Meeting Minutes—February 13, 2025

North College Park Community Association (NCPCA)

Attendees:

In Person: 

TK

Online (names written as they appear in chat):

TK

Minutes Taken By:

Brian J. Roan, Secretary 

Call to Order

President David Alicea called them meeting to order and read out the agenda. Secretary Brian J. Roan motioned to approve the agenda. The motion passed by vote. 

Minutes

Vice President Kam Clary motioned to approve the January minutes. No debate, and the minutes were approved by vote.     

President’s Report

President Alicea reiterated the focus of the 2024-2025 session. He thanked people for helping to decorate the community tree and reiterated the need for a media/communications director to help with email and social media and web site.  

Vice President’s

VP Clary asked people to be sure to check their emails for correspondence from NCPCA. He noted the coming discussions regarding NCPCA responses to city motions and amendments. He solicited questions from the membership as well so we would know what was important to the membership. He noted that we are trying to leverage our membership to advocate for District 1.    

Treasurer’s Report

SECU checking account: $1,599.08

SECU savings account: $335.54

Treasurer Melissa Peterson gave an update on the lack of changes to the funds. Some dues need to be cashed. Mailchimp will charge NCPCA a monthly transaction soon.  

Secretary’s Report

Secretary Brian J. Roan reiterated his usual desire for people to state their names both when addressing the body and in the Zoom chat to facilitate notetaking. He also gave an update on the letter written to the city council regarding the amendment from the last meeting including the lack of a vote or red folder. Councilmember Jacob Hernandez, online, noted that the red folder from the council meeting was not out of the ordinary. He noted that the council seemed surprised by the public comments. He also encouraged people to continue to write again. 

Events Committee Update

Director Brendan Wray gave updates on the Hlollywood sidewalk development. Gaps in the Rhode Island sidewalk have also been filled. 52nd Ave construction phase was approved. He also gave a summary of the survey results from our members. This included what the strength of the North College Park area were, which included people, recreation access, and walkability. Weaknesses were the lack of local shops, a lack of opportunities for small businesses, and lack of ped/bike safety along Route 1. Potential improvements included the appearance of streetscapes, better tree cover, and increased retail services and small local businesses as well as limiting impact on neighborhoods. Threats to the neighborhood included excessive development of larger buildings, vacant and neglected commercial areas, and lack of good public education and demographic changes. Secretary Roan pointed out that fears of underdevelopment and overdevelopment are tied to concerns about businesses being able to stay and open. VP Klary noted the need for community input to aid smart development. Oscar asked a question about the demographics of the respondents to the survey, but we took no data from that. Angeliki Frangos noted how hard it was to press owners on filling spaces. She also asked how we as a community could help schools. She then noted how crime has gone up in the Mom’s parking lot—she brought up asking the state police for a camera, as happened in the Shopper’s parking lot. She asked that information be made available to people who want to help or make calls on behalf. Mary Cook brought up that Tom Dernoga’s office was working on the Central US 1 Neighborhood Compatibility Study and that we ought to come to the next meeting in March to continue to give inputs on zoning. She also suggested John Krouse be invited, along with others in the neighborhood, who are familiar with the neighborhood and its longer history for insights on the businesses and owners. CM Hernandez underlined the importance of the US 1 study. He also brought up ways that the NCPCA could possibly help with local schools. He then asked people to look for ways to serve, including on the board of elections. Todd Reitzel asked about a date for the US 1 March meeting, which was not set yet, and for a summary for the December 11 meeting. Plans may not be posted online. Mayor Fazlul Kabir chimed in to say that the council has sponsored a House Bill to gain the land use authority for the city to guide zoning. Presently, the city can only give an opinion, and the county holds the power. Bill is HB 1231. Greenbelt, Laurel, and others joined in on the committee—land use authority would belong to city but zoning would still belong to county. Land use authority means that the city will have the ability to say yes or no to approvals. Other Maryland counties give this authority to their municipalities, only PG does not. Director Wray plugged the Vacant and Blighted task force for the city. He said he would be watching it closely and would report back on the task force findings. Oscar Gregory echoed concerns about vacant buildings and asked Mayor Kabir and others about potential legal efforts to take vacant properties from landlords or owners who do not use them. Mayor Kabir said that a few months ago the city council created the Vacant and Blighted Committee. In a few months there might be movement on these issues. 

Events Committee Update

Director Mary Roop thanked members for their work on the Valentine’s Day tree decorating event. The North College Park Business Spotlight series is still slated to happen, perhaps in late March, and we are working with Terrapin Station to host. She also said city staff were still working with us to create a plaque for the North College Park tree. She also thanked people for coming out and staying positive. David Turley thanked the community for taking to the tree in the way it did. CM Hernandez spoke about the tree plaque. 

Trolley Trail Letter

Director Wray gave an update on the letter voted on last meeting requesting to extend the trolley trail. It was just sent in this morning, February 13, 2025. 

15 Minute City

Dr. Riem Elzoghbi thanked us for hosting her tonight. She has been working with city planning on the idea of a 15 minute neighborhood in North College Park. The city came to the school last spring with the idea of joining the school with the neighborhood. 

A 15 minute neighborhood is a concept wherein most basic needs could be met via a 15 minute walk or bike ride from one’s home. The city is interested in what interventions might be possible to do this to North College Park. A study was done to identify four neighborhoods in College Park that already approximate or could be made a 15 minute community with minor interventions. Changing the main retail hub into an “innovation hub.” The school wants to partner with the neighborhood to hear more directly from the community. This could include a questionnaire or survey as a means of getting more information. The findings will be presented on May 6. Another professor noted that she will be bringing more information overtime as the project develops. 

The motion was put forward by Director Roop for the NCPCA to facilitate this study. VP Klary seconded. CM Hernandez noted how important it was to get feedback from the community and how much he would like a questionnaire. Brys Broughton asked about how the school saw the partnership going and noted how hard it was to get out a survey. Dr. Elzoghbi ran down the plans for possibly getting information and including as many people as possible. Questionnaires as grocery stores were also pitched. VP Klary asked about whether the goal was to give a roadmap or actionable suggestion especially related to traffic. Dr. ElZoghbi noted that the city was interested in exploring this option and that there would not be detailed traffic plans but more feedback and areas of concern. Later phases would include more details. According to her, this report will not give solid actionable interventions but would present a snapshot of what the community feels it needs. Oscar questioned what a statistically significant response would look like given small survey responses. He also wanted to know if this was surveying or canvasing. Dr. ElZoghbi noted that there would not be a statistically significant response. The city has merely asked that the school look into this possibility. Mary Cook encouraged Dr. ElZoghbi to reach out to the county. David Turley asked if the doctor had thought about coming to one of the senior meetings at the Branchville Fire Department. The doctor thanked him for this suggestion. Jewel Tomasula asked about how many people they were expecting to hear from. Dr. ElZoghbi said she was hoping to get hundreds of voices. She also noted that this is an ongoing effort. John Krouse asked how people could take part in the class and Dr. ElZoghbi noted that people could reach out to her and they could come to class or share ideas. Treasurer Peterson offered suggestions that could boost the signal of any possible survey. Angel Frangos asked about previous class successes. Dr. ElZoghbi noted that this is the first project with respect to a 15-minute community. VP Klary noted possible response rates to a survey. Secretary Roan asked about what the city’s long-term plan was for this input. Dr. ElZoghbi noted the city’s interest in this idea. The council would like to have a conversation about his idea. He then asked about what feedback the city was willing to accept, based on statements from Dr ElZoghbi. She noted a lack of pre-set desired interventions and an unbiased outlook to join community inputs with potential actions and impacts. Donald Hays noted that Miriam Bader was a proponent of the 15-minute city idea. Treasurer Peterson was curious about case studies related to established neighborhoods like ours. Portland, according to the doctor, did a lot with zoning. Best practices include physical items and more procedural actions. Oscar cautioned that the class prioritize avenues of information gathering that allow for more thoughtful responses. Laura Rogers had a comment online. 

20 members voted in favor of NCPCA facilitating information gathering. One member voted not to.   

Unscheduled Motions and Announcements

No unscheduled motions.

Michelle from Tom Dernoga’s office noted that the Seven Springs apartment is planning a redevelopment. There is a meeting February 26 and 6:30 on the property to discuss. 

CM Hernandez noted that the city was working to find a new location for the community garden, including the scrub pine. He once again plugged the board of elections position. 

Todd Reitzel noted that the city had reinstituted the monthly public safety meetings. It is the first Monday of every month at 7pm. The meetings take place hybrid Zoom and in person, with locations to be determined.

Call to Adjourn

VP Klary motioned to adjourn. Secretary Roan seconded. The motion passed.