Residents of Greenbelt Station (GS) were welcomed to a Greenbelt City Council worksession on August 12 to share their recent concerns and challenges. GS representatives included Community Manager Leslie Perez of Community Association Management Professionals (CAMP) and GS Master Association Vice President Rachel Roberts-Jones, along with residents Ting Ma and Brian Drewry.
City Director of Planning and Community Development Terri Hruby began with a rundown of the latest developments on the trail that will connect GS and the Greenbelt Metro station, a key element of the community when it was conceived. This trail, active in its planning and permitting phase, will be constructed by Woodlawn, the developer of GS, and once completed will fall primarily into the city’s hands to maintain, with help from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in its video monitoring system. This multi-agency project is a partnership with the city, county, WMATA, Pepco and Maryland Department of the Environment. A mandatory stormwater management review has been completed, as well as an agreement with WMATA to build on their property. WMATA is active with Pepco in the design of the trail’s electrical system. In spite of a two-month delay due to COVID-19, the project is moving forward, with construction expected to start in spring to early summer 2021 and last 18 months. So far, $250,000 has been spent on engineering, and the construction cost is set at $2.4 million. The city has set aside $1.8 million for the project with plans for acquiring further money through grants as things proceed. Woodlawn will contribute to construction costs as well.
Ma was concerned about the impact the trail would have on an already stressed parking situation, as more people would conceivably park in the community in order to use the trail. Hruby was a bit skeptical that this would become an issue, as the trail’s three-quarter-mile span would make it an unlikely option for Metro users. Drewry pointed out that GS does have a resident parking permit system, which limits parking on neighborhood streets. Ma also reported a problem with double-parking by delivery and other trucks, posing a traffic risk.
Parking availability was a major topic of the meeting. Planning staff presented their two most favored solutions: making North and South Center Drives into one-way streets and striped-end-line parking lanes rather than striped individual spaces on Greenbelt Station Parkway to maximize parking. The potential of transforming green space into parking, while favored by some GS residents, was deemed unattractive by staff as it would require an overhaul of the development’s site plan and impinge negatively on the community as a whole. Mayor Colin Byrd said that, while he respects staff’s counsel on this, he would be willing to explore this more if resident interest was high enough. Councilmember Judith Davis felt that this option should be the ultimate last resort.
Davis stressed that many GS units have parking garages and personal parking areas and that they should be used for such, instead of for storage.
Byrd encouraged the GS community to come to a consensus on parking solutions in order to aid in the final decision. GS resident Eric Kruszewski has been instrumental in this effort and was eager for staff advice that would “streamline the process.” Planning staff is in the process of responding to some parking alternative suggestions from GS to be released in a couple weeks.
Dangerous speeding on Greenbelt Station Parkway (GSP) was brought up by Drewry. The possibility of installing speed humps was debated and was decided to be a helpful, if not perfect solution. Council pointed out that speed humps can be problematic in that they can stymie the effective transit of emergency vehicles. Hruby and Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers said that they would look into implementing covert speed sensors that would provide a clear analysis of the situation, including the times of day of the most violations and the rates of speed.
Recreation Director Greg Varda gave an update on the city’s recreation efforts during the health emergency. Several of the efforts to introduce more recreation opportunities to GS, like an exercise facility, are on hold due to the pandemic, but will be revisited.
The new sod and trees at Central Park and its new extension at GS is surviving despite being challenged by extreme heat in July. The lack of shade is an obstacle to the park being used actively.
Bowers stated that there was “no large increase in crime” at GS, with the trend being centered on auto and construction-site theft. Resident use of the Neighbors App by Ring has been “helpful in some cases” with video and information sharing, said Bowers.
Davis reminded the GS residents that their children are now enrolled in Greenbelt schools, “one good victory.” Information on busing will be available before in-person attendance resumes.
Councilmember Edward Putens declared “welcome aboard!” to GS residents, as they are “starting to take care of your own city.” He looked to a growing partnership of the city and GS as they “do all things together” and determine each of their responsibilities, such as with the WMATA trail.