Weekly Status Report - 5/14/09

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE       :  May 14, 2009

Status Report

1.  Bike to Work Day

Tomorrow (Friday, May 15th) is Bike to Work Day in the Washington, DC region.  Once again, the City will have two (2) pit stops: outside the Food Court at the Bowie Town Center; and, at the Huntington Fire Station in Old Town Bowie.  Hours at each pit stop are from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  Please stop by one or both pit stops to meet and greet the participants and enjoy some light breakfast fare.

2.  Railroad Avenue Trail Meeting Results

On Thursday, May 7th, staff conducted a community informational meeting in Old Town Bowie regarding the future design of the Railroad Avenue Hiker-Biker Trail.  The City received a Transportation-Land Use Connections grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to conduct community outreach and develop pre-engineering design concepts for the portion of the trail system between Zug Road and Myrtle Avenue, including the area adjacent to the Railroad Museum.  Twenty-five interested residents and agency staff attended the informational meeting.  The City's Planning Director and Mr. Robert Patten of Toole Design Group presented the project background and set forth a schedule for four future meetings, which will be held on May 20, June 6, June 16 and June 27 to discuss various topics such as access, crime, the proposed MD 564 underpass, and project amenities.

3.  New City Hall Specific Design Plan - District Council Action

On Monday, May 11th, the District Council voted to approve an order waiving the appeal period (as requested by the City) and affirming the Planning Board's conditional approval of the Specific Design Plan (SDP).  This action allows the SDP to be certified and the permit processes to move ahead more expeditiously.  We have communicated our appreciation to County Council Member Turner's staff for their assistance in this effort.

4.  Planning Board Results

Today, the Prince George’s County Planning Board conducted a public hearing on Preliminary Subdivision Plan #4-08012 for Walker Pontiac.  The subject property is a 5.7-acre flag lot located on southbound U.S. Route 301, behind Bowie Honda.  The applicant proposes the eventual construction of a 37,700 sq. ft. auto dealership on the parcel.  The property is zoned C-M (Commercial Miscellaneous), where the proposed use is permitted by right under the County Zoning Ordinance.

The City Council conducted a public hearing on this case on April 20, 2009, recommending approval with conditions.  At the conclusion of the County Planning Board’s public hearing, Commissioner Squire moved for approval of the application (including the Tree Conservation Plan-Type I), which included all of the City’s conditions.  Mr. Squire’s motion, seconded by Commissioner Clark, passed unanimously.

5.  Idlewild Drive

A concern about speeding on Idlewild Drive was mentioned at a recent Council Meeting.  A traffic counter was recently placed for a six-day period on Idlewild Drive in the middle of the longest straight section of the road.  The average speed of the vehicles, which averaged a daily total of 836, was 29 mph.  (The 85th percentile speed varied between 34 and 36 miles per hour.  This means that 85% of all vehicles were driving below these rates of speed.)  This is the slowest of any of the drives for which we have recorded data.  On average, there were five cars per day, out of the 836 daily total, that exceeded 45 mph.           

DJD/asf