Someone in the Department of Planning and Community Development must have drawn the short straw when the agenda was created for the May 22 Greenbelt City Council meeting. It was after 10 p.m. when Assistant Planning Director Terri Hruby and Community Planner Jessica Bellah managed to get on stage to begin presenting five projects that needed council approval.
Included were an MOU for the Greenbelt Station Parkway bridge; the final design concept for the Buddy Attick Park parking lot; an award agreement for Gateway Welcome signage; grant applications for a feasibility study; and design plans for Hanover Parkway bike facilities and for shared bike stations.
120 Forgotten Feet
The Greenbelt Station Parkway bridge spans Branchville Road to provide access to the South Core from Greenbelt Road. The parkway was platted as a public road, and construction permits were issued by the city and the county for the bridge in 2007. About two years ago, city staff realized that a 120-foot length of the roadway connecting Greenbelt Road to the southern end of the bridge had never been adopted by a public entity.
At a worksession in 2015, council agreed to maintain this section as an extension of Greenbelt Station Parkway, which was already a city public road. While that might sound simple enough, it required development of an MOU among all parties involved, spelling out all maintenance issues. The parties involved include the city, Prince George’s County, the developer, the Home Owner Association (HOA) and Berwyn Heights, since it is within that town’s jurisdiction but is not a Berwyn Heights road. Greenbelt’s responsibilities primarily include the asphalt layer over the cement, street cleaning and snow removal. The actual bridge structure will be the county’s responsibility.
Read more of this story in the June 15 News Review