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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Bruce<br>
<br>
They Mayor said that Jey must surrender and give up his property.
It's a shame that the Town of Riverdale Park is so unfriendly to
business in this Town. Can the Riverdale Park Business
Association assist Jey. Maybe Michael Herman will represent him.
He is representing two other business owners in Hyattsville for
the same issue.<br>
<br>
I find it appalling that the residents of Riverdale Park forgot
that there was a Dunkin Donuts shop on Route 1 next to the old
McDonalds for about 50 years. I remember going to buy donuts each
Sunday after Church in the late 1950's. I continue to purchase
donuts there until it closed. Dunkin Donuts was a fixture of
Riverdale Park, just like the White Castle Hamburger shop, Peelers
Dry Cleaners, the Riverdale Bicycle Shop and the old Shoe Repair
Shop. <br>
<br>
Hopefully Jey will Survive.<br>
<br>
<br>
James D. Holmes<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 3/3/2013 6:01 PM, Bruce Wernek wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Hi Jonathan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">While we are on
the subject of imminent domain, why has Jemal been spared?
His buildings have been vacant for almost as long. It
appears that Jemal is doing something, but so has Jey.
Jey’s cleaned up his place recently. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I can’t see the
difference between Jey and Jemal. To be honest, I feel more
confident about Jey getting something going vs Jemal given
his track record. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Bruce<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org">towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org</a>
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org">mailto:towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org</a>] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Jonathan W. Ebbeler<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Sunday, March 03, 2013 5:25 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:towntalk@riverdale-park.org">towntalk@riverdale-park.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [RP TownTalk] Jeys Auto 5731 Baltimore
Avenue<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hey Bruce – <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am going to have to quibble with a couple
of the points you brought up or at least offer my sentiments.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was not in town during the original
proposal you speak of so cannot comment on the events that
went down but the portrayal is factually inaccurate from a
zoning/land-use perspective. Prior to land being rezoned to
M-U-TC zoning in 2004 the land parcel was zoned C-S-C. When
the gas tanks were removed and the Use and Occupancy permit
expired, specific land parcels only have 180 days under County
Code for ‘grandfathering’ the use. After the 180 days of a
U&O not being in place, normal County zoning process and
procedures apply. A gas station under C-S-C is treated in the
identical fashion as under M-U-TC – it is only permitted under
the satisfaction of the Special Exception process. It would
not have mattered if Jey had filed the paperwork before the
zoning ordinance or after – the impact would have been almost
identical. Either before or after the U&O would only be
approved via the County’s Special Exception processing which
is a fairly high barrier to overcome; the owner lost
grandfathering on that use a long time before the 2004
Ordinance. The assertion that if Jey had filed a few weeks
prior to the 2004 Zoning Ordinance would have been meant that
he would then have a conforming use is factually flawed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am not sure why a business owner’s
personal financial situation is even being discussed, but to
that point the property was paid off and banks are a great
source of equity financing when an asset owned free and
clear. The developer has been approached numerous times by 3<sup>rd</sup>
parties wanting to buy outright, lease, and/or develop it out
as an equity partner and to date has only made the most basic
of overtures of developing the site with non-conforming uses.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since I attended the M-U-TC meeting, I can
share your frustration with the process, but as someone who
has had to apply the same standards consistently with every
developer in the zone, I respectfully have a different memory
of the meeting. I listed out in a prior email what everyone
is required to bring to the meetings for evaluation of
permits. His architect did come but only had a single copy of
a site plan; nothing was provided to committee members prior
to the meeting. The site plan does not show the façade,
schedule of materials nor is an elevation drawing. It does
not show landscaping, lighting, screening, tree canopy
coverage, etc. We were shown a color picture of what looked
to be an existing Dunkin Donuts from somewhere else that
looked larger than the existing building on the site and had
no correlation to this site. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The fundamental problem with that night was
that the applicant had applied for permits under one use and
came to the M-U-TC committee prepared to talk about another
use. We can only consider a permit that is in front of us,
not permits that may or may not ever be filed. There was also
an erroneous interpretation of the zoning rules by the
applicant in that they misinterpreted the language to read
that the M-U-TC standards do not apply since the existing
building has some form of grandfathering. It is true that
since the applicant only proposed an addition of 245.99 square
feet that is 3.595 sq. ft. under the trigger for full-review;
there is a caveat to that. That trigger only grandfathers the
developer from not having to comply with the Building
Placement and Streetscape page (i.e. the building is not
required to be picked up and moved closer to Route 1); the
rest of the voluminous standards apply. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If I wasn’t down in the weeds with the
details I would be completely confused by what exactly we were
supposed to evaluate. Before the meeting, the M-U-TC
committee was told that we were going to be considering a
coffeehouse, when I looked up the permits I saw the applicant
had applied for a convenience store, and when presented Shanty
expressed that they had considered a Starbucks/Caribou but
knew the area could not afford a $4 cup of coffee so they
decided to bring in a Quick Service Restaurant/Dunkin Donuts.
We are perfectly willing and prepared to negotiate a
development on the parcel but first need to know what it is
not just be told by the applicant to ‘just approve it and then
I will give you quality.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The developer was provided a detailed
checklist of all the mandatory standards prior to the meeting
that it could use for guidance. We are applying the same
standards to this site that were applied to the Spiropoulos’
build-out of Town Center Market and the same set of standards
that will be applied to Town Center when Douglas Development
comes before M-U-TC. This parcel and development is in no way
being singled out or treated any differently than anyone else
that has come before M-U-TC. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At this point we have not heard any
response to our requests for additional information, items
that should have been readily available if the applicant was
preparing to move forward, nor have we been notified that the
applicant has elected to pursue the Special Exception
process. The Town would love a thriving business on that site
since it is a gateway property. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jonathan<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"">Jonathan
W. Ebbeler | Councilmember - Ward One<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"">Chair,
Economic Development Committee<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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