21 January 1965 Greenbelt News Review
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Qirctnhtlt City Council Stiffens Attitude 111 11) - . Towards Beltway Plaza Light by' Al Skolnik Reacting to proposals that the city of Greenbelt share in the ntWS ntUltW cost of installing traffic signals at the Beltway Plaza Shopping Center, city manager James K. Giese told council at its regular AN INDEPENDENT NEWSP.APll meeting ~st Monday that it was his. "firm opinion that the city Volume 29, Number 9 GREENBELT,. MARYLAND Thursday, January 21, 1965 has no obligation or responsibility- legal, moral, o'r otherwise to provide a t raffic signal · at Greenbelt Road and Cunningham Drive." '. BOARD OF DIRECTORS DISCUSSES. City To Gel $150,000 He -stated that the installation Heights. Opposing Cunningham of traffic signals falls outside the Drive is a private -driveway en · For Warehouse Site scope of city governmental func trance to a private establishment.'' GHl'S ROLE AS A COOPER ATIVE by Charles T. McDonald tions, since no city streets are in N o Authority - No Obligation by Sid Kastner In the early rpart of the regular volved. He explained that '"Green Giese declared that the city has The meeting of the Board of Directors of Greenbelt Homes, meeting of city council on Monday belt Rd. is a highway controlled no authority to !regulate traffu: Inc., on Thursday night, Jan. 14, was the occasion for a vigorous January 18, city manager Ja.mes and regulated by the State. Cun on State highways, on streets out side the corporate limits and with as K. Giese ireported that the Oourt ningham Drive is a street control and interesting debate on Gill's role a cooperative, triggered in another city, or on private driv by Director John O'Reilly's discussion of a Twin Pines suggestion had ruled on t'he condemnation suit led and regulated by Berwyn of tlhe city warehouse property by es. He concluded that "if the city for dealing with the resale problem. Among other items: the audit 1:!he Stat:e Roe.ids Commission and lacks authority, it must follow that committee submitted a letter to the board urging a closer relation tha.t Greenbelt will receive $150.000 it also lacks obligation." ship between management and members in matters of home im and be given two years to vacate, Greenbelt's Protest Giese also answered the argu provements; the manager's proposal to construct a boat and trail as compared with the $92,000 and ment that Beltway Plaza pays a er parking lot was approved; and director Stephen Polaschik ex immediate vacation originally of• 01 Apartments Fails large amount of truces. 'The city hibited a photographic record of trash-littered areas in our fair fered by SRC. This money will be provides certain services," he said, ( Reprinted from the city. _ needed to defray expenses involved "which are well-defined in the bud EVE NING STAR.) get. To pay for these services, it The Twin Pline,; cooperative iplan, Breashears and Ihle staff' to build in relO'cating the warehouses. Coun A Priruce Geoi;,ges County judge is authorized to levy a tax against according to O'Reilly, would enable a parking lot for (initially 10 boats) cil discussed a report of the Ad bas ruled that the City of Green all real property ... It is not in a member to :purohase equity in a or trailers. The total cost, including V'isory Planning Board on e.lterna belt, because it is 1.5 miles away, tended that any parcel of proper ihome tor only (for ex:ample) $300 lighting and f-encing, was estimated tive sites for this relocation, and !hM no right to appeal rezoning of ty should receive services equal to down; on moving out, the member at a,round $1,500. Eaoh owner would then iinstructed the city Jll3Jlager to 150 acres for an apartment-indus the amount of taxes it pays." would receive just the original $300. 'be given a key to the main gate, investigate the lp()SS~bility of ac t rial complex it oppo11es near the Touching on the question of who Eventually, a future owner would and the yearly rate would be $36 quiring bhe Greenbelt Atrrr:u>cy iprc,p Goddard Space Flight Center. should pay for the lights, Giese not have to :po.y any equity and (this figure is not yet definite). erty. Circuit Court J udge Roscoe H. noted that just as the city requires the eoofperat:ive would assume own- O'Rel1ly and Burgoon noted that City Managffl" Giese called atten '.f?8rl]r;er yesterday upheld the de developers to pay tor the cost ot erahip o! tlhe !house. The program matters eucll as insurance, zoning tion to the J aeger High-:Rlise Apart murrer of the Prince Gec,rges Coun constructing n ~w city streets of could be otrered voluntarily. O'Reilly regulations and licensing should be ment zoning case that will be tried ty Commissioners Which contended benefit to themselves, so does the qualified his support of this plan looked Into . From the audience, before the Court of. Appeals on Greenbelt is not an aggrieved par State Roads Commission have the with the view that the usual re- Seymour Kaplan 'broug,}it out, dur Thursday, Jan. 21. 'Dhe city solicitor ty to the rezoning granted by the right to expect developers to pay financing program should be avail- mg the discussion of tihis item, that had indicated tlha.t taklin&" an appeal for n ew signals. OOill.IIl.d.ssioners to the M.A.T.~Land able a so, so tlhat members would a local Parking Cooperative bad by opponents to a zoning request li!s Solicitor's Report Oo. last October. be free to chOCX'le !or themselves. been formed. which was ready to a.n infrequent circumstance and The council also heard a report Through attorney Joseph A. De Director Ed Burgoon was peesi- undertake the operation of. such a there are only a limited number of from its city solicitor Thomas R. Paul, the City of Greenbelt oruiosed, millltic that sudh a program would parking fot; the iboMd'i! ·teeing cases to offer '8l9 a preoedent. Brooks rega rding the city's powers the rezoning at a 'hearing Aug. 21, work anywhere ,but in N ew York !however WtaS that the lot's use in the dispute. Brooks advised Other Busine11s 1964, before the commissioners. De City, where a serious shortaig'e of should be limited to Gm members, tha t the city has no authority to 'I1he 1965 legisla tive program of Paul argued that even thouglh the homes existed. Director N a t Shin- since lit was d esigned to solve a the Maryla nd Munici,pa.l League and ban left -hand turns out 'Of Belt tracl wa.s outside city limits, it way Plaza without t he permission derman felt tiha t people who own GiIII problem. Thia condition was the s ep8iI'ate Princ e Georges Chap would generate heavy traffic over their own th.om.es have more in- ind uded in a motion by -director ter :Municipal League program was of the Sta te Roads Comm iss ion, inadequate roads. He ia1so contended since Greenbelt R d. is a Stat e high• cenbive to !improve their property. Ckmld Gough to accept the man discussed and the manager was re tlhe rezoning was "premat ure." O 'Reilly countered by saying h e be quested to notify Prince Georges wa y. H e also advised council that Oontinued on p. 5 After the .commissione rs granted a writ of mandam us requir ing the lieved W ashington was "a great Continued on p. 4: tire zoning for 65 acres of garden city for renters," and t:h:at it wasn't SRC to install a traffic light would apAt"tznenbs, 20 acres of -high-Tise not be proper since such a writ necessa.ril true that people who apartments a n d 65 acres of indus ren t don't ihave p ri,de in the house Green e t As s ew Library cannot be used to compel perform trial zoning. Greenbelt ask ed circuit ance of a power, the exercise of they live lin. An interesting dis court to review the action. which is discretiona ry. cussion followed, centered around County Atty. R obe1-t Mathias ar Mayor Edgar Smith revealed the question of just how m uah of From County's Bond Issue gued a t e. hearing yesterday that that discuss ions . have begun be by David Swrn ~ c~rative should Gill be to fill Greenbelt ll,ad .. ~o Tight to aJppeal tween the develpper of Beltsway 1lhe needs of its m embers. Councilman Clifford Simonson asked that planning funds for beca use the rezoned tract ds 1.5 P laza - First Natipna l Realty Cor Audit Oommittee a hew Greenbelt Library be included in a million-dollar 'library miles from.the n:ea~t city limits. poration - and the city with r es , , ,T he a udit committee's letter urged bond jssue at a public hearing of the ·Prince Georges County de "There is no allegation tha.t the pect to the light. Council indicated the· establishment of "policies and (city) owns property in the immed tha t it would consider at its next .programs- which ·w ill encourage legation to. the • Maryland Assembly on Wednesday, Jan. 13. ida te vicinity of the property zon meeting action requesting the SRC m em bers to utilize the assistance of Simonson was the spokesman for a group of . library-minded ed," he contended. to ban left-hand turns, unless fa m anagement in planning additions Greenbelters that included Mayor Edgar Smith1 the Rev.