750 Apartments and New Main Street Emerge at Beltway Plaza
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Inside Stories GREENBELT GAC presents Take home a piece News ReviewAn Independent Newspaper Gallathea, p.7 of history, p.6 VOL. 84, No. 36 15 Crescent Rd., Suite 100, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1887 JULY 29, 2021 750 Apartments and New Main New Deal Café – Take Four? A Cooperative Point of View Street Emerge at Beltway Plaza by Cathie Meetre by Edith J. Beauchamp Este artículo está disponible presentations or community out- attendees; another presentation is en español en nuestra página reach events took place at the planned for residents of Greenbelt web www.greenbeltnewsreview. mall last week (Monday, July 19 Station this week. Presenters will com. and Tuesday, July 20), conducted review what city planners and A major transformative recon- by Marc “Kap” Kapastin, director council have already seen in mul- struction of Beltway Plaza into a of Government and Community tiple design phases and literally mixed-use residential, retail and Relations for Quantum Compa- years of worksession meetings, new recreational hub may finally nies (owners/managers of Belt- with serious work by the city Ad- get underway in late Spring or way Plaza), and Alex Villegas of visory Planning Board, the Park early Summer 2022 pending the Rodgers Consulting, a civil engi- and Recreation Advisory Board final “go” on a three-year plan- neer and architect for stormwater and city staff. ning process in which the City of management, land management Three new rental apart- Greenbelt has played a key role. and traffic design for the proj- ment buildings will be con- The Greenbelt City Council will ect, among other contributions. structed along with a dedicated be asked for that final go vote at These were the first of several 27,000-square-foot recreation fa- their Monday, August 9, 8 p.m. events to introduce the coming cility and a hotel. The recreation SIGNORINI MELISSA BY PHOTO meeting. development to the public. Each facility – big enough for indoor Dan Gillotte is hard at work in the revitalized New Deal Café. Two well-advertised public presentation had just under 20 soccer, for example – will be There’s more to the New gels, sugar, milk, vegetables and dedicated to the city for public Deal’s new deal than meets the meat for food service are merely use, but each apartment build- eye. One can, perhaps, take for an increment to what the Co-op ing will also have its own rec- granted that two cooperatives already buys – resulting in lower Capital Bikeshare: A Test Ride reational amenities for residents cooperating confers the square of costs for operations and more including pools, gyms and event by Kyla Hanington the benefit from just one coop- potential profit for all. The Co-op spaces. erative operating alone. In fact, has deep refrigerator pockets. The mall will remain open for however, the realities are, if that’s Transparency See BELTWAY PLAZA, page 12 possible, even more intriguing. The Café’s operation will be The new Café venture is not run as a separate cost center for just a feel-good thing but a solid the Co-op, so for the accounting- business proposition designed to minded, just like the deli, the cut both ways and benefit both pharmacy and the beer and wine, the Greenbelt Co-op Supermar- tallies of how well the Café does ket and Pharmacy and the New are kept separate and visible, so Deal Café as they set out on this Co-op members can have trans- adventure together. Let us not to parency into how well the food National Night Out the marriage of true minds admit service venture is going in con- Tuesday, August 3 impediment. trast to the past when the food The Co-op grocery store has operations were privately run. Beltway Plaza, 6 p.m. to 8 significant buying power for in- The New Deal benefits from p.m., in rear of Target park- gredients and disposables that re- a food service provider that is ing lot. sults in discounts far beyond the nearby and cost effective with Hunting Ridge Community scale of those accessible to the ready access to discounted sup- 6:30 to 8 p.m., 6914 Hanover New Deal’s food service alone. plies. The Co-op benefits from Parkway. The additional cups, coffee, ba- See NEW DEAL, page 8 PHOTO BY DANIEL R. HAMLIN DANIEL BY PHOTO Kyla gets on her rental bike. Like everyone else I have Road, thinking about how much I noticed Capital Bikeshare rental hate my life.” stations popping up around town As Dan drove me to the Capi- and unlike everyone else I’ve tal Bikeshare station on Crescent thought, “Now there is something Road near the Municipal Build- I will never do, rent a bike from ing and the Community Center, I one station and ride it jauntily asked him if I actually needed to through the streets to another sta- rent the bike. tion.” Me: I mean, this article has Not that I am opposed to this pretty much written itself. in any way, quite the opposite. Dan: Yes, you do. Bikes are cool. But what I am Me: Freedom of the press! is rather terrifically out of shape Dan: … and peddling a bike that is cer- tain to be heavy, that hasn’t been See BIKESHARE, page 12 maintained, tuned up, oiled and fit to my exact frame would be completely out of my reach. Greenbelt is many things, but it What Goes On isn’t flat and there was no way Monday, August 2 I could peddle a bikeshare bike 8 p.m. City Council Workses- from one end of it to another. sion: IT Strategic and Opera- So when the News Review tional Plan/Security called and said, “Hey, want to Wednesday, August 4 BARAVECHIA LASHEL BY PHOTO do a story about Capital Bike- 8 p.m. Council Worksession: share?” Obviously I said yes and The Greenbelt Babe Ruth 18U team rebounds from a 0-3 start to the season to finish with 6 wins Greenbelt Library and 5 losses behind a core group of players. Greenbelt Babe Ruth will return to the field with then was immediately filled with All meetings are virtual. overwhelming regret. Without a Fall season beginning in September. Back row from left, Coach Manny Ortiz, Justin Adames, See the meetings calendar at Cole Edmonds, Logan Beasley, Jaden Osborne, Antoine Franklin, Jr., Chris Hanna and Manager having even rented the bike, greenbeltmd.gov for agendas I began composing the article Ian Gleason; middle row from left, Matthew Baravechia, Coach Ruth Ann White, Joseph Kline, and information on public par- Tommy Hill and Diego Velasquez; front row from left, Andrew Jones, Bryce Jones, AJ Rizzo, in my head. It went something ticipation in these meetings. like this: “I rode along Crescent Atreece Gray and Anthony Robles. See more, p.11. Page 2 GREENBELT NEWS REVIEW Thursday, July 29, 2021 Service or Garden Side? Se Habla Español Letters to the Editor Vaya a nuestra página web greenbeltnewsreview.com Supports CBA cil Member, then chair, Todd para ver artículos en español. Turner, told me that there can With Police be a request from a respective The City of Greenbelt along municipal authority that a hous- with the Greenbelt Fraternal Or- ing proposal include a mixed der of Police (FOP) Lodge 32 income approach, as is in effect negotiated the current Collective county-wide in Montgomery and Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in Fairfax Counties, (though no such good faith. policy exists in Prince George’s I fully support the current County). Ten percent of a pro- CBA as drafted. However, it ap- posed housing development must pears some members of Council be affordable for working class object. At the July 12 coun- applicants in the mixed income cil meeting, Mayor Colin Byrd approach. I believe that this See our website, raised objections regarding the policy has been in effect for greenbeltnewsreview.com, Law Enforcement Officers Bill of a good number of years. The for articles in Spanish. Rights (LEOBR) and felt its in- developers do get a tax break clusion in the Agreement should for making that happen but the be excluded. housing is truly mixed and their Mayor Byrd’s efforts to ex- proposed developments are not UMD Reporter clude the LEOBR language will built where the housing is divided adversely impact the current dis- Melissa Signorini, a Mary- by the wealth of the residents. It land journalism major soon to ciplinary process of the Police is unfortunate that despite Green- Department. The LEOBR has graduate, is an intern writing belt’s recommendation several for the News Review. been an integral piece of past years ago that this be part of the CBAs and its inclusion in the overall approach to housing, it B. Glee current CBA should be preserved. was not adopted by our county. The LEOBR affords protection While I’ve not been able to from unwarranted complaints and learn more, my housing profes- affords other legal protections to sor at the University of Maryland members of the FOP under state supported the idea that our city Letters Policy law. The current LEOBR remains at least explore this possibility. Deadline for letters is 6 p.m. Monday. Submission does not in effect until July 2022. These Greenbelt’s foundation, which Mail Subscription guarantee publication. Letters should be no longer than 300 protected rights may be amended we celebrate every year, was Price Increase words (shorter letters are more likely to be published). in future state legislative sessions. that folks who were not wealthy Effective August 1, 2021, the Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, civility and Therefore, it is extremely impor- would be able to live in our city.