Minutes of Regular Meeting on March 14, 2013

Meeting began at 7:33 pm.  Councilmembers Patrick Wojahn and Fazlul Kabir were present.

Presentations

Patrick Wojahn gave a short presentation on the current College Park Action Plan.  In 2010 Council approved a Strategic Plan; each year an action plan is developed to implement part of the Strategic Plan.  Items this year: the University of Maryland, at its own cost, will fund the expansion of concurrent jurisdiction, although funding of additional security cameras is still under discussion, and may be funded, at least in part, by special taxing districts; the City, as a public safety measure, will start using license plate readers in Hollywood Commercial District (these will not be real time, archived images will be limited, access strictly controlled); the City and UMd will start the College Park Academy, which will receive its first class in fall 2013; the City will have a consultant look into Hollywood streetscape design; and the City will add a link to its web site for the action plan.

The Greenbelt Metro Sector Plan has been approved by the District Council with some additional language: a lower maximum height; language added stating the alignment along the beltway is illustrative and not final.  The decision could have been worse.  There is no Plan B for the sector plan in case this site is not chosen by the FBI.

Reports

At this time the meeting took a short recess; snacks and beverages were served.

Moved by Mark Shroder/Larry Bleau: Approve the minutes of NCPCA February 14 meeting without change; motion passed.

President John Krouse reported the Tree and Landscape Board will have a meeting about trees along the trolley trail.

Treasurer Cheryl Molinatto reported dues of $15; expenses of $57.24 for copying and $45.51 for the web site’s domain name; and a current balance of $1,326.21.

There was some discussion about how many meeting signs we still have (ten) and who would place them where.

Announcements

Maryland-National Parks and Planning Commission has developed Formula 2040, a plan for parks for the next 20 years, the goal of which will be to repurpose County park and recreation facilities to better suit demand.  There will be a new criterion in the Adequate Public Facilities test for the amount of parkland in a new development.  The new standard may use metrics such as feet of trail per person, square feet of recreational space per person, and square feet of park space per person.  It will also feature signature community centers.  This will make smaller facilities, such as a new College Park Community Center, less likely.  There will be a 12,000SF gym at Hollywood Elementary School.

There will be a Good Neighbor Day with UMd and College Park police on April 6.  There will be a Purple Line meeting; there are not many North College Park issues.  The College Park Academy Board will hire a Principal, and plans to open in fall 2013; its true benefits to the city will only be known later.  There is now a new Best Western on US 1, and there will be a new hotel on the old Koons Ford site.  The East Campus development will be delayed and will not be as much a focus.

New Business

There was some discussion about people standing waiting for rides at the west (Lackawanna St.) entrance to the Greenbelt Metro station and how to take enforcement action to discourage this.

There was a question about the Al-Huda School, which will be moving.  It is not yet known what the current building will be used for after they move; it is not yet for sale.  Most likely there will be a public institutional use.

Moved by Larry Bleau/Patrick Wojahn: Adjourn the meeting.  The meeting adjourned at 9:19 pm.

Submitted by Larry Bleau, Secretary.