Glenn Dale
Citizens Association
All
Officers were present. The Secretary
wore had a Mardi Gras mask and brought a pineapple.
Secretary’s
Report. The previous minutes had several errors,
which Mary noticed. The errors were
corrected and we adopted the minutes (which were uploaded later that evening).
Tony also announced that the new Safeway has the cheapest gas around. It is also 3 cents/gallon off with a Safeway card.
Enterprise Plaza will split up the old Shopper Food Warehouse into three stores.
The President said: “So it won’t have an anchor.”
Jim Titus said: “It is sadly ironic that a shopping center named after an aircraft carrier will not have an anchor.”
Mary spoke about the recent CSA 24 meeting, which is held on the first Thursday of the month. Apartment property managers, police, and HOA’s. District 22 of the county Police, reports what is going on police-wise. They reported on the increase—and subsequent reduction—in crime in the Old Bowie area. (Anyone who wants the police to tell you what else to do security wise, should call 301-390-2141.) There was a recent burglary in Strawberry Glenn. But apparently it was not a random crime. The Police are also targeting increased truancy. The serial hit-and-run at MD-564 and MD-193 is still being investigated. The police also announced that you can get a ticket for turning your car on and leaving it running—even on your own property. This is an anti-theft provision, unlike DC where environmental rules prohibit idling under some circumstances.
The Secretary announced that he will not cut the pineapple unless other people are going to eat it.
New Business
Jim summarized a series of conversations and emails with Delegate Levi about flooding in the area that lies between Glenn Dale Rd., Prospect Hill Road, Old Prospect Hill Road, Bell Station Road, and Daisy Lane—particularly the the backyards of homeowners along parts of the Glenn Dale Neighborhood Park. Delegate Levi told Jim that when this area floods, the debris is often deposited in the backyards. The County is interested in funding a flood mitigation project, and Delegate Levi was inquiring about whether GDCA might be able to accept funds from the County and then turn it over to contractors undertaking these projects. Jim emailed her to say that this was something she would need to discuss with the President of GDCA. Henry added that he had placed a call to the Delegate, but that they have not spoken yet.
Magruder Brannon House will be moved to the Zoglio property so that a doctor’s office can be built at the NE corner of MD-193 and MD-450. Developer now has commitments for all the units in that development. This is over 100,000 square feet. It is a three-story building with an underground garage. (The Palumbos own the property nearby.)
Update on Golf Course. The planning board is considering application by “Toll Brothers” to get an extension request for their application. We are going to ask Cass to come to our next meeting to tell us where they are, on the Kyle and Scheig development. (Toll was original purchasers of golf course. Evidently, it is more administratively convenient to keep the case named as “Toll Brothers” even though their successors in the project are the actual beneficiary.) See also previous deal.
Glenn Dale hospital. Nothing new.
Membership. We put a statement in the community news in the Gazette. We have made earlier email announcements. Henry asked: Is two emails too many? People replied: no.
Brook added: We should work with the community center, and the Glenn Dale recreation council.
Glenn Dale Commons. Glenn Dale Commons sent a letter about a detailed site plan. There will be a meeting tomorrow. Staff will call Mary tomorrow.
Brian Madison: representing Ingrid Turner came to hear about our concerns. He is the constituent services staff. People with concerns can call 301-952-4355 or email him at bkmadison@co.pg.md.us
A motion was offered and seconded to cut the pineapple. Motion carried. The Secretary said Laissez les bon temps rouler.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30, so that we could hear from representatives of the owners of the property along MD-564 just northeast of the intersection with MD-193. The lawyer and a planning consultant addressed us.
The property is 1500 feet and 425 feet wide. It is a long narrow piece of property. The planning consultant asked (rhetorically) “What is the most appropriate land use?” It was zoned commercial for many years. The owners looked at residential, but the rr tracks keep this from being an ideal place for single-family residential. It might work for multi-family. The buildings themselves attenuate the noise more. Garden apartments might also fit. But looking at the location: this is better for offices. The planning consultant asserted that most people coming to the offices would be coming from the south and the west, rather than the north and east, and thus the traffic would not add to gridlock. They propose 50-ft buffer along MD-564 and 25-ft along the Amtrak line. This site would accommodate 350,000 square feet of office buildings. There would be a day-care center and 8,000 square feet of retail, mostly for the office workers. They are looking at 2 to 4-story buildings.
We then had a Question and Answer Session
Q: Who owns?
A: RSSJ Associates I(Dr. J. Gupta and his wife)
Q: Were they owner during the previous master planning process?
A: No, he bought with EIEA zoning. Has owned for a decade?
Q: What are adjacent uses?
A. To the east is the towing company, to the west is an office for a concrete company.
Q: You said that the recent downzoning decreased the market value of the property by over 90%. What is the value of this property, roughly; that is, how much do you claim that this regulation hurt the owner.
A: We have no idea what the property is worth.
Q: You mentioned that with proximity to NASA, there would be increasing demand for this type of employment. But what we have seen, is that areas closer to Goddard are not developing into commercial areas with the existing employment zoning, they are going in the opposite direction: residential. This owner has not done anything with it So what is the driver for EIA?
A. He is a long-term visionary. Not in it for a quick turnaround. But his vision is for employment. Not residential.
Q: What are you offering?
A: We have nothing to put on the table. We are hoping to work on use, how it looks, what people care about. E.g. 50-ft buffer. For example, design and buffers. Then, come to a number.
Q: Have you looked at open-space creation elsewhere, to offset the loss of open space that you want here.
A: No we have not looked at that option because this open space does not give the community more open space anyway.
Q: What is the timing on this?
A: We probably have time.
Q: Developers promise citizens all sorts of things, but typically they never occur. Can you guarantee this?
A: We can put conditions that stop development until something happens. Part of zoning package is how it might be done.
Q: How about half and half? Half open space and half developed?
A. It would probably be an office
building in that case. We could not
make such a nice development.
Q: What about a MARC station happening some day?
A: The master plan calls for another MARC station somewhere in this area. Our proposal will not preclude a MARC station—it would make it more likely than building a few homes on 5-acre lots.
Q: But this would increase the cost of condeming the property for a MARC Station.
A. We have not looked at that issue.