Mayor & City Council

WORKSESSION MINUTES College Park City Council Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Davis Hall, 9217 51st Avenue 7:30 P.M. – 11:01 P.M. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Brennan, Dennis, Day, Rigg, Mackie and Mitchell. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Miriam Bader, Senior Planner; Julia Nikhinson, Deputy Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the Worksession at 7:30 p.m. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Somers reviewed the upcoming City tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; an upcoming meeting about a park at the end of Odessa Road; the Family Fun Bowling Bash; and an emergency repair on Christmas Day to the sanitary sewer under the parking garage for the cost of $39K - this will appear on a future agenda. AMENDMENT TO/APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was approved without amendment (Rigg/Mitchell) 8-0. ACTION ITEMS/SPECIAL SESSION: A motion was made by Councilmember Dennis and seconded by Councilmember Day to enter into a Special Session as shown on the agenda. The motion passed 8-0 and Council entered Special Session at 7:33 p.m. Following action on 1. the Proclamation for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 2. Council appointments to COG committees and to the City Grant Selection Subcommittee, the Council reconvened into the Worksession at 7:39 p.m. DISCUSSION ITEMS: 3. Preliminary Plan of Subdivision AND Detailed Site Plan for proposed Northgate student housing project (8430 and 8510 Baltimore Avenue) Ms. Bader reviewed the staff report. This project is located on the current Burger King site and the adjacent lot to the south (currently an abandoned restaurant). Mixed use: Student Housing 296 units (978 beds), 1084 sq. ft. of retail, 300 parking spaces. Sector Plan zone: Corridor Infill and Walkable Node. 7-8 story building with three interior courtyards and underground parking. Variety of apartment sizes from studio to five bedroom. Price range $850-$1,500 per bed/month. Trail behind building to campus will need an easement from Taco Bell owners. Some trees will need to be removed but the Black Walnut specimen tree should be saved. Side agreement with the developer will be needed. Christian Cerria from Gilbane, and Tom Haller, Attorney representing Gilbane: They are in agreement with the revised conditions. They will add bike and scooter parking. Gilbane intends to retain ownership and hire a 3rd party to manage. College Park Worksession Minutes January 7, 2020 Page 2 Two motions to consent next week: one for the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision and one for the Detailed Site Plan. 4. Discussion of the request by Northgate developers for City support for exemption from the County’s school facilities surcharge: The County school surcharge on this project amounts to about $2.6M. Some Councilmembers said it is difficult to support the exemption request because our school system is hurting. What would the consequences be to the project if they paid the surcharge and had to value-engineer? Come back next week with that information to help inform Council’s decision on the request. Perhaps there could be a middle ground, instead of all or none? 5. Discussion of the request by Northgate developers for a City Revitalization Tax Credit for the Northgate student housing project: Staff reviewed the staff report. This project meets 7 of the criteria for a City Revitalization Tax Credit; a minimum of 4 is required for eligibility. To agenda for approval next week. 6. Discussion of Duvall Field recommendations: Ms. Schum reviewed the staff report. Two discussion items: 1) conceptual plan, 2) Turf, modified turf, or artificial turf for field. The conceptual plan would allow more flexibility and increased utilization of the field. Question: what would that increased utilization really look like? Do we have the staff capacity to handle an increase? Questions/Discussion: • Can we consider a portable stage? • Consider having the tot-lot in the shade. • Who is the user-audience for the field – what are the trends for children’s sports. Should this be more general recreation space or dedicated sports fields? • The kitchen is underutilized. • We have a small Boys and Girls Club in College Park – who are we trying to serve? • What is our collective vision for the field? Get ideas from other sites. • The amount of parking is a limiting factor. • Consider an enhanced status-quo with increased usage by residents when the B&G Club is not legitimately using the field. • Should we utilize staff to help bolster the B&G Club and do some recreational programming? • Consensus seemed to lean toward modified turf. [At 10:30 p.m., a motion was made by Councilmember Day and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to extend the meeting. Motion passed 8-0.] Summary: Keep talking about the use of the field based on the questions above, the role of the B&G Club, and making the field more broadly available to the community. How can we better utilize the concession stand? Can we be more proactive with programming? Improve the ease of scheduling and the available time. Return Future W/S. College Park Worksession Minutes January 7, 2020 Page 3 7. Discussion of Strategic Plan Consultant Selection Process: Review of staff report. Staff recommends two specific firms for Mayor and Council to interview. Council agreed. 8. Appointments to Boards and Committees: Appointments to the CBE and Seniors Committee were recommended. 9. Requests for/Status of Future Agenda Items: • School bus situation: letter to School Board on consent next week (Mitchell/Kabir 8- 0) • Youth Advisory Council – currently on Master List – schedule soon. 10. Mayor and Councilmember Comments: • Councilmember Brennan said he plans to amend Ordinance 20-O-01 next week regarding number of toters and how many are free. • Mayor Wojahn discussed legislation regarding education funding per the Kirwan Commission report and hopes we can support. • There is news of a compromise on the Beltway expansion plan – it appears they will not be moving forward with the segment that would impact College Park at this time. • Legislative session opens tomorrow. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Dennis to adjourn the Worksession, and with a vote of 8-0 the Worksession was adjourned at 11:01 p.m. __________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved College Park Worksession Minutes January 7, 2020 Page 4