all, Happy New Year!!! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday seasons, and had the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. This was a good time for reflection on all that the City has accomplished over the past year, and all that we have to look forward to over the next year. We continue to face a lot of challenges as a city, with a difficult economy, continuing problems with crime and foreclosures, and continuing challenges with traffic and development, but I believe that the City can move forward on these issues over the next year. I look forward to continuing working with residents of north College Park to make our city a better place to live!

We’re back to our regular Council schedule tomorrow, although since we have a busy agenda tomorrow, the worksession is scheduled to start at 7 tomorrow instead of 8 pm. Here’s what’s up for tomorrow:

1. CONSENT AGENDA – RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. – As the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., approaches, we will pause to celebrate his life. The City will be holding its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute event at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 15, 2010 at 2 pm. Please mark your calendars and spread the word!

2. REVIEW OF STRATEGIC PLAN AND FY 2011 ACTION PLAN. Back in August, the City, after much community input, passed its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, setting forth our major goals for the next five years, and our FY 2011 action plan, with a series of action steps to accomplish over the next year. The Strategic Plan covers many different issues, including economic development and revitalization of both the downtown area and the Hollywood Commercial District, addressing congestion and traffic on US 1 and Rhode Island Ave. and increasing public transportation, maintaining high quality public services, providing high quality services through our youth, family and senior services program, advocating for resources to rebuild US 1, and improving the City’s sustainable practices relating to greenhouse gas emissions and stormwater management. The Strategic Plan is available online here, and the FY 2011 Action Plan is available here.

Tomorrow, we will be reviewing the City’s progress on these items over the past 4-5 months, as we begin to consider the action plan and budget for FY 2012. A number of the items are ongoing and will be continued to next year – such as advocating for funding for the rebuild of US 1. The City has made progress on a number of items, though, such as: 1) the City will soon begin its inventory of community greenhouse gas emissions in the City, with an aim to set a target for reduction; 2) the City is working on developing a policy around tax increment financing, to use this as a tool to revitalize some of the run-down areas in the city and areas in need of improvement; 3) the City is working with local Realtors and the University to market the City better to University staff and faculty and other potential homeowners; 4) the City held its first annual College Park Day event; and 5) the City has been meeting with business owners and commercial property owners in the Hollywood Commercial District, and will work with them to develop a revitalization plan in the area after the County finishes improvements to the intersection of Edgewood Road and Rhode Island Ave. The City has also developed additional programs for withdrawn and isolated senior citizens, developed additional resources for seniors to age in place, received a grant for Green Streets improvements on Lackawanna Street near the Greenbelt Metro, and begun the process to revitalize the City’s Neighborhood Watch program. Tomorrow we will begin discussing which of these items we will carry over to next year’s action plan – I think we still have a ways to go on these issues, so it won’t be hard setting an agenda for the next year! Please let me know if you have any questions.

3. PROPOSED DOG PARK AT LAKE ARTEMESIA – The Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission will be coming before the Council tomorrow to discuss a proposed dog park near Lake Artemisia. I don’t know much about the project at this point, but I’m excited to hear about it!

4. AUDITOR PRESENTATION REGARDING THE CITY’S COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT. The City’s auditors just finished our annual CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report), a review of our financial practices to ensure that there is minimal risk of fraud or material misstatement. The auditor found that the City’s financial statements fairly present the financial position of the governmental activities of the City and its major funds, and that there were no material weaknesses in the City’s financial report. The Report is available online here.

5. DETAILED SITE PLAN FOR THE DOMAIN AT COLLEGE PARK. The Domain at College Park is a proposed project to be located just outside of the current boundaries of the City of College Park, at the corner of Campus Drive and Mowatt Lane, just west of campus. The developer has proposed market-rate (non-student) housing, aimed at University faculty and staff and visiting faculty, and has been working with the University to develop a project that the University feels its necessary to house its staff and faculty. The developer is proposing 256 units, 197 one-bedroom and 59 two-bedroom, in four stories over 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail, oriented toward Campus Drive, with 380 spaces of structured/underground parking. In order to pursue the project, the developer requested to rezone the property to a Mixed Use-Transportation Oriented Zone (M-X-T), given the proximity to the University and to public transportation, including the proposed alignment of the Purple Line. At the time of rezoning, the developer agreed to pursue annexation of the property by the City of College Park. In exchange for annexation, the City agreed to phase in property taxes from the project over five years, allowing the developer to pay 70% of the applicable property taxes over the first five years after annexation.

The developer has proposed a high-quality project that would provide easy access for faculty and staff to many people who work at the University, and therefore help cut down on traffic going to and from the University. As a result, I think this project could have a real benefit for College Park. Although there are a few issues to work out, such as the need for recreational facilities for the large number of people who will be living in the development, and the need for an adequate street section to serve the residents and people visiting the retail, as well as to accommodate the Purple Line when it goes through. It seems that the developer is close to resolving any remaining issues with the City, and the project will likely move forward.

6. CONTRACT AWARD FOR AUDIO/VISUAL EQUIPMENT. The City has issued an RFP to upgrade the audio/visual equipment in Council chambers. After receiving bids that were more than the City had budgeted for the project, the Council scaled the project back to what we felt was absolutely necessary to improve the sound quality and the ability of residents to hear and watch the City Council meetings and worksessions. This includes new cameras, new microphones, and new mixers. The lowest bid for these items came in at about $141,000, plus additional monitor connections (I’m not entirely sure what for, but I plan to ask tomorrow) at $3,200, and a three-year warranty at $4,000. If the City decides in the near future to move to a new City Hall, we will be able to take this equipment with us. The staff has drafted up a contract to proceed with the improvements. The funds will come from P.E.G. grant funds provided by Comcast and Verizon to be used on audio/visual equipment.

7. COUNTY EARLY INTERVENTION GRANT. The City has received a grant from Prince George’s County to engage in “early intervention” with youth to prevent truancy in our schools. The City’s Youth Services Bureau has $30,000 to use for this purpose, and the staff has proposed distributing $5,000 each to the four public schools that serve the most College Park children (specifically – Hollywood Elementary School, Paint Branch Elementary School, Greenbelt Middle School, and Parkdale High School), and to use $10,000 to offset a reduction in state funding for the City’s youth services bureau. The four schools have proposed specific projects – Hollywood ES has proposed using the funds to provide substitute teachers to allow the regular teachers to engage in collaborative planning and discuss effective strategies for individual students; Paint Branch ES has proposed additional time for teachers to engage in extended learning for 3rd-6th grade students to help them prepare for the Maryland State Assesment; Greenbelt MS has proposed purchasing the Study Island Extended Learning Opportunity program to help students improve performance on the Maryland State Assessment, and Parkdale HS has proposed using the funds to purchase an outdoor camera to monitor an area on the campus where students often go to cut class. I have some questions about some of these projects – like whether it’s appropriate to use these funds on a camera to monitor students instead of teaching materials. $5,000 isn’t a lot of money for them to do things with, though, so there probably isn’t much that the schools can do with these funds.

8. PROPOSED ORDINANCE PROHIBITING FURNITURE ON THE ROOF. Apparently, there has been a regular problem in the past in Old Town College Park (especially student housing) with students placing furniture on the roofs of their houses even when the roofs were not meant to support this furniture. This poses obvious an safety hazard for these students, and Councilmember Stullich has proposed an ordinance to prevent this. The ordinance prohibits furniture on any roof surface not designed and built for the purpose. It does not prohibit placing furniture on any balcony or roof patio when built according to code. A first violation would lead to a $200 fine, and a second violation would lead to a $400 fine. There will be a public hearing on this ordinance, so let me know if you have any comments, and if you would like to submit comment for the public record.

9. 2011 COG COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS. Members of the Council typically volunteer to serve on a number of different committees with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. This gives us an opportunity to have a say in area-wide policy and collaborate with other governments in the D.C. metro area. I myself have served on two committees over the past couple of years – the Transportation Planning Board, which refuses (and has ultimate say) on any regionally significant transportation project, and the Human Services and Public Safety Policy Committee, which discusses and considers policy on public safety and human services issues, including homeland security, police authority, mental health issues, substance abuse, etc. Unfortunately, due to my new job, I’m afraid I don’t have the time to continue my service on both of these, so I will likely discontinue my work with the Human Services and Public Safety Policy Committee. Because I was recently appointed as chair of the Access for All Subcommittee of the Transportation Planning Board, which considers issues regarding access to transportation services for people with disabilities, people with limited income, and people with limited English proficiency, I would like to continue my work with the Transportation Planning Board.

Other committees include the COG Board of Directors, the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee, the Metropolitan Development Policy committee, the Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee, and the Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee. You can find more information about these committees and what COG does generally online at http://www.mwcog.org.

10. BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. Tomorrow, the Council will be considering appointments to the 2011 Redistricting Committee. This committee will be considering boundaries of the four City Council districts in light of information we will be receiving from the 2010 census, in preparation for the 2011 municipal elections. Councilmember Nagle and I have asked, respectively, Tim Miller and John Krouse to serve on this committee – thanks to both of them for agreeing to serve.

We will also be filling the Rent Stabilization Board. I have located two tenants who are interested in serving as tenant representatives of this committee – both are residents of District 2 in Branchville in north College Park, Justin Fair and former deputy student liaison Aaron Zaccaria. Councilmember Nagle is putting forward Kimberly James and Bob Weber, both north College Park residents, to serve on the two optional seats on the Rent Stabilization Board. Thanks to all of them for stepping up and volunteering.

There are also vacancies open for College Park residents on the following committees: the Airport Authority, the Animal Control Board, the Animal Welfare Committee, the Cable Television Commission, the Committee for a Better Environment, and the Education Advisory Committee. Please let me know if you are interested in any of these or would like further information.

Thanks, as always, for reading, and let me know if you have any comments or questions about any of these agenda items!

Patrick

Public Meeting – Pattern Book Development -January 10, 2011

Public Meeting – To Discuss Development of a Pattern Book

The City has contracted with a consultant, Urban Design Associates (UDA), to develop a Pattern Book for College Park. The purpose of the Pattern Book is to assist homeowners, contractors, and builders, as they repair, rebuild and expand houses in the City and to encourage quality development that is aesthetically pleasing and enhances the architectural quality of the existing neighborhoods.

UDA has been tasked with developing a pattern book that identifies the various housing styles found in different neighborhoods. The Pattern Book will also illustrate key components such as the shape of windows and doors, roof pitches, eaves details and types of porches that are appropriate for that style house. From remodeling a front door, adding a wing to your house, or building a new house, the Pattern Book will be designed to provide assistance in finding appropriate patterns to ensure a result that is compatible with the neighborhood.

The first public meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 10 at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 4500 Knox Road. Public participation is needed to ensure the consultant produces a product that is useful for our community.

As part of the process, the Planning Department is convening a steering committee of 6-10 persons who can, along with staff, meet with UDA and review their work as it progresses. If you are interested in participating in the steering committee please let us know as soon as possible.

Christine and Patrick

Resident Satisfaction Survey- January 10, 2011 Deadline to Submit

Just a Few Day Left to Complete the College Park Resident Satisfaction Survey!

Comments must be submitted by January 10, 2011.

If you have not already completed the survey, we ask that you take a few minutes to complete the 2010 City of College Park Resident Satisfaction Survey.

The City uses the Resident Satisfaction Survey as a tool to see how well we serve you through City services. It has been three years since the last survey was completed. The results provide us with valuable input that helps in developing the budget and making service improvements.

For the first time, this year, the survey is ONLINE! So you can access the survey at anytime and submit your results faster. To complete the survey, go to collegeparkmd.gov/survey

Please complete only ONE survey per household. You can save and exit your survey and come back anytime to complete it.

If you prefer a paper copy, please call 240-487-3501 and request a survey in either English or Spanish. We will pick up some paper copies at City Hall on Tuesday and can deliver a copy to anyone who requests one, just let us know.

Please take time to provide us your feedback on the survey. Again, the deadline is January 10, 2011.

For questions, you can contact us or the Assistant to the City Manager, Ms. Chantal Cotton at ccotton@collegeparkmd.gov.

For more information and survey results, go to the City Website.

Thanks so much,

Christine and Patrick

December 14, 2010 Council Meeting

It should be a fairly short meeting tomorrow night. We’re starting off with a public hearing on the changes to the City’s vehicle ordinance, and then we’ll be dealing with a number of other issues. Here’s what’s going on:

1. PUBLIC HEARING RE: VEHICLE ORDINANCE. Currently, the City’s code enforcement provisions regarding vehicles prohibit people from parking any vehicles larger than 21 feet long or 6 feet wide on the street in a residential neighborhood at night, even if the vehicle is used for personal (non-commercial) use. Unfortunately, with cars as big as they are now, this covers many personal vehicles. As a result, the City staff has proposed amending the City’s vehicle ordinance to make it more specific to commercial vehicles, by prohibiting the following vehicles between 8 pm and 6 am on City streets in residential zones:
a. Any vehicle exceeding 21 feet in length or six feet in width that is used for commercial purposes:
b. Any vehicle exceeding a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight specification of 8,500 pounds;
c. Vehicles containing advertising other than a firm name or similar designation less than 4 inches high’
d. Vehicles exceeding 300 cubic feet of load space; and
e. Any stake platform trucks, dump trucks, crane or two trucks, or vehicles with dual rear wheels.
Also, the proposed ordinance would prohibit parking of recreational vehicles (campers, boats, etc.) on the street – these must be on people’s driveways.

Some exceptions to these rules are allowed with a permit from the City. I’m interested to hear if any one has any concerns about this – I don’t want to prohibit the parking of vehicles in residential areas that are for legitimate residential purposes. Let me know if you have any comments or questions.

2. FAREWELL TO STUDENT LIAISON BECCA LURIE. Becca Lurie, who was our deputy student liaison last year and has served as student liaison since May, is graduating. Although she will still be at U-MD as a graduate student, the student liaisons have to be undergraduates, so we’ll be saying goodbye to her as our student liaison. Becca has been an amazingly hard-worker over the past year and a half, and she will be missed.

3. 2010 LIBERTY MUTUAL “BE FIRE SMART PLEDGE PROGRAM” GRANT AWARD TO COLLEGE PARK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. The College Park VFD recently was one of ten fire departments around the country to win a $10,000 grant from Liberty Mutual to fund new fire equipment. The grants were awarded based on votes from people across the country. We’re very lucky to have one of the fire departments that serves North College Park win this award.

4. CONSENT AGENDA – APPROVAL OF 2011 MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE. The Council will consider its meeting schedule for the next year, which is basically the same as this years – worksessions every first and third Tuesday and formal meetings every second and fourth Wednesday, except for June, July, August and December, when we only meet the first two weeks. The first worksessions in August and November will be moved to Wednesday due to, respectively, National Night Out and the municipal elections.

5. ORDINANCE TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITIONS OF PUBLIC STREET AND PROHIBITED VEHICLES. The Council will vote on the ordinance discussed above.

6. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXTENSION OF THE MATURITY DATES OF THE BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES USED TO FINANCE THE DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE. Based on the advice of our bond counsel and in order to get more favorable long-term financing for the parking garage, the City is considering extension of the term of the Bond Anticipation Notes to January 31, 2011, with the possibility of extending them to February 28, 2011. The City issues these notes to fund the building of the garage in 2007. This resolution would also authorize City staff to begin soliciting bids right away for the long-term financing, to settle on long-term financing in February at the latest. SunTrust has offered the City to extend the BAN’s to February 28, 2011, on the same terms as before.

7. RESOLUTION TO AMEND 02-R-03, WHICH ESTABLISHED THE STUDENT LIAISON POSITION, TO CLARIFY THE ROLE OF THE DEPUTY STUDENT LIAISON AND OTHER MATTERS INVOLVING THE STUDENT LIAISON. The city will be considering a resolution to clarify the student liaison and deputy student liaison positions in the following ways:
1. Change the title of the deputy student liaison from “student liaison-alternate” to “deputy student liaison,” to reflect the deputy student liaisons role as a sort of assistant to the student liaison;
2. Clarify that both the student liaison and deputy may attend closed sessions, except for executive sessions related to personnel matters;
3. Set the term of these positions from June 1 to May 31 each year; and
4. Clarify the process for removal of the student liaison for misconduct.

8. CONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PROPERTY USE AGREEMENT OF VITO’S PIZZERIA TO ALLOW IT TO SELL LIQUOR. When the Council agreed to support the application of Vito’s Pizzeria for a liquor license, we did so on the condition that Vito’s could not sell liquor for the first six months of its operation. Although it has only been operating about four months now, it has done so without any problems, and seems to have acted appropriately to prevent underage drinking. I hope that this will continue, but it seems like Vito will be following the rules as long as we’re watching him like this. So the proposal on the table is to allow Vito’s to start selling liquor now. Given the challenge that many businesses downtown have been facing recently, I will likely support this.

9. LETTER IN SUPPORT OF GREENBELT’S POSITION OPPOSING THE CURRENT PROPOSAL FOR GREENBELT PLACE, A NEW APARTMENT DEVELOPMENT BEHIND BELTWAY PLAZA. I brought this up last week after speaking with Mayor J Davis from Greenbelt. For many years, Greenbelt has been working with a developer to try to comprehensively redevelop Beltway Plaza, to establish a quality development there with quality retail, to potentially complement the new Greenbelt Station development. Unfortunately, the proposal that the developer brought to the table would add significantly to the density in the area without offering any new benefits to area residents – it would only build apartments behind the mall without doing anything to improve the mall itself. Mayor Davis thought it would be helpful if College Park takes a position on this as well, especially given the traffic problems that this additional density might cause for us if the developer does not handle it correctly.

10. RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF “CHARTING NEW WATERS,” A CALL TO ACTION TO ADDRESS U.S. FRESHWATER CHALLENGES. “Charting New Waters” is a commitment by different organizations, businesses and governments to fix problems related to freshwater management through effective regulation and new strategies across different levels of government and different sectors of the economy. This commitment proposes that the City incorporate fresh water management and resource considerations in all development and infrastructure decisions. The City will be considering a resolution in support of this program.

11. LETTER TO WMATA REQUESTING ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES AT THE GREENBELT METRO STATION. This follows from a number of earlier conversations with WMATA police about safety problems at the Greenbelt Metro station. After an attempted rape and a mugging this year at the Metro station, a group of residents collected petition signatures to send to Metro to request a closed-circuit camera and additional lighting. This letter will request those issues and ask that WMATA continue to provide us updates as they consider additional closed-circuit cameras along the Green line.

12. CONSIDERATION OF A LETTER REQUESTING THE PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PLANNING BOARD TO RECONSIDER A CONDITION THAT THE CHINESE BIBLE CHURCH SUBMIT A DETAILED SITE PLAN. The Chinese Bible Church on Autoville Drive has been considering an expansion for the past couple of years, and is on the verge of getting final approval. The Planning Board placed a condition on the final approval of the addition that the Church submit a Detailed Side Plan, which it did in March 2010. The County then approved the Amended US 1 Corridor Sector Plan, which removed the church property from the overlay zone, thereby eliminating the requirement that the project submit a DSP, but requiring it to obtain a Departure from Parking and Loading Space (DPLS) from the City of College Park. The church filed this application and went before the Advisory Planning Commission – at this meeting, the Michaels Company appeared and opposed the church’s application. The Park and Planning Commission then determined that the Church DID have to submit a Detailed Site Plan, so the church resubmitted their revised plan, but also asked that the Planning Board waive their rules and reconsider this decision. The City is considering a resolution in support of waiver of the rules so that the Church can move forward with the project without the DSP. The City has consistently been reviewing the Church project, and the Church owners have constantly cooperated with the City and with residents.

This whole thing is a mess, but to make a long story short – the Michaels Company is trying to hold up the project because they would like to cut across the Church in order to connect North Autoville Road to Hollywood Road west of US 1. Residents of Autoville are staunchly opposed to this connection. If this reconsideration happens, it will be easier for the Church to move ahead with its development without Michaels holding it up.

13. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES – Thanks to District 1 resident Harleigh Ealley for volunteering to serve on the Animal Welfare Committee, and thanks to Robert White and Robert Day for continuing to serve on the Noise Control Board, and Jerry Anzulovic for continuing to serve on the Veterans Memorial Improvement Committee!

Thanks for reading – please let me know if you have any questions, concerns or comments.

Patrick

Washington Gas Budget Plan

I wanted to make you all aware of some things that Washington Gas has done to help people handle the high costs of heating their homes in the winter. The Washington Gas Budget Plan allows eligible customers to spread the cost of winter heating over the entire year. Information about that program, as well as some tips to help you make your home more fuel-efficient, are on the Washington Gas website at washingtongas.com.

There are also some government assistance programs to help people pay the cost of their gas bills, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is administered by Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, at , and the Washington Area Fuel Fund, which is administered by Washington Gas itself. If you’d like information about LIHEAP or other low-income energy assistance programs, click here or call DSS at 301-909-6300. For more information about the Washington Area Fuel Fund, go to washingtonareafuelfund.org or call Washington Gas at 202-624-6335.

Patrick

December 8, 2010 Worksession

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! FYI – this month, we will only have one worksession this week and a Council meeting next week, and then we’ll be taking the rest of the month off for the holidays.

We have another busy agenda this week, including a couple of possible last minute additions. Here’s what we’ll be discussing:

1. PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA ITEM – 2010 COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE. We will be considering our schedule for the next year – pretty much the same as this year, with worksessions the first and third Tuesday of every month and Council meetings the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, except for June, July, August and December, when we’ll only have worksessions and meetings the first two weeks. The only exception to having all meetings on Tuesdays this next year will be the first week of August, when we’ll shift the worksession to Wednesday due to National Night Out, and the second week of November, when we’ll shift the meeting to Wednesday for the municipal elections.

2. PARKING GARAGE FINANCING – DISCUSSION OF SOLICITATION PROCESS FOR PERMANENT FINANCING, AND RESOLUTION TO EXTEND THE BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES TO FEB. 28, 2011. In early 2008, the City obtained financing to build the downtown parking garage. The City issued two bond anticipation notes (BAN’s) to SunTrust Bank for initial funding for the project – one tax-exempt bond to pay for the parking garage itself, and one taxable bond to pay for the building of the commercial space on the ground floor. The BAN’s were originally scheduled to come due in May 2010, but the bank agreed to extend the term of the BAN’s until October 31, 2010 to allow the City to obtain more favorable long-term financing for the garage. At this point, in order to give the City additional time to obtain permanent funding, SunTrust has offered the City to extend the BAN’s to February 28, 2011, on the same terms as before. The Council needs to pass a resolution to do this, and will also be discussing the process for soliciting bids for permanent financing tomorrow night. We will also be discussing whether to issue tax-exempt bonds, or to issue taxable bonds under the federal Build America Bonds program, which would allow us to receive a 35% federal subsidy on the interest rate.

3. PROPOSED REVISIONS TO STUDENT LIAISON POSITION. This matter was postponed from the worksession last month on the request of the current student liaison, Becca Lurie, to allow the Council to determine whether the current deputy student liaison was willing to take on the role of the student liaison this next semester when Ms. Lurie moves on to grad school. The current deputy student liaison, Aaron Zaccaria, announced last week that he has decided not to take the position, so the City has begun the process to find a new student liaison for the next semester. We will only be appointing that person for the next semester, with the understanding that he or she would be able to apply to stay on next year. Meanwhile, the Council will be discussing a proposal to change the student liaison positions slightly – to: 1) have the deputy student liaison take over automatically for the student liaison at the end of his or her term; 2) clarify the rules regarding attendance of the student liaison and deputy student liaison at Council executive sessions, by stating that the liaison could attend as long as they sign a confidentiality agreement, and as long as the executive session didn’t involve a personnel matter; and 3) establish provisions for the removal of a student liaison who is not carrying out his or her tasks, by referring the removal of the student liaison to the University of Maryland Student Government Association to consider.

4. LIQUOR LICENSE FOR VITO’S PIZZERIA. In May 2010, the City voted not to oppose the liquor license application for Vito’s Pizzeria, but based on our concerns about the restaurant owner’s lack of experience selling alcohol, the City included a provision that Vito’s could not sell hard liquor for the first six months after he got the liquor license, and would have to come back to the Council for approval before selling hard liquor. Vito’s opened in August 2010, and this would be up for consideration before Council in February 2010. The owner, Vito Riccio, has asked, however, that the City take this matter up sooner. He would like to be able to sell liquor once the students come back after the holidays. I had a number of concerns when this came up before us the first time, but Mr. Riccio has done a good job of enforcing the liquor laws at his restaurant, and has been diligently carding people at his restaurant. He is also looking to expand. I think it’s important to support local business, and since he seems intent on following the law and preventing underage drinking, I hope he has success. Waiting another two months to allow him to sell hard liquor may not make a difference at this point, so I’m reluctantly supportive of his request.

5. UPDATE ON RENT STABILIZATION. Councilmember Nagle asked to put this on the worksession tomorrow, to get an update on enforcement of the City’s rent stabilization program. The City first passed this program in 2006, but has been battling a lawsuit against the program since then, and as a result, has not been able to implement the program. The City received a decision from the Maryland Court of Appeals earlier this fall that upheld the program, and the staff is now about to begin implementation. The program applies to rental of single-family homes, duplexes triplexes and quadraplexes. Notices are now going out to landlords that they need to register their properties and hold their rents at the level required by the ordinance or the rent charged in 2005, whichever is higher, or otherwise request an exception based on hardship or on expenditures they’ve made improving the properties. There’s a Frequently Asked Questions paper on the rent stabilization ordinance at http://collegeparkmd.gov/Documents/Public%20Services/Rent%20Stabilization%20FAQ.pdf. Also, there will be a discussion of the rent stabilization ordinance at the NCPCA meeting this Thursday. Let me know if you have any questions.

We are still looking for current tenants to be part of the Rent Stabilization Board, which hears applications for exemptions from the rent stabilization ordinance. If you are interested or you know someone who might be, please let me know.

6. PROPOSED ORDINANCE RE: ZONING AUTHORITY – The Council will again be discussing the proposed ordinance enabling the City to consider a number of zoning decisions recently authorized by the County – specifically, whether to grant: 1) alternative compliance from landscaping requirements on certain properties; 2) certification, revocation and revision of existing uses that are not in compliance with the zoning code (either because they existed prior to the zoning code or were allowed to happen in error), and 3) minor changes to approved special exceptions. These are very limited additional circumstances in which the City can exercise review authority. This proposed ordinance establishes a procedure for the City to exercise this authority. I had a few questions about it the last time that the Council discussed it, including what type of change would be considered a “minor” change that the Planning Director may approve. The definition of a “minor” change is set by the County as any change that changes the scope of the project by less than 10%. Although the planning director may make decisions on these changes, any interested party may request a full public hearing on them.

7. BELTWAY PLAZA DEVELOPMENT. The City of Greenbelt has been considering a proposal from Quantum Companies to place new housing in the area behind Beltway Plaza. Unfortunately, this developer has scaled back its project considerably – the project was originally going to be a full redevelopment of Beltway Plaza, but the current proposal only includes new housing behind Beltway Plaza, with no redevelopment of the mall itself. The Greenbelt City Council sent a letter in opposition to this proposal on November 9, 2010, after the developer refused to consider deferring the project to have a greater discussion on the merits of its proposal. I asked that College Park consider sending a letter to the Planning Board in support of Greenbelt’s position – although this development is not in College Park, the placement of new density so far from the Metro station without providing new amenities within walking distance could add greatly to congestion in the area, especially since the proposed development does not include pedestrian connections to the existing mall. The developer failed to address many of the concerns that Greenbelt had about the project, and given the negative impact that this new density could have on College Park, I would like to see us send a letter to support Greenbelt’s position.

8. PURCHASE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CREDITS WITH LEFTOVER FUNDS FROM COLLEGE PARK DAY. The College Park Day planning committee decided that, as part of an effort to make the event sustainable, the City should purchase renewable energy credits to offset the electricity used to run the event. It is difficult to estimate the exact amount of energy used – in addition to the stage and sound equipment, we used a blower for the moon bounce and blow-up obstacle course, and ran a refrigerator truck to keep the drinks cool all day. We estimated that the total energy used was about 250 MwH, and renewable energy credits cost $2 per MwH, so the total cost would be $500. The contractor we propose to use is the one usually used by the University.

9. DISCUSSION OF “CHARTING NEW WATERS.” “Charting New Waters” is a commitment by different organizations, businesses and governments to fix problems related to freshwater management through effective regulation and new strategies across different levels of government and different sectors of the economy. Also, the document proposes that we work to integrate energy use policy with freshwater management to more efficiently treat, move and use water. Part of the strategy involves accounting for the full cost of the use of water and educating the public about the challenges of freshwater management and solutions to those challenges. I’m not certain what action steps the City might take, but I’m eager to discuss this document – it’s important that the City take more steps to better manage our freshwater resources and prevent water pollution, as well as more efficiently use and manage water resources.

10. LETTER TO WMATA REGARDING SAFETY AT THE GREENBELT METRO STATION. I have asked the staff to add to tomorrow’s agenda a letter to WMATA to address safety concerns at the Greenbelt Metro station. Earlier this year, a group of residents collected petition signatures directed at WMATA to ask for the installation of a closed-circuit camera on the Metro path. Also, a number of residents had some concern after WMATA and the Maryland-North Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) clear cut the trees along the stream that runs by this path. In response, the Committee for a Better Environment drafted a set of recommendations asking WMATA to address the public safety issues at the Metro station in a way that respects the integrity of the creek and the Anacostia watershed. I have drafted a letter to send these recommendations on to WMATA and ask WMATA to meet with the CBE to discuss replanting by the creek. The letter also asks for an update on WMATA’s analysis of the location of closed-circuit cameras on the Green line, and asks WMATA to look at the possibility of additional lighting along the trail.

11. CONSIDERATION OF A CITY POSITION ON THE CHINESE BIBLE CHURCH EXPANSION AND THE CONNECTION OF NORTH AUTOVILLE DRIVE. The Chinese Bible Church on Autoville Drive has been considering an expansion for the past couple of years, and is on the verge of getting final approval. Unfortunately, it requires a water easement through property owned by the Michaels Company, and the company is now holding the Chinese Bible Church expansion hostage, based on Michaels’ desire to connect North Autoville Drive to Hollywood Road west of US 1. Michaels has asked the Chinese Bible Church to provide part of its land to allow this connection to take place. The neighborhood is against this based on concerns that this would make North Autoville Drive a thoroughfare. I believe the City will be considering a position against the connection between North Autoville Drive and Hollywood Road, and in support of the Chinese Bible Church.

12. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. As noted above, the City is still looking for tenants to serve on the Rent Stabilization Board. In addition, there are spots available for District residents on the following boards and committees: Airport Authority, Animal Control Board, Animal Welare Commission, Cable Television Commission, Committee for a Better Environment, Education Advisory Committee, and Veterans Memorial Improvement Committee. Please let me know if you’re interested or would like more information.

Thanks for listening! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about anything we’re discussing.

Patrick

Dog Park Behavior

ATTENTION DOG OWNERS!
The College Park Dog Park Association
Presents A Free Seminar About
Dog Park Behavior

The College Park Dog Park Association (CPDP) invites you to attend an in-depth presentation by the Washington Humane Society’s (WHS) Behavior and Learning Center on the canine culture that governs dog park “pawlitics”. Topics to be discussed include:
Identifying various styles of play
Recognizing subtle canine body language to anticipate and avoid problems
How to determine when your dog is ready for the dog park experience
Recognizing when your dog is no longer benefiting from the dog park…and much more!

Sunday, December 5, 2010
2— 5 p.m.
Davis Hall, 9217 51st Avenue, College Park MD 20740
Humans only, please!
For more information, contact info@cpdogpark.org
About the College Park Dog Park Association: Opened in 2002, The College Park Dog Park is a half-acre dog park located in Acredale Park, and currently has about 100 members. Annual membership is $30. For more information about joining, visit our website at cpdogpark.org. See you at the park!

Council Meeting: November 23, 2010

We have a pretty short agenda for tomorrow night. Please note that, because next week is a fifth Tuesday, there will not be a worksession. I hope every one has a happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s what we’ll be discussing tomorrow night:

1. PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT WORKS MONTH - As part of the Maryland Municipal League banner City program, the City has to do something to recognize November as Municipal Government Works Month. The purpose of this month is to educate residents about municipal government and the importance of resident participation.

2. CONSENT AGENDA – TWO-YEAR EXTENSION OF CONTRACT FOR MOWING OF CITY RIGHT-OF-WAY – The City hires contractors to mow the City right-of-way in athletic fields and other areas that are not adjacent to a residential home. We have been working with the same contractor for the past five years, and the contractor is offering to extend the contract at the same price that it has provided services at over the past three years.

3. APPROVAL OF PROPERTY USE AGREEMENT FOR THE TRANSFER OF LIQUOR LICENSE FOR THE JERK PIT TO 9078 BALTIMORE AVE. The Jerk Pit, previously located in the Campus Village strip mall, has relocated to the old site of College Perk, and applying to bring its liquor license along with it. The City is considering a property use agreement, including a minimum 20:80 alcohol:food sales ratio, and a requirement that the restaurant stop selling alcohol at 2 am. The terms of the agreement are pretty much the same as the agreement that the City had in place with the restaurant at its old location, except that beer cannot be sold in pitchers and the minimum price of an alcoholic beverage will be $2. The owner of the Jerk Pit has met with both the North College Park Citizens Association and residents of Autoville, and no one expressed opposition. I hope to get by sometime soon and try the restaurant (which has already reopened) myself! More information at click here.

4. INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE 10-O-09, CLARIFYING THE DEFINITION OF PROHIBITED VEHICLES ON CITY STREETS. Currently, the City prohibits any vehicle over a certain weight (3/4 ton), which includes many personal vehicles such as trucks and SUV’s. In order to allow people to own personal vehicles such as this, the staff has proposed amending the definition of prohibited vehicles to more clearly cover only commercial vehicles. The City’s ordinance covers only vehicles on City streets (unlike the County zoning code, which covers vehicles that are prohibited on people’s driveways). The staff has proposed an ordinance which would prevent, between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am, the following vehicles from being parked on City streets:
a) Any vehicle exceeding 21 feet in length or six feet in width that is used for commercial purposes or exceeds one ton in weight;
b) Any vehicle exceeding a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight specification of 8,500 pounds;
c) Any camping trailer (these are currently prohibited on City streets but not in people’s yards, and this would continue)
d) Vehicles containing advertising other than a firm name or similar designation less than 4 inches high;
e) Vehicles exceeding 300 cubic feet of load space; and
f) Any stake platform trucks, dump trucks, crane or two trucks, or vehicles with dual rear wheels.

There will be a public hearing on this ordinance on December 14, 2010 at 7:30 pm. Please let me know if you have any concerns.

5. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. Based on a request from the College Park City-University Partnership, the Council will be voting to appoint Mayor Fellows to a position on the Partnership for a three-year term, and to reappoint Senator Rosapepe to his seat. Also, the Council will be voting on whether to move Richard Wagner, who has been with the Fellowship since its beginning, from a Class B Board position (appointed by the City) to a Class C position (appointed jointly by the City and the University). Also, Mark Shroder has volunteered to be the District 1 appointment to the Noise Control Board – thanks to Mark for stepping forward!

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, ideas, etc.

Thanks for reading!!

Patrick

College Park’s SPEED CAMERAS – Go Live

Friends and Neighbors- The City’s speed enforcement camera’s go live tomorrow on Paint Branch Road (2 cameras) and Mezerott Road. These three cameras will be in operation 24-hours a day 7-days a week.

You should see signs announcing photo enforcement of the speed limit go up on Rhode Island Avenue this week and a camera is scheduled to be installed near Duvall Field by Friday. The camera will record the speed of drivers traveling in both directions and it will be live (issuing citations) as soon as it is installed. There are plans to add a second camera on Rhode Island Ave in the future. Camera(s) on Rhode Island Ave. will operate between 6am and 8pm, Monday through Friday.

We have been told you need to be traveling 12 miles over the posted speed limit to receive a citation.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Christine
240-965-0214

November 17, 2010 Worksession

We have a packed agenda. Here’s what’s on it:

1. PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA – TWO-YEAR EXTENSION FOR RIGHT-OF-WAY GRASS MOWING CONTRACT. The City hires contractors to mow the City right-of-way in areas around the City where no resident is available to mow it (such as around City parks and around other City-owned property). We have been working with the same contractor for the past five years, and the contractor has offered to continue mowing the right-of-way for the same price that it has been working at for the past three years. The staff competitively bid this out in 2006 and this contractor came in with the lowest price. The price has only been increased once since, in 2008, when costs for labor and material increased substantially. The staff reports that they’ve been satisfied with this contractor, so I see no problem with continuing with the same contractor at the same price.

2. PROPERTY USE AGREEMENT FOR THE JERK PIT. The Jerk Pit, a Caribbean restaurant previously located in the Campus Village Shopping Center, has moved to the old College Perk location, 9078 Baltimore Ave., and is applying to bring its liquor license along with it. As a condition for supporting the application to transfer its liquor license, the staff has drafted a Property Use Agreement, which requires that the restaurant get 80% of its profits from food, not sell beer in pitchers, and not sell alcohol after 2 am. The restaurant agrees to the proposed terms, but has asked that the City allow it to remain open after 2 am to continue to sell food. I am interested to hear what the residents in the nearby Autoville neighborhood have to say about this – there have been some noise problems with the Jerk Pit at the old location. One option may be to allow it on a temporary basis and see how it works out. I think this is a good use for the old Perk location, though, and I’m eager to try the restaurant once it opens.

3. DISCUSSION OF CITY ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM. Mr. Perry asked to place discussion of the City’s Animal Control Program on a worksession agenda, to discuss whether the City should continue supporting it. Some folks have raised concern recently about the state of the City’s animal shelter, located behind Davis Hall – this started out initially as a holding pen for animals that the City Animal Control Officer captured, and has become a longer-term shelter. The City may have to put some resources into fixing up the shelter, and this is something I would like to look into. I would like to work with the staff and other councilmembers to find possible grant funding to improve the shelter and make it more humane for the animals there – I think the City, which operates an animal adoption program through our Animal Welfare Committee, offers a more humane alternative to the County shelter. This should be an interesting discussion tomorrow night.

4. FURNITURE ON THE ROOF. The staff has not provided any back-up materials for this item, but I believe there has been a problem in the student-heavy areas of the City with people placing furniture on the roof, and the proposal will be to ban this practice.

5. PARKING PERMIT ISSUES. This item is returning from the discussion during the budget worksession earlier this year, when the City chose to increase the cost of parking permits from $5 to $10. I know that many people objected to paying for the fees in the first place, but some people also suggested some ideas to make the parking permit system more fair. One idea that came up was to make the fees progressive, so that people who have more cars on the street have to pay more – for example, to charge a lower amount (say $5) for the first one or two cars, and then charge $10 or $20 for additional permits after that. I proposed this because of the additional burden that the extra cars have on our streets – often, I hear residents complain about how they can’t park on the street when their neighbors have four or five cars parked on the street. I also suggested that we look at opening up some of the parking permit zones during the day time – so that people who stay home during the day can have visitors in the middle of the day (say 10 am-2 pm) without having to worry about permits. I think this might work in areas further away from the Metro, where people don’t have to worry as much about people parking in front of their homes during the day to take the Metro – concerns about commuters parking and then taking the Metro to work should be resolved if we keep the permits in effect until 10 am and after 3 pm. Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments about these ideas.

6. BAMBOO ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. Over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten a few complaints from residents about neighbors who grow bamboo in their yards and do not prevent it from spreading into their neighbors’ yards – something that is possible through the use of barriers or through proper yard maintenance. The City is powerless to do anything about this right now – it’s legal not just to grow bamboo but also to allow it to spread to neighbors’ yards. In order to address this, I spoke with the City attorney and we looked at an ordinance that Takoma Park has in place. It doesn’t prohibit the growing of bamboo, but it prohibits allowing bamboo to spread onto neighboring properties without their permission. In a way, this is just a “good neighbor” provision – it would only be enforced if a neighbor complains about it, and a resident can easily address the problem by putting in barriers to prevent their bamboo from spreading into neighboring yards. If a resident doesn’t address the problem, the City can step in and give the person a citation and a fine unless they put in a barrier.

7. REVISION OF THE CITY’S DEFINITION OF PROHIBITED VEHICLES. The City staff has wrestled for a little while with the definition of what vehicles on prohibited on City streets. Currently, the City prohibits any vehicle over a certain weight (3/4 ton), which includes many personal vehicles such as trucks and SUV’s. The intent of the City code is to prevent commercial vehicles from parking in residential areas overnight without a permit. The County, through the Zoning code, prohibits commercial vehicles in people’s driveways, and the City would like to make its rules for vehicles on the street consistent with these rules. As a result, the staff has proposed an ordinance which would prevent, between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am, the following vehicles from being parked on City streets:
a) Any vehicle exceeding 21 feet in length or six feet in width that is used for commercial purposes or exceeds one ton in weight;
b) Any vehicle exceeding a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight specification of 8,500 pounds;
c) Any camping trailer (these are currently prohibited on City streets but not in people’s yards, and this would continue)
d) Vehicles containing advertising other than a firm name or similar designation less than 4 inches high;
e) Vehicles exceeding 300 cubic feet of load space; and
f) Any stake platform trucks, dump trucks, crane or two trucks, or vehicles with dual rear wheels.

I’m hoping that this won’t be overly inclusive, and won’t catch any legitimate personal vehicles in the prohibition. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on this.

8. STUDENT LIAISON RESOLUTION. The Council discussed the student liaison position a few weeks ago, and we came up with some ideas to make the student liaison program more effective. One idea, to create some continuity in the position, was to have the deputy student liaison take over automatically for the student liaison at the end of his or her term. We also wanted to clarify the rules regarding attendance of the student liaison and deputy student liaison at Council executive sessions, by stating that the liaison could attend as long as they sign a confidentiality agreement, and as long as the executive session didn’t involve a personnel matter. We also discussed what provisions should be in place to allow for the removal of a student liaison who is not carrying out his or her tasks – the proposal here is to vote to refer the removal of the student liaison to the University of Maryland Student Government Association to consider. The draft ordinance we’ll be discussing tomorrow night would do all of these things.

9. LEGISLATIVE DINNER. Every year, the City holds a legislative dinner where we invite our County and State elected officials to discuss our legislative priorities for the year. This year, we decided to advocate for three pieces of legislation: 1) An extension of the legislation authorizing the City to provide passes for its residents to ride the Shuttle-UM buses; 2) an extension of the City Hall Bond Bill, which authorizes the City to issue bonds for the funding of a new City Hall; and 3) a Revitalization Tax Credit, which would allow the City to issue tax credits for developers to develop neglected areas of the City or to develop in an environmentally friendly way. We will be discussing how we will present these items (and who will present them) at the legislative dinner, which is taking place on Monday, November 29, 2010.

10. ZONING AUTHORITY. The County recently passed an ordinance authorizing municipalities to take on review authority of certain zoning decisions, including whether to grant: 1) alternative compliance from landscaping requirements on certain properties; 2) certification, revocation and revision of existing uses that are not in compliance with the zoning code (either because they existed prior to the zoning code or were allowed to happen in error), and 3) minor changes to approved special exceptions. These are very limited additional circumstances in which the City can exercise review authority. This proposed ordinance establishes a procedure for the City to exercise this authority. In most cases, these decisions will go before the Advisory Planning Commission, and be subject to a possible review by the City Council. The ordinance is very long and complicated, so I won’t go into too many details here, but most of it is pretty technical. Some provisions (dubbed “minor” changes in the bill) will be decided by the City’s Planning Director, but the Council will have the ability to review these and an interested party can request that they go to hearing before the APC. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

11. PARTICIPATION IN THE MML BANNER CITY PROGRAM. The Maryland Municipal League has a program called the “banner city” program, which they use to encourage cities to take part in state-wide programs. In order to become a “banner city,” a city must participate in both major MML conferences, recognize Municipal Government Month, and participate in the “If I Were a Mayor…” contest, among other things. College Park has not done this in a long time, even though I believe we do most of the things that you have to do to qualify. I’ve asked the staff to track this and see what we would need to do in order to obtain this recognition.

12. MARYLAND BOOK EXCHANGE DEVELOPMENT. Councilmember Stullich has asked that the Council take a formal position on the proposed Maryland Book Exchange development. This property has been the subject of a lot of debate and discussion over the past couple of months. A developer has come to the City proposing to put a student housing development with over 800 student beds and about 200 young professional housing beds. The Old Town Civic Association voted unanimously against this project, and many people have concerns. On the one hand, I understand the smart growth principles behind this project – the idea that students should be allowed and encouraged to live closer to the University, so that they don’t have to travel as far to get there. On the other hand, I sympathize with the concerns of the residents of Old Town – if someone proposed placing a student housing complex right in one of our neighborhoods, I would certainly be concerned. Old Town already has about 1,000 students living in it, and this would double the student population of Old Town. Residents there are rightfully concerned about the number of house parties this would create, the noise problems in the neighborhoods as students in this complex go to nearby houses to party, and the impact that this would have on the downtown area. I believe that we may be missing an opportunity if the developer goes ahead with this project – an opportunity to develop the land for professional housing, especially as M Square expands. In my opinion, it would be equally in line with smart growth principles to try to develop this property as professional housing, for the people who will be coming to College Park to work at M Square and the federal government buildings that will be going in near Paint Branch Parkway in the near future. I also want to respect the interests of residents, so that when developments come up that might threaten the interests of residents in north College Park, my Council colleagues will support me. As a result, I’m not inclined to support this project, and I think we should encourage the developer to go back to the drawing board and see what else he can come up with. I’m eager to discuss this tomorrow night and see what my colleagues think.

13. BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. Tomorrow, the Council will be discussing appointing Mayor Andy Fellows to the College Park City-University Partnership, and reappointing Richard Wagner and Senator Jim Rosapepe to the same. Currently, there are seats open for District 1 residents in the following committees: the Airport Authority, the Animal Control Board, the Animal Welfare Committee, the Cable Television Commission, the Committee for a Better Environment, the Education Advisory Committee, the Recreation Board, the Rent Stabilization Board (tenants only at this point), and the Veterans Memorial Improvement Committee. Thank you to Mark Shroder for stepping in to fill the Noise Control Board seat being vacated by Thibeaux Lincecum.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about any of these items. Thanks for reading!!

Patrick