Mayor & City Council

MINUTES Regular Meeting of the College Park City Council Tuesday, March 25, 2014 7:30 p.m. – 8:07 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Fellows; Councilmembers Kabir, Wojahn, Brennan, Dennis, Day, Hew and Mitchell. ABSENT: Councilmember Stullich. ALSO PRESENT: Joe Nagro, City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Michael Stiefvater, Economic Development Coordinator. Mayor Fellows opened the Regular Meeting at 7:30 p.m. Councilmember Day led the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes: A motion was made by Councilmember Dennis and seconded by Councilmember Day to approve the minutes of the March 4, 2014 Special Session and the March 11, 2014 Regular Meeting. The motion passed 7 – 0 – 0. Announcements: Councilmember Dennis said on Sunday April 6 there will be a fundraiser for the College Park Community Foundation at the Fishnet Restaurant. Councilmember Brennan said there is a meeting for anyone interested about a community bulk solar purchase sponsored by the Community Power Network on April 16 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Councilmember Wojahn reminded everyone that Saturday is Good Neighbor Day. It begins at 9:30 a.m. at the College Park United Methodist Church. Councilmember Kabir discussed specific projects at Good Neighbor Day. Proclamation: Mayor Fellows read the proclamation for the “Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service.” Amendments to the Agenda: None. City Manager’s Report: Mr. Nagro discussed April’s spring clean-up activities at the Public Works yard; the FY ‘15 budget will be sent to Council on Friday and posted for the public on Monday; the budget Worksession is on Saturday April 5. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes March 25, 2014 Page 2 Comments from the Audience on Non-Agenda Items: Kurt Stubbs, Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Hagerstown Hall: Discussed their community service initiative, Phi Psi Phriends. They will help residents with housework, yard work and other chores. Contact phipsiphriends@yahoo.com. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Mitchell and seconded by Councilmember Day to adopt the Consent Agenda, which consisted of the following: 14-R-05 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park, Maryland Adopting The Recommendation Of The Advisory Planning Commission Regarding Request For Certification Of Non-Conforming Use CNU-2013-03 For University Gardens, Inc. 4620, 4622, 4624, And 4626 Knox Road, College Park, Maryland, Recommending Approval Of The Request For Certification Of Non-Conforming Use 14-G-37 Approval of Field Use Requests for 1) Maryland Stingers Women’s Rugby Club, Duvall Field, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, March through June; 2) Boy Scout Troop 740 for Sunday use for a BBQ event on June 1; 3) Berwyn Christian School, Field Day, Friday, May 9. 14-G-38 Approval of amended Declaration of Covenants and Agreement Regarding Land Use for MR HILLCREST 1 Capital LLC (Monument Realty) and authorization for the City Manager to sign the agreement. The motion carried 7-0-0. ACTION ITEMS 14-R-06 Resolution Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Grant A Waiver Pursuant To §175-13 Of The City Code, Upon Finding That The Purposes Of The Law Will Be Equally Well Served By Doings So, To MR Hillcrest 1 Capital, LLC, And Approve A Revitalization Tax Credit For The Real Property Located At 9122-9128 Baltimore Avenue For A Period Of Three Years Beginning In The First Fiscal Year After Completion A motion was made by Councilmember Hew and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to adopt Resolution 14-R-06 to grant a waiver pursuant to §175-13(A)(3) of the City Code, after finding that the purposes of the law will be equally well served by doing so, to MR Hillcrest Capital LLC and to approve a Revitalization Tax Credit for the planned development of the real property at 9122-9128 Baltimore Avenue, as established by Detailed Site Plan 06095-01 submitted to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (“the Project”). The tax credit will be for the increased assessment attributed to the taxable improvements upon project completion as determined by the College Park City Council Meeting Minutes March 25, 2014 Page 3 Supervisor of Assessments. The tax credit amount will be reimbursed to the owner after payment of the City taxes as reflected on the County tax bill in each fiscal year, on the following basis, which represents one-half of the allowable revitalization tax credit: First fiscal year after completion: 58.0% of the increased assessment of City tax Second fiscal year after completion: 27.5% of the increased assessment of City tax Third fiscal year after completion: 27.0% of the increased assessment of City tax Reimbursement of the tax credit is subject to and conditioned upon the property owner submitting evidence of certification from the US Green Building Council that the Project meets the minimum green building guidelines to attain LEED Silver Certification for the appropriate rating system. No reimbursement of the real property taxes will occur prior to the receipt of such evidence. Councilmember Hew acknowledged the controversy surrounding this tax credit but said the applicant has met enough of the requirements and is providing a light at Cherokee to provide safe crossing and is redeveloping a vacant piece of property. Although it is not bringing in as much commercial development as originally proposed, it is bringing some. The developer has worked closely with the community on the design for the back of the property. He is happy to see this project move forward. There were no comments from the audience. Councilmember Brennan wants to ensure that the requirement that the project meet minimum LEED Silver standard refers to the completed structure and not just the design plans. The City Attorney said that a modification will be made to the Resolution to reflect this. Councilmember Mitchell noted the resident concerns she had received, but the Council believes this is the best move forward to turn something that was negative into a positive. The motion passed 7 – 0 – 0. 14-G-40 Appointments to Boards and Committees A motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Kabir to appoint Todd Waters, Josh Ratner, Chris Frye and Tricia McLaughlin to the Neighborhood Stabilization Committee, and to reappoint Jack Robson to the Airport Authority. The motion passed 7 – 0 – 0. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Mayor Fellows brought up the request he received from Greyhound’s Office of State Government Affairs for a letter of support for a grant they are submitting. This will be an item on next week’s Worksession. College Park City Council Meeting Minutes March 25, 2014 Page 4 Councilmember Wojahn requested a future Worksession on business recycling: 1) business survey results and next steps, 2) updates to the city’s recycling code, and 3) county law that requires recycling in multi-family dwellings – would the City enforce? He also requested that the Director of the County’s Department of Permits, Inspection and Enforcement (DPIE) be invited in to a future Worksession. Mayor Fellows announced the University of Maryland’s recent appointments to the College Park City University Partnership: Carlo Colella, Edward Maginnis, Michael King and Brian Darmody. Councilmember Mitchell advised that the Council needs to form a subcommittee to review the Community Services grant applications. Councilmembers Day, Kabir, Dennis and Mitchell volunteered. Comments from the Audience: None ADJOURN: A motion was made by Councilmember Kabir and seconded by Councilmember Day to adjourn the meeting. With a vote of 7 – 0 – 0, Mayor Fellows adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m. ____________________________________________ Janeen S. Miller, CMC Date City Clerk Approved