Advisory Planning Commission

ADVISORY CITY OF COLLEGE PARK PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION PLANNING COMMISSION 8400 BALTIMORE AVENUE, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND 20740 TELEPHONE: (240) 487-3538 ADVISORY PLANNING COMMISSION Approved Minutes of Meeting January 7, 2021 (Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a Virtual Meeting) Members Present Absent Stephanie Stullich, Chair x Santosh Chelliah, Vice-Chair x Ben Flamm x James McFadden x Daejauna Donahue x Vernae Martin x Also Present: Planning Staff – Terry Schum, Miriam Bader and Theresheia Williams; Attorney - Susan Cook I. Call to Order and Amendments to Agenda: Stephanie Stullich called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Terry Schum amended the agenda to add an additional item: Review and approve the 2020 Annual Report to the City Council. II. Approval of the Agenda: Santosh Chelliah moved to approve the agenda as amened to add review of Annual Report as item VII. James McFadden seconded. Motion carried 5-0-0. III. Approval of Minutes: James McFadden moved to adopt the minutes of December 3, 2020, after several corrections to the Question and Answer section of the minutes. Santosh Chelliah seconded. Motion carried 5-0-0. IV. Public Remarks on Non-Agenda Items: There were no Public Remarks on Non- Agenda Items. V. Debriefing on the Process for the Developer Presentation on Terrapin House Commissioners discussed the Conceptual Site Plan presentation for Terrapin House which was held virtually on December 3, 2020. The meeting allowed attendees to join-in through the Zoom platform to hear the presentation and ask questions. There were one or two attendees who used the chat to make comments. Commissioners thought the meeting went well and generated a lot of public comment. They supported continuing this type of presentation/public forum and using a virtual format even after the pandemic has ended.The Commissioners also requested to review the existing bylaws for public presentations and made the following suggestions for future meetings: 1) Set a time limit for Applicant presentations (no more than 20 minutes). 2) Establish a framework, as opposed to rules, for running the meeting including the order and time limits for speakers. Advisory Planning Commission Minutes January 7, 2021 – Page 2 3) Indicate the approximate time the presentation will start on the meeting agenda. 4) Send notices to residents as well as property owners, civic associations and City Council. 5) If variance applications are included on the agenda, streamline the review criteria discussion to allow time for the presentation/public forum. VI. Discussion of Comments and Concerns on Terrapin House Conceptual Site Plan Commissioners noted that a lot of the residents who spoke were concerned about how stormwater management will be handled for this development and how it would impact surrounding property. Residents were also concerned about the height and scale of the proposed building and its lack of compatibility with the adjoining historic district. The loss of local, independent businesses is also an issue. VII. Review of Annual Report Commissioners reviewed the 2020 Annual Report and requested the following changes: Item #2 • Include the approximate number of particpants that attended the Terrapin House presentation. • Change “placed” to “conducted.” Item #3 • Add a paragraph supporting holding virtual meetings with developers after the pandemic. • Change “presentation” to “public forum”. Item #4 • Delete “increasingly.” Vernae Martin moved to approve the Annual Report as amended. Santosh Chelliah seconded. Motion carried 5-0-0. VIII. Update on Development Activity Terry Schum reported on the following: Aspen Maryland – This student housing project is proposed at the intersection of Guilford Drive and Knox Road. The Preliminary Plan of Subdivision was approved by the Planning Board on January 7, 2021. The project will come before the APC when their Detailed Site Plan is filed and accepted, which should be in the next few months. The Detailed Site Plan has to be approved before it can go to construction. Terrapin House – The timing for this project has been waived and the application is being continued. This will allow further discussion with the community and the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Staff is planning to have a joint meeting with HPC staff to talk about recommendations for the project. Advisory Planning Commission Minutes January 7, 2021 – Page 3 IX. Other Business: There was no Other Business. X. Adjourn: There being no further business, Santosh Chelliah moved to adjourn the meeting. James McFadden seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:23 p.m. Minutes prepared by Theresheia Williams