Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Mayor Andrew Fellows broke a tie vote of the City Council Tuesday night.
The College Park City Council rejected a motion Tuesday night to appeal last month's District Council approval of the Cafritz property rezoning plan. Mayor Andrew Fellows broke a tie vote of the council, which split 4-4 on the measure. The city faced an Aug. 17 deadline to file an appeal. Councilmembers Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1), Monroe Dennis (Dist. 2), Robert Day (Dist. 3), and Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3) supported an appeal, while councilmembers Fazul Kabir (Dist. 1), Bob Catlin (Dist. 2), Marcus Afzali (Dist. 3), and Denise Mitchell (Dist. 4) were opposed. Though Mitchell and Afzali both voted against the project when it came before the council in January, Afzali said Tuesday that he did not support the use of municipal resources for …
Friday, July 20, 2012
The developer's rezoning plan cleared its final legislative hurdle last week.
In the gallery at right, you'll find a PDF of Zoning Ordinance No. 11-2012—otherwise known as the District Council's approval of the Cafritz rezoning plan. By a 7-2 margin, the developer's far-reaching proposal was approved by the council in substantial form on July 10 and formally enacted on July 12. After 30-plus hours of hearings and debate, members ultimately decided to adopt all of the conditions recommended by the Prince George County Planning Board, which were in turn based on agreements worked out between the Cafritz team and surrounding municipalities. (Read a full rundown of those conditions here.) Councilmembers Andrea Harrison (Dist. 5), Will Campos (Dist. 2), Ingrid M. Turner (Dist. 4), Derrick Leon David (Dist. 6), Karen R. …
Monday, July 9, 2012
By a 7-2 vote, the controversial mixed-use rezoning proposal cleared its final major legislative hurdle Monday.
Editor's Note: The District Council concluded its proceedings on the Cafritz project Monday in Upper Marlboro. Below is an archive of Patch's live coverage. ----- 4:54 p.m.: Bye for now! With that, the council has adjourned. 4:53 p.m.: APPROVED The Prince George's County District Council has approved the Cafritz rezoning plan by a 7-2 vote. Stay tuned for more coverage. 4:47 p.m.: Clarification People's Zoning Counsel Stan Brown clarifies the effect of Campos' motion, which would "approve planning board decision and all of its stated conditions" without modification. 4:42 p.m.: Motion to approve Campos has made a motion to approve the Cafritz plan. There's a bit of confusion about the precise wording required. 4:38 p.m.: Motion to deny …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Residents, officials and attorneys provided testimony and closing arguments at the sixth and final district council hearing for Cafritz.
5:20 p.m.: Hearing is Adjourned Seven hours after it began today, the hearing before the Prince George's County District Council is adjourned--without a continuance. Before Harrison dropped the gavel, People's Counsel Stan Brown provided a closing argument. He reminded listeners that his role does not involve supporting one side or the other. Among his points: He noted that the planning board took more than its allowable 105 days to submit a recommendation to the district council, which "is not fatal to this application, but it is there," he said. He also said that the planning board's recommendation came with conditions rather than the allowable modifications. "One could argue the planning board decision is erroneous because it allows for…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Proceedings will resume Monday at 11 a.m. in Upper Marlboro.
Another six hours of testimony, yet there was still no decision regarding the rezoning of the Cafritz property. The hearing will resume Monday in Upper Marlboro, making it the fifth in a series of meetings that have lasted anywhere from six to 12 hours each. The Prince George's County District Council must decide whether or not the 37-acre property on the northern end of Riverdale Park should become mixed-use town center zoning over its current residential zoning. A proposed $226 million dollar project hangs in the balance— a project which would include a 120-room hotel, 990 housing units, office and commercial space including a Whole Foods. Yet some residents in Riverdale Park, University Park and neighboring communities are voicing their…
Monday, April 30, 2012
The District Council spent nearly 12 hours Monday hearing testimony and weighing the merits of the developer's controversial rezoning proposal.
The District Council's hearing on the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property resumed Monday in Upper Marlboro. Below is a summary of the procedings. --- 9:57 p.m.: See you Friday Almost 12 hours after it began, chair Andrea Harrison takes the Cafritz hearing into recess until this Friday, May 4 at 10 a.m. 9:54 p.m.: No need to strike Chief zoning hearing examiner Maureen Epps-Web says that because the council had the opportunity to cross-examine Dr. Fuller, she does not believe his report needs to be stricken from the record. Chair Andrea Harrison notes that she is "troubled" by the lack of supporting information offered by Fuller, and that she will decide on the question Friday morning. 9:51 p.m.: 'Into the 21st century' University …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The District Council will resume proceedings Friday morning with the intention of recessing quickly to another date.
The District Council hearing on the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property went into recess Wednesday afternoon after more than five hours of proceedings. Below is a recap. --- 5:06 p.m.: Recess The Cafritz hearing is now in recess until 10 a.m. Friday, at which time—according to Chair Andrea Harrison—the District Council will attempt to recess quickly to later date (TBD). 4:53 p.m.: 'The threat of Whole Foods' After extended debate about balancing the board's legal commitment to meet on Friday (as advertised) and the desire of residents to prepare for an evidentiary hearing, Chair Andrea Harrison brings some clarity to the matter. She says the board will meet this Friday, April 13 and attempt to recess quickly to a later, yet-to-be-…
Monday, September 12, 2011
A flooding incident Thursday left two feet of water in Upper Marlboro building.
The county administration building in Upper Marlboro will remain closed Monday to the public after it flooded last Thursday. Nearly two feet of water entered the lower levels of the building around 11 a.m. Thursday. Employees who work on the lower levels should report to pack up their offices. Although the county courthouse and sheriff's office were closed Thursday and Friday, they will reopen Monday. Due to the admin building's closure, the District Council's meeting scheduled for Monday and Tuesday have been moved to the parks and planning building at 6600 Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale.
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Peggy Anne
11:56 pm on Friday, August 17, 2012
I like the trees. Let the trees live there. Who needs more housing ?? Why should the cash crop be more and more people piled on top of each other ? I would hate to see the surrounding area even more frantic and congested. Hasn't it been through enough "restructuring" ? I wish I could turn the clock back to 1954. more ›