MEMORANDUM

TO: City Council

FROM: David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT: Status Report/Council Poll

DATE: September 28, 2006

Status Report

1. Prince George's County Tower at Public Works

On Thursday, September 21st, City staff and staff from Prince George's County held a Stakeholders Meeting regarding the proposed 330' public safety communication tower proposed to be located at the City's Public Works yard. Notices were sent to 139 residents in the neighborhoods of Idlewild, Yorktown and Overbrook that lived within 500' of the Public Works yard. Five residents attended this hearing. The main concerns expressed by residents attending this hearing were as follows:

· One resident wanted to know where the other proposed towers are going to be located in Prince George's County? The County will be building 21 towers in Prince George's County as part of this public safety communication network. In addition to the proposed site at the City's Public Works yard, staff was informed that the County also proposes to construct a tower on the old Nash property at the corner of Route 50 and Route 3/301, just outside the City limits. There are no other locations that will have such a direct impact on the City of Bowie. For Homeland Security purposes, the County does not want to
distribute a map of these County sites. However, they are willing to share with individual residents where these locations are within the County.

· One resident also wished to see a list of what alternative sites were investigated in and around the proposed Public Works site. The County has agreed to meet with the resident who expressed this concern to review other sites investigated.

· One resident indicated that they would like to see the balloon test flown when the trees are without leaves and on either a Saturday or Sunday when people are home from work. From this resident's perspective, this would give the people living in these communities a more complete picture of the visual impact
of this tower. Staff has discussed this possibility with Prince George's County. While the County is willing to consider this additional balloon test, there are some project timing issues and weather consideration issues to flying a balloon

after the trees have lost their foliage that will need to be worked out. Included in package are several pictures taken that show the visibility of the balloon when it was flown on September 18th. For the most part, the balloon was not visible from the residential community. However, as demonstrated by these pictures, there were locations where the balloon was visible. Should the balloon be flown later this year, the City will notify the complete communities of Idlewild, Yorktown and Overbrook, since there were some locations where the balloon was visible beyond the 500-foot mailing limit.

· One resident was concerned about this tower being located in the O-S Zone adjacent to the Rural Tier and Patuxent River. Towers of this nature are allowed by right in the O-S Zone when constructed on governmental property for governmental purposes. Also, the County will have an environmental assessment performed of this site and has agreed to share this with the resident expressing concerns about this issue.

· Finally, a letter objecting to the tower was shared by a resident that was written by another resident unable to attend the Stakeholders Meeting. The County is preparing a response to this letter to address the issues raised by this letter.

Because of the issues raised by citizens attending this meeting, staff has removed this item from the October 3rd City Council Agenda. We will continue to work through these issues with both the residents and County and will place this on a future City Council agenda once these issues have been addressed.

2. Woodson Landing Stakeholders Meeting (DSP #06042)

The attached memorandum provides a summary of the discussion that took place at this week's Stakeholders Meeting for the 15-lot Woodson Landing project, proposed on 11 undeveloped acres between the Tall Oaks Crossing and Twelve Oaks subdivisions.