Mayor & City Council

WORKSESSION MINUTES College Park City Council Tuesday, September 15, 2020 7:30 p.m. – 10:53 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this was a Virtual Meeting PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Brennan (arrived at 7:34 p.m.), Dennis, Day, Rigg, and Mackie. Councilmember Mitchell joined at 9:45 p.m. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City Attorney; Terry Schum, Director of Planning; Miriam Bader, Senior Planner; Adam Rosenbaum, Student Liaison; Julia Nikhinson, Deputy Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the Virtual Worksession at 7:30 p.m. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT: Mr. Somers gave an update on the City’s COVID-19 assistance programs; October clean up events at Public Works; and the District 1 and District 4 Town Hall on Thursday for the Department of Public Services. There was discussion about last week’s flooding from a significant rain event in the Calvert Hills, Lord Calvert Manor and Old Town areas of the City. Mayor Wojahn provided information about County and WSSC resources for recovery from last week’s flood. AMENDMENT TO/APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: A motion was made by Councilmember Mackie and seconded by Councilmember Kennedy to approve the agenda. The motion passed 7-0. DISCUSSION ITEMS: 1. Presentation on Prince George’s County activities and legislation by County Council Member Dannielle Glaros: Council comments/questions/concerns:  Flooding in Calvert Hills, Lord Calvert Manor and Old Town – provide list of addresses that sustained damage  Status of Calvert Hills Stormwater Drainage project.  Funding for design of US 1 in the north part of the City.  Provision of recreational services for high density residential.  City and County tax credits for flood insurance.  Purple Line construction – Campus Drive underpass, bus loop on east side of metro station.  Funding for social services. College Park Worksession Minutes September 15, 2020 Page 2 2. Discussion of Preliminary Plan of Subdivision (4-20014) and Detailed Site Plan (19054) for The Hub on Knox Road (Mixed Use Student Housing project) and approval of a Declaration of Covenants Ms. Schum said this is review of both the Preliminary Plan and Detailed Site Plan for The Hub, both of which will be heard by the Planning Board on October 14. This development involves the assemblage of 6 lots on the north side of Knox Road into one parcel. Four lots had Knox Boxes on them and two are owned by the University of Maryland. The developer is Core Campus Managers from Chicago; the attorney is Matt Tedesco. Revised recommendations were sent this afternoon. The Applicant has requested support for a waiver of the school facilities surcharge, which will come back at a future meeting. Ms. Bader reviewed the PowerPoint. The properties to be assembled are located at 4210-4220 Knox Road. 161 residential units, 1,000 sq. feet of retail, two levels of below-ground parking. 164 parking spaces are required by the Sector Plan, with a reduction to 137 allowed. The Applicant is requesting a further reduction to parking and propose to provide only 94 parking spaces. They meet the tree canopy coverage requirement. The revised Staff recommendations were reviewed. Concern was expressed about traffic on Knox Road. Ms. Schum said there is an opportunity for the City to work with the College Park Shopping Center on reconfiguring access to the shopping center, especially since the two bank drive-through lanes are closed, which could help traffic flow on Knox. Ms. Ferguson said there will be some amendments to the Declaration of Covenants which should be non-substantive and provided next week. Mr. Tedesco, Attorney, representing the applicant’s team: Core Spaces is an owner/operator from Chicago/Austin with properties over the US. Mark Goehuasen introduced the company. Applicant is close to agreement on recommendations. Concern about Condition #5e - replace metal panels on 7th floor with brick: Jeff Zelisko, architect: their intent with the metal panels was to make the building appear smaller. They agree with wording in the revised condition, “consider replacing,” and will see how the County weighs in. Re Condition #8c: Discussion of green building standard – NGBS Silver: Applicant can agree. Question about rental prices: Mix of unit sizes and types: micro-studio, studio, single occupancy up to four-bedroom units. Prices not yet determined; will be competitive in the market. Concern about affordable student housing. Ed Maginnis: this is not a joint venture. The University is selling the property. This is market-rate student housing. Increased housing supply will address the pricing issue. Councilmember Rigg to agenda next week. College Park Worksession Minutes September 15, 2020 Page 3 3. Review of Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study. Ms. Schum said the comment period has been extended to November 9. She reviewed the potential impacts specific to the City. Council comments:  Amount of tree loss at Polish Club property  Will heavy equipment/trucks be going through City streets to get to staging areas?  Impact to Odessa Park due to loss of property  Noise impact – what is the current contour line, how does it compare to the new contour line? Will they raise the height of the noise barrier or move it? Can they add noise barriers where they don’t currently exist?  Impact of expansion on induced traffic? Sierra Club comments.  Cost of project  Cherry Hill Road park area due to flooding [10:36 p.m. Motion to extend meeting Kabir/Kennedy 7-1 Brennan opposed.]  The regional east-west divide; disconnect between transportation planning and development planning.  Additional traffic being dumped onto local roads, i.e. US 1 Corridor 4. Follow up discussion to Saturday’s Strategic Plan meeting: This discussion item was delayed due to the lateness of the hour. 5. Requests for/Status of Future Agenda Items  Letter to WSSC requesting they attend a M&C meeting re City-wide issues Rigg/Mitchell 8-0 ADJOURN to Closed Session: A motion was made by Councilmember Brennan and seconded by Councilmember Mitchell to adjourn the Worksession and enter into a Closed Session to consider a matter that concerns the proposal for a business to locate in the State, and to discuss the appointment of individuals to advisory boards. The motion passed 8-0, and the Worksession adjourned at 10:53 p.m. Mayor Wojahn said the City Council will not return to public session after the Closed Session. ______________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved