GREENBELT News ReviewAn Independent Newspaper VOL. 71, No. 31 15 Crescent Rd., Suite 100, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1887 JUNE 19, 2008 Council Worksession Explores Here Are the Facts In an effort to correct misinformation published in an editorial in another local newspaper, the Gazette, the city had written the Greenbelt Station Possibilities following letter to the Gazette for their June 5 issue. The letter, which has yet to appear in that publication, is being printed in the by James Giese Greenbelt News Review and is on the city’s website in order to get the widest possible circulation. The Greenbelt City Council Scott noted that a large amount Greenbelt West was not completed held another of its stakeholder of acreage around Metro stations when AIMCO’s plans to redevelop To the Editor of the Gazette: worksessions on June 11, this time is ready to be developed. SHA the Springhill Lake apartments fell In your May 22 editorial “Finding a Voice,” the Gazette took with representatives of the Wash- wants to be a partner with WMA- apart. note that the Springhill Lake neighborhood of Greenbelt does not ington Metropolitan Area Transit TA, he said. Parking have any representation on the Greenbelt City Council and took Authority (WMATA), operators Scott also praised Nat Bot- The city council particularly is the City’s at-large voting system to task. However, the Gazette’s of the Metro transit lines and area tigheimer, chief WMATA spokes- concerned that the proposed plan editorial has numerous factual errors that need to be corrected. bus service. Also present at their person at the meeting, who previ- for Greenbelt Station includes one First, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, the Springhill Lake request were representatives of ously had worked for SHA. large parking structure to replace neighborhood does not have 10,000 residents. It had 6,443 resi- Petrie Ross Ventures (PRV), the Opening the meeting, Green- existing station parking. In the dents or 30 percent of Greenbelt’s population. There has been no designated developer of WMATA’s belt Mayor Judith Davis asked preliminary plan, this large build- Census update since then. Second, the Gazette says “there has Greenbelt Metro Station property. Bottigheimer, “What is a transit- ing would be adjacent to the main never been a black council member or representation from Sprin- Plans call for a mixed use, transit- oriented development?” north-south connector road within ghill Lake” on the City Council. This is not correct. Three past oriented community called Green- He responded that he viewed it the development. Council members were Springhill Lake residents when they were belt Station North Core. as a pedestrian-oriented develop- Councilmember Rodney Rob- elected. One of them, Gil Weidenfeld, served 22 years on Council, In the past WMATA officials ment. “If you take all stakehold- erts referred to a similar massive including 15 as Mayor. Also, two current council members have have been reluctant to meet with ers and a station, get them all parking structure at the College called Springhill Lake home in the past. As to there being no officials from local jurisdictions together and have them state their Park Metro station as “ugly.” black Council members, only two African-Americans have run in in this type of venue. WMATA’s goals for the site, you will come Director of Planning and Com- the past 30 years. willingness to meet with Greenbelt up with a smart-growth solution,” munity Development Celia Craze Third, it is alleged “the complex is left out of the loop during representatives was described by he said. Davis responded that she noted the city’s objections to Met- campaign season.” This is far from true. Since 1991, the City has Andy Scott of the Maryland State looked for such a development ro’s insistence that station parking had a program that provides locations for city election candidates Highway Administration (SHA), to be designed for mixed-income must be separate from other park- to post their campaign signs. There were nine locations citywide who was present at the meeting, occupancy as well as for mixed ing, not shared with other devel- – three in Springhill Lake, three in Greenbelt East (east of the as a “sea change in how WMATA use, but it should also include opment uses and be in one place, Baltimore-Washington Parkway), and three in center Greenbelt. does things.” Scott believes that arts and recreation. Davis also not scattered throughout the area. In the last election, 15 locations were identified, with five each in WMATA’s new involvement will, expressed concern about school A further complication stems Springhill Lake and the other two areas. Also for the past three in the end, get projects that are needs. She noted that a board from the city’s agreement with elections, sample ballots were produced and mailed by the city to better and done sooner. of education study of needs for PRV on site development, which each household in Greenbelt that had a registered voter in resi- specified that parking structures dence. The sample ballot was in addition to the notices sent out not front on the major roads at prior to each election by the County Board of Elections. City Reports on Overpass the Metro Station. PRV thus Finally, the editorial says the neighborhood is “overlooked by considers as one possible solution the system.” This statement is blatantly false. Springhill Lake has Public Safety Action Plan placing store fronts adjacent to the same access to city services as other residents and in a number Citizen concerns about public to keep it clear of undergrowth. the parking structure along the of cases receives more. For example, in addition to regular police safety in the vicinity of Garden- The National Park Service made north-south road. coverage, there is also an additional police officer assigned to the way and the Spellman Overpass repairs to holes in the fencing in Councilmember Edward Putens, Springhill Lake neighborhood due to a public-private partnership were addressed in the city’s first January and there have been no after learning that WMATA sought between the City and AIMCO, the owners of the apartment com- quarterly report on its action plan subsequent reports of problems. plex. Springhill Lake is home to one of the City’s two recreation to make public safety-related Also the memorial plaque will See COUNCIL, page 6 centers, and Greenbelt CARES holds one of its family support pro- improvements in the vicinity of be relocated and the existing grams at Springhill Lake Elementary in order to make participation Gardenway and the Spellman base will be removed in the next Candidates Sought easier for interested families. Overpass. couple of months. For Cassels Award In short, the City of Greenbelt has and will continue to support Incidents of crime in that area Regarding education/outreach, The Greenbelt Consumer Co- the residents of Springhill Lake. The City Council will hold a pub- last year raised public concerns; the police department will con- operative is accepting applica- lic meeting with the NAACP and the ACLU on June 30, 2008, to the city’s advisory boards agreed duct a community meeting co- tions for the 3rd Annual Jim Cas- hear their concerns about the City’s voting system. The meeting will to study the issue and make rec- hosted by the Public Safety Ad- sels Community Service Award be held in the Greenbelt Municipal Building starting at 7 p.m. ommendations to council. From visory Committee (PSAC), prob- to recognize an organization or Michael McLaughlin, City Manager those recommendations council ably at the August 13 meeting group that has made significant developed an action plan that was of PSAC. Residents in the area contributions to the Greenbelt approved on February 11. will be able to sign up for email community. It will take the form The quarterly report ad- crime alerts at the meeting. A of a $1,000 grant to be used for SHL Purchase Is Expected dressed police presence, main- letter will be hand-delivered to a project or activity during the tenance, education/outreach, each home in the vicinity noting following year and will be given To Take Place on June 25 emergency call boxes, security the meeting and the department’s on the basis of the application Empire American Holdings, est privately-owned multifam- cameras and improved lighting. effort to address residents’ con- and subsequent consideration by LLC of Montvale, N.J., plans ily property owners with nearly Regarding police presence, one cerns. a panel comprised of members of to take over Springhill Lake on 40,000 residential units in 17 or both school resource officers The ordering and installation the cooperative. June 25, it has been learned. A states. The company also has have been monitoring activity of call boxes and security cam- Throughout his many years privately-owned holding com- commercial properties. A sub- in the area of the overpass and eras will be completed as soon in the Greenbelt community, Jim pany, Empire has said it will sidiary company is Empire In- paths leading to it every day, as a schedule is established for Cassels was an outstanding co- buy the property from AIMCO surance Holdings which owns at the beginning and end of the Comcast to install the phone operator. Whether helping local (Apartment Investment and Man- four insurance agencies manag- school day. Police in the bike line. Installation is expected this groups, mentoring new coopera- agement Company) and rename ing more than 50,000 policies. unit, K-9 unit and general patrol month. tives, guiding the formation and it Empirian Village.