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Politics & Government

Residents Object to City Action Plan

Residents confront city plans to shutter a liquor store and sidestep the Town of Berwyn Heights.

College Park’s 2012 Action Plan generated some heat during a public forum Tuesday night at city hall, where a handful of local residents objected to certain provisions — and omissions — found within planning documents.   

Described as an “annual road map” for the implementation of College Park’s 2010-15 Strategic Plan, the FY2012 Action Plan  focuses on a “relatively manageable and strategic set of actions for one fiscal year.”

A few of those actions include producing a city-wide bicycle plan, forming a Hollywood merchants association and promoting the city through a marketing campaign.

Of the five residents who turned up to speak out at the hearing, two focused on plans to shutter and convert the city’s Number 1 Liquors store into a small park. “I think that’s a terrible idea,” said Gemma Evans, a former city employee. Evans said closing the store, located along the 8200 block of Baltimore Avenue, would simply compel students elsewhere — such as to the College Park Liquors store located across the street from Number 1 Liquors.

Another resident agreed, calling the strategy an “utter, utter waste of money and time” once factoring in all of the legal fees associated with employing eminent domain, fewer tax revenues and park maintenance costs.

Meantime, Kevin Young, president of the Berwyn Civic Association, compared a former strategic plan to the current 2010-15 plan. The 2005 strategic plan “mentions Berwyn 17 times,” he told the council. “The current plan doesn’t mention it once.”

“It is obvious Berwyn has been completely excluded from this process,” he said.

Berwyn resident Michele Garnes dittoed Young’s remarks. “We’re not in [the strategic plan],” she told the council. “Why have you people forgotten about us?” Garnes said she would like to see more focus along portions of Berwyn to encourage things like coffee shops and yoga centers.

The council remained mostly mum during the forum, except after resident Robert Weber’s comments. Weber, who participated in a focus group concerning the strategic 2010-15 plan, chided the plan for not addressing high crime rates in College Park. “I do not endorse this strategic plan,” he said, to which councilman Patrick Wojahn (District 1) later asked: “Did you see the action plan?”

The fiscal year 2012 Action Plan also includes five specific steps aimed at curbing crime, including an evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of existing security cameras, more outreach to Neighborhood Watch advocates and leaders, as well as holding “multi-police-agency” meetings meant to enhance the coordination of police resources throughout the city.

More information concerning College Park’s Fiscal 2012 Action Plan and 2010-15 Strategic Plan is available here.

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