Greenbelt City Council met on Monday, August 1, to discuss parking, trails and various public safety issues in the Greenbelt Station area. Tina Kumar, property manager, and Valencia Perry, assistant property manager, for Verde apartments at Greenbelt Station answered questions from council.
Verde has 302 apartment units at 97 percent occupancy and amenities including a clubroom, a fitness room, two outdoor courtyards and a pool. The garage has 601 parking spaces and two electronic car charging stations. Residents get one space free and pay a fee for the second space in the garage; surplus parking spaces are also available. Visitor parking is available on the first level of the garage and in front of the leasing office. In addition, there is a bike room.
Kumar, in response to Councilmember Judith Davis’s inquiry about parking on Rock Quarry service road, said that since No Parking signs were installed there, no towing issues have occurred. Mayor Emmett Jordan asked about speeding on the service road, armed break-ins and car thefts. Kumar said that she had seen no complaints or incidents. Councilmember Ric Gordon asked if Verde had special children’s programs; Kumar replied that the pool is open from noon to 8 p.m. Jordan mentioned that council and Greenbelt Recreation hope to have more activities in Greenbelt Station and wondered if some parking spaces would be available temporarily. Kumar said she would investigate temporarily available parking spaces but there was no guarantee.
Leslie Benitez, community manager of the Master Homeowners Association (HOA) of Greenbelt Station, was introduced to council. Danielle McKinney, a member of the board of directors of Greenbelt Station Master Association, was available remotely to council. Councilmember Kristen L.K. Weaver also serves on the Greenbelt Station Master Association Board.
The master HOA and the three condominium HOAs for Point, Vista and Court comprise all the homeowners of Greenbelt Station. The park and the four streets bordering the park are under Greenbelt city governance.
Parking Regulations
Police Chief Richard Bowers reported only a few issues with Greenbelt Station and Verde over the last 90 days. The area is secure with two entry points and covered by foot patrols and premise checks. The police have a good relationship with the residents. Crime prevention tips for residents include parking in a well-lit area and keeping valuables out of sight in a car. For minor altercations between neighbors, Jordan recommended contacting Verde or the HOA before a call to the police.
Cars with Maryland tags may sit for up to 30 days on a city street before they are towed. For cars with temporary tags, Bowers said to contact the police department non-emergency telephone number. Bowers noted that other jurisdictions may tow after three to 10 days.
Jordan pointed out that the problem of parking long-term on city streets was not confined to Greenbelt Station, and sometimes trucks are parked long-term as advertisements. Councilmember Rodney Roberts mentioned that his neighborhood in Greenbelt Homes, Inc., did not see the 30-day limit as excessive. Weaver thought that a 10-day limit would be appropriate for Greenbelt Station. Councilmembers thought about the variability across the city when considering parking regulations. Gordon asked Bowers what the typical fine could be and Bowers said $45, with more for parking in handicapped and fire lanes. Jordan suggested that parking regulations might have a legislative remedy. Davis also noted that the trails in Greenbelt and the coming Greenbelt Metro (WMATA) trail will hopefully cut down on car transportation needs.
Terri Hruby, director of Planning & Community Development, mentioned that streets around Greenbelt Station Park will change to one-way traffic at the end of August. Signage and notifications will ease the transition process. Weaver asked if the change could be reversed later; Hruby said yes. Davis noted that this change will create more parking spaces around the park.
Trails
The storm-damaged section of the Indian Creek trail is repaired and now open, Hruby noted. Jordan mentioned that the area near Prince George’s Scrap had problems with invasives and wondered if the area had been turned over to the city. Hruby said the trail area is turned over but the land adjacent to the trail needs turf established, a no-mow zone and storm management. Davis inquired about lighting around the trails and mentioned that lighting at night might interfere with the habitat. Hruby responded that there are, at present, no plans for lighting on the trail.
Ground for the WMATA trail has not been broken yet due to a lot of regulatory requirements, Hruby said. Five years have passed since the WMATA trail plans began, Jordan pointed out. Hruby said the highway review (which involves the state) is coming and she is hoping to break ground in the spring of 2023. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review project is complete and the permit is coming, she added. Major remaining steps are completing the utility design and the requirements of the grant programs. Hruby sees bidding on this project to start in the winter. She explained that from breaking ground to completion would take up to eight months, and the bridge and boardwalk part of the trail construction will be separate and, hopefully, concurrent with the trail construction.
In the meantime, the Metro Shuttle has been discontinued, but the B15X bus has not yet started up. Jordan mentioned BikeShare as an alternative.
Remaining Issues
Now that the damage from the storm (mainly shutters and trash blown about) has been fixed, the HOAs are thinking about expanding some amenities. McKinney would like to have more shaded areas, community gardens, more dog waste disposal units and a conveniently located dog park. She hopes that more community events in the park, like the gathering where the S.I.T.Y. Stars performed, will be planned. She also requested – as top priority – the WMATA trail, then safety with increased patrols and continued police presence, along with brush removal from Indian Creek trail.
The next Public Works cleanup is scheduled for September, Jordan said.
In the HOAs and Verde apartments, no sub-leasing is permitted, but Jordan mentioned that several condominiums appear to be rented to a changing group of students. Benitez said the master HOA had no information on this practice. She also mentioned that some trees are covering the streetlights and requested tree-trimming. Interim City Manager Timothy George responded that city streets have scheduled tree maintenance, but he recommended contacting Public Works to request tree-trimming in addition to the scheduled maintenance.
Greenbelt resident Bill Orleans asked if evictions from Verde are reported to Hruby. Hruby stated that no eviction notices were received in the last few weeks. Kumar emphasized Verde follows procedures – filing, writ, sheriff, eviction – but the process is lengthy and variable. Davis asked if any Verde residents had received rental assistance from the city, and Kumar said that some residents did receive assistance.
Orleans also requested that rental assistance information appear in the Verde communications to tenants. Kumar responded that newsletters and notices are electronic at Verde and Verde would welcome city communications by email.
Greenbelt Station resident Jennifer Nearhood, an environmental lawyer, asked about the potential purchase of Prince George’s Scrap for use as a park. George has contacted Berwyn Heights where the property is located, but the property owner is not interested in selling, he said, adding that eminent domain was not feasible in this case. Davis suggested a partnership with Berwyn Heights to address the environmental issues of the scrap yard with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Roberts asked George how long it has been since he reached out to the owner. Council, however, preferred not to discuss negotiations in the meeting. If the property could be purchased, remediation and conversion to a park would be costly, he noted, and any ARPA funds committed must be returned to ARPA if the project goes past the ARPA deadline.