TO: City Council
FROM: David J. Deutsch, City Manager
SUBJECT: Status Report/Council Poll
DATE: January 18, 2007
Status Report
1. Police Department Update
The Police Chief will give a verbal report at the Council Worksession Monday
night.
2. Melford Conceptual Site Plan #06002
On Thursday, January 11th, the Prince George's County Planning Board conducted
a public hearing on CSP #06002, a mixed-use development plan for Melford
that includes 866 residential units. The M-NCPPC staff recommended approval
of the plan with 41 conditions. City staff was among those speaking in
opposition to the Conceptual Site Plan. At the conclusion of the Planning
Board's hearing, Vice Chairman William Eley moved to approve the CSP
with revised conditions. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jesse
Clark
and passed unanimously. Several of the revised conditions resulted from
testimony presented by former City Councilman Dick Padgett, as follows:
(1) the staff-recommended 25% maximum cap on senior housing units was
eliminated; (2) a condition requiring 50% of the parking for multi-family
uses to be
structured parking was amended to specify "a minimum" of fifty
percent; and, (3) a condition requiring a 30-foot landscaped buffer between
the development and US 50, if research and development flex space is
proposed, was amended to require the 30-foot buffer regardless of the
type of development
proposed. In addition, Chairman Samuel Parker added a condition to reaffirm
the maximum 30% residential square footage threshold guideline contained
in the Bowie and Vicinity Master Plan, thus binding the approved CSP
to adhere to this standard.
3. Planning Board Results
Today, the Prince George's County Planning Board conducted a public hearing
on Preliminary Subdivision Plan #4-06103 for the Lonergan Property, located
on the east side of Church Road, south of US 50. (The City Council conducted
a public hearing on this case on Tuesday, January 16th.) The applicant, Lonergan Development,
Inc., is proposing to create 15 residential building lots, using conventional
lotting standards, on a 24.18-acre site, which is zoned R-E
(Residential Estate). (Prior to the City beginning its presentation, Chairman
Parker complimented City staff for the structure and organization of the
staff report and the manner in which the conclusions, recommendations and
conditions
were logically arranged.) During the testimony portion of the public hearing,
staff presented the City's letter, conditions, reasons and conclusions for
developing the recommendation, noting the Council's attention and concern
for payment of developer fee-in-lieu contributions for improvements in the
Church Road corridor in the vicinity of the subject property. Park and Planning
staff countered by stating that the County has no legal basis for requiring
payment of such a fee-in-lieu when the property has no frontage on a County
road and the nearest intersection that is impacted by the project is fully
funded for improvement. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Planning
Board voted to approve the Preliminary Subdivision Plan. The motion for approval
was made by Member Eley, which included two (2) of the City's conditions
that dealt with preservation of specimen trees on the site being identified
on the
TCP-II and grading the site toward wetlands, stream corridors and tree preservation
areas to benefit wildlife. Vice Chairman Eley's motion, which was seconded
by Member Clark, passed unanimously.