[RP TownTalk] Route 1

[David Lingua]

Dear Kate and Joe,
 Thank you for attending this meeting and providing a briefing. CM
Walker, CM Kimbrough and I were holding a public works committee
meeting at the same time. Mr. Williams presentation was on our minds.
Sincerely,
CM David Lingua

On 7/22/08, Kate Kelly <kelly.kate at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> 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