[RP TownTalk] Fwd: Route 1

[Kate Kelly]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Kate Kelly <kelly.kate at verizon.net>
> Date: July 22, 2008 7:20:36 PM EDT
>
> Subject: Route 1
>
> July 22, 2008
>
> To: Vernon Archer, Mayor
>        Alice Ewen Walker, Councilwoman
> From: Joe and Kate Kelly
> Re: Sector plan and sectional map amendment, central U.S. 1 corridor
>
>
> Joe Kelly and I went to the University Park town meeting last  
> night. Chad Williams of MNCPPC presented a short overview of his  
> project to create a new sector plan and sectional map amendment for  
> Route 1 from USDA’s southern boundary to East-West Highway in  
> Riverdale Park.
>
> I found some of his presentation unclear because he did not define  
> many of the terms he used, but the upshot seems to be that Park and  
> Planning has assembled a group of planners and engineers who are  
> going to study the traffic on the road and develop one or several  
> proposals to fix current and anticipated traffic problems. All of  
> it is on a quick timeline (three weeks until they begin).
>
> The plan extends the area to be examined from College Avenue in  
> College Park, which was the southern boundary the last time one of  
> these studies was done, further south to Route 410. Instead of  
> including just the street, the new area includes the entire Cafritz  
> property. All of the parcel is included, not just the portion that  
> fronts Route 1. That is the only large property included in its  
> entirety. Otherwise, the new area included was about the equivalent  
> of a standard lot’s depth on either side of Route 1 from College  
> Avenue to East-West Highway.
>
> Joe and I strongly recommend that you get in touch with Mr.  
> Williams and invite him to address the town right away. He  
> indicated last night that he would need to hear from local elected  
> bodies by the third week in August to have any input about the  
> projects’ boundaries. And if the town's do not know about the plan,  
> obviously, there's no way they can voice an opinion. Absent that, I  
> gather, Park and Planning may draw whatever boundaries it believes  
> are necessary.
>
> We have several concerns:
>
> First is the lack of a comprehensive approach. If the pressures of  
> current and anticipated development are the issue, the scope ought  
> to be expanded to include all of the development that will bring  
> new traffic to Route 1.
>
> Second, there was no indication that the services of local  
> professionals, who presumably would have a solid working knowledge  
> of the area and its problems, had been sought in the process that  
> was used to assemble the consultant team.
>
> Third, the inclusion of the whole Cafritz property is troubling  
> because it could be used to advance the developer’s argument that a  
> rezoning is justified. If the new map facilitates that property’s  
> rezoning, then rezoning all of the current residential properties  
> that border Route 1 will become a simple matter. University Park  
> seems to be foursquare against the boundary change for that reason  
> if no other. As I understand it, Mayor Tabori’s suggestion is that  
> if need be the boundary could be extended, but that no property of  
> any kind should be included on either side of the existing physical  
> street. We agree.
>
> Finally, there is an apparent lack of commitment to what is now  
> called “transparency.” I’m not completely sure why he was  
> presenting the material at the University Park town meeting, but he  
> seemed to have no similar appointments in College Park or Riverdale  
> Park. We think it is important for the town to be closely involved  
> in this project or risk living with whatever decisions are made  
> without our input.
>
> Here’s his contact information:
>
> Chad Williams
> Project Manager
> chad.williams at ppd.mncppc.org
> www.mncppc.org/pgco
>
> As I understand it, more detailed information about the plan is  
> available here: http://www.mncppc.org/cpd/CPapproved.htm.
>
> I haven’t read it yet, but I will. Also, there are two local blogs  
> that are following development up and down Route 1. Each of them  
> offers good information and might help all of us to share more from  
> town to town:
> Route One Growth: http://route1growth.wordpress.com/
> Rethink College Park: http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/library/ 
> route-1-corridor-sector-plan/
>
>
> Thanks for your attention,
> Kate and Joe Kelly

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