The Greenbelt City Council met Monday, February 2 for a worksession focused primarily on proposed state legislative bills deemed relevant to Greenbelt. Council also considered Maryland’s recently published 2030 Housing Production Targets, heard about the programs of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area (ATHA) and advocacy against a proposed data center from the No Landover Data Center group. City Manager Josué Salmerón updated council on persistent snow and ice remediation issues.
Legislative Bills
Just over two weeks into the legislative session, council agreed there were too many bills proposed in Maryland’s Senate and House of Delegates to be discussed individually by council. An exhaustive tracking document was displayed (available on the council website) and Councilmember Jenni Pompi was prepared to recommend which bills merit Greenbelt’s action or monitoring.
Referring to a meeting on Friday, January 30 with the city’s legislative consultants, Darrell Carrington (state) and Jim Tarlow (county), Pompi said Carrington was asked to provide a more consolidated list. For the bills she noted, Pompi provided brief summaries, action recommendations and relevance to Greenbelt.
Mayor Emmett Jordan looked forward to receiving more perspective from Carrington, praising the consultant’s sense of which bills have legs and of the mood and timing of the House and Senate.
Salmerón, noting councilmembers’ wish to support bills of Greenbelt’s delegates, offered to track their bills separately so support can be readily offered. Pompi noted that it being early in the session, there will be more bills, stressing the importance of tracking additions and changes.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver recommended that the bills discussed during the meeting be reconciled into a list of those recommended for support, and that the list be voted on during the regularly scheduled council meeting the following week, in order to, as she put it, “keep the process clean.”
Councilmember Silke Pope asked that bills recommended for monitoring also be tracked, even if council will not be voting on them.
J Davis, former Greenbelt mayor and former president of the Maryland Municipal League (MML), participated remotely. Davis monitors the Legislative Committee of the MML and advised council to coordinate with them. She provided a list of bills, available on the MML website, that MML is acting on or monitoring, and suggested alignment. “If they are strongly opposed to something,” she said, “there may be more to it than you think.”
Bills under Consideration
Visit this link – Council on Legislation TABLE – to see a table summarizing council’s position on numerous bills. In addition, the following items provoked lively discussion among councilmembers, particularly those relating to speed monitoring of traffic.
Regarding HB0107 and speed monitoring, Salmerón offered background about Maryland and Virginia motorists fined while driving in Washington, D.C. while Jordan wished for more parity of penalty amounts, which Pope found unlikely. Greenbelt’s fine structure is a successful incentive to drive safely, Pope said, whereas, Pompi added, fines levied in D.C. are an ongoing source of funds to that city.
In relationship to speed safety corridors (HB0256), Salmerón referenced certain stretches of road such as Kenilworth Avenue where he felt speed monitoring could provide safety benefits.
Jordan also noted a group of Prince George’s County delegation bills concerning alcohol sales in various venues, and requested monitoring of those.
The proposed HB0254, concerning inclusive community adaptation, which could provide grants for flooding, stormwater management, heat mitigation and resilience planning, created some interest. “We’re dealing with a lot of stormwater management here in center city as well as in Greenbelt East,” Councilmember Danielle McKinney observed. “A lot of our properties are dealing with heat issues, so anything that could potentially create grants and additional funding would be helpful.”
Other bills considered worthy of continued monitoring were SB0349 concerning vehicle laws, SB0350 concerning public schools and SB0351 concerning private passenger vehicle insurance usage monitoring.
ATHA Opportunities
Meagan Baco, executive director of ATHA, delivered a presentation about their programs, collaborations and available grants. ATHA promotes community tourism, public history, trail connectivity, public art and capital investments.
In the nation’s semiquincentennial year, Baco encouraged attention to “… how Prince George’s County can uniquely commemorate 250 years of remarkable history, with its own ups and downs, and we’ve taken great pride in having that be particularly inclusive and grassroots.”
In the past, ATHA has helped fund the Greenbelt Cinema, historic cemeteries, Greenbelt Online and Recreation arts programs. Baco recommended $5,000 Rocket Grants to jumpstart new ideas.
Jordan asked Baco about capital investment for large projects, for example renovation of the armory building or Greenbelt’s historic high school (now Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, though to be vacated by Prince George‘s County Public Schools within a few years). Baco offered ATHA’s guidance and suggested seeking a Rocket Grant for planning and ultimately a Maryland Heritage Area grant for capital investment.
2030 Housing Target
The State of Maryland recently issued guidance and workforce projections related to conversion of residential properties to higher-density housing. Jordan observed that this primarily concerns zoning, and Greenbelt “does not really have planning and zoning authority.” However, Councilmember Frankie Fritz suggested, “There are a lot of opportunities for infill development and redevelopment, especially in the longer term when there’s a little more certainty about the Metro site.”
Data Center Opposition
Paul Howe from Colmar Manor, a member of the No Landover Data Center group, addressed council about data center opposition. Data centers, he said, run 24/7, producing air and noise pollution. He said the task force charged with approving the data center (Qualified Data Center Task Force, whose presentation is available on the County Council website) did not sufficiently consider opposition views and he requested Greenbelt’s support.
Snow Operations
Salmerón praised the efforts of Public Works, who dealt with snow and ice for 12 days straight. He also cited city administration efforts to prompt commercial property managers to speed up snow clearance operations.
Jordan expressed concerns about uncleared areas, especially where the State Highway Administration arguably has responsibility. Several councilmembers reported complaints from constituents in different locations about snow impeding streets, sidewalks and bus stops, creating hazards for pedestrians and especially students. Salmerón described varied responses from management companies, and agreed to follow up.
