Mayor & City Council

MINUTES College Park City Council Worksession Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:30 p.m. – 10:21 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Esters, Whitney, Rigg, Mackie and Mitchell. Councilmember Adams attended by Zoom. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Kenneth Young, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Suellen Ferguson, City AttorneyMichael Williams, Economic Development Manager; Megha Sevalia, Student Liaison; Hayden Renaghan, Deputy Student Liaison. Mayor Wojahn opened the Worksession at 7:30 p.m. City Manager’s Report: Mr. Young reviewed the red folder items. Amendments To And Approval Of The Agenda: Mitchel/Mackie – Add to the Consent Agenda next week, letters of support for Buffalo, Laguna Woods and Houston, passed 7-0. Esters/Rigg – Adopt the agenda as amended, passed 7-0. Discussion Items: 1. Farewell to Student Liaison Megha Sevalia and Deputy Student Liaison Hayden Renaghan: Mayor Wojahn presented gift bags to Ms. Sevalia and Ms. Renaghan, and shared personal reflections on their service. 2. Discussion of FY23 Strategic Plan One-Year Objectives - Jeff Parks and Jessica Brown, PBI: The Mayor, Council and student liaisons prioritized the one-year Strategic Plan objectives. Staff will develop key results for each objective and present them to Council at a future Worksession. 3. Preliminary Plan of Subdivision for the Terrapin House development – Terry Schum and Miriam Bader, Planning Department; Matt Tedesco, attorney for the applicant; Joe DeMarco, Civil Engineer; Mike Lenhardt, Traffic Engineer; and owners Rich Greenberg and Aaron Schooler. Ms. Schum reminded the Mayor and Council that they reviewed and supported the Conceptual Site Plan for this project last year; it later received final approval for the CSP and Zoning change from the Planning Board and District Council. Tonight is the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision; later we will see the Detailed Site Plan. She reviewed aspects of the MOU that was signed when the CSP came before the Council. A revised staff recommendation is in the red folder. College Park City Council Minutes May 17, 2022 Page 2 Ms. Bader reviewed the PowerPoint and revised staff report. The Planning Board hearing is May 26. Mr. Tedesco reported that the Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously tonight to support this Preliminary Plan of Subdivision. He said that the applicant agrees with the revised conditions as presented tonight. Ms. Schum said this is the time to review how the official platting occurs and adequate public facilities, specifically transportation adequacy. The architecture, landscaping, parking and streetscaping is reviewed later at Detailed Site Plan. Discussion of the 7 businesses that are on the property and plans for the type of housing. Mr. Tedesco said the project can have no more than 175 units and 15,000 square feet of retail. They have tested this for student housing and multi-family. They understand that some of the tenants are very popular and will do what they can to offer new retail space to the current tenants. They have no intention of terminating any of the leases before their terms. They have not informed the tenants. The last lease terminates in 2025. When they get closer to DSP we can discuss how to help the tenants. Discussion of the pocket park and heritage trees: They will dedicate a portion of Hartwick and will work with the City to minimize impacts on the trees. That will be addressed at DSP. Discussion of the dedication of 4-feet from the existing property line on US 1 to accommodate the SHA US 1 improvements and cycle track. They will add a public use easement to comply with the Sector Plan. They anticipate providing the required on-site bicycle parking. Regarding the possibility of relocating the single-family home: the MOU addresses this: If a suitable location is identified by the City at no cost to the applicant, then the applicant will do a feasibility study to determine if it can be moved. This would happen by the time of DSP. The applicant was urged to save the specimen trees, consider affordable housing, and work with the commercial tenants. To agenda next week (Rigg). 4. Application for 5G antenna on Rhode Island Avenue at Edgewood Road – James Crane, CTC: Ms. Ferguson said the FCC has directed local governments that they must share their rights-of- way for these types of installations to improve capacity. The Mayor and Council have previously adopted an agreement and approved an application form. We have now received an application from Verizon for Rhode Island Avenue, which the City has just acquired. Time frames apply to the consideration of this application. The Council has the option of holding a public hearing. We will also need a pole attachment agreement for the street light where the antennas will be mounted. College Park City Council Minutes May 17, 2022 Page 3 Mr. Crane is the City’s consultant. The carrier has to comply with our ordinance. He described the three antennas that would be attached at 20’ above street height. This is in a commercial area and is a co-location, both of which we have asked applicants to do. The existing pole will be replaced with one that can accommodate the weight of the three antennas. Discussion of the process and of the benefits/purpose of having a public hearing since we can’t say no to the application. Some residents have raised health concerns. Set up a presentation to inform the residents about the process and health issues, with Mr. Crane and other subject matter experts to answer questions. 5. Requests for/Status of Future Agenda Items Mitchell – • Schedule Youth Advisory Council • We have students living in some of our student housing who are from other universities. There have been incidents. We should discuss with the leadership of those schools about code of conduct, etc. We will try to handle this at the staff level first. Adams – • Different property tax rate for vacant and blighted properties – Adams/Whitney, 8-0. 6. Council Comments UMD graduation; final clean up day is May 21; community forum last week on north College Park Community Center Feasibility Study; BDCA meeting; Public Works Week; Friday Night Live event; update on the Calvert Hills Storm Drainage Improvement Project; congratulations to the UMD graduates; invitation to Thursday’s PGCMA meeting for a roundtable discussion on mental health issues; Bike To Work Day - City Hall has a Pit Stop; Saturday’s budget town hall. Adjourn: Rigg/Mitchell 8-0, 10:21 p.m. ___________________________________ Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk