#1 Liquor

With council election only a few months away, and an increasing number of residents are voicing their oppositions, the City Council may soon vote on a motion that will permanently put a stop to the negotiation to purchase #1 Liquor property on Route 1.

The small parcel of property (8200 Baltimore Avenue) is sandwiched in between two recently built enormous high rises: the University View and the Varsity.

In December 2009, the City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate the acquisition of  the property and turn this into a park for general public use.

City Council members who supported the motion in 2009, argued that the property was “an eyesore” for a long time. They also said that the purchase would be an opportunity “to improve that portion of Route 1 corridor“.

The 2009 resolution allows the City to pursue the acquisition using all “actions necessary to proceed with condemnation if negotiations are not successful.” This points to an option called “eminent domain” or compulsory purchase by the a local or federal government.

However, opposition to the eminent domain option from the residents in recent days have forced some council members to soften or even reverse their support for this extreme option.

One of these council members is Patrick Wojahn (Dist 1), who has come under a fierce opposition from a small but vocal group of residents in his north College Park constituency.

“I was on the fence initially about eminent domain, and after hearing what residents have had to say, I oppose it.” -wrote Mr. Wojahn in an email to his north College Park newsgroup.

However, Mr. Wojahn’s reversal on eminent domain option did not completely please the group of residents; they want the Council to stop negotiation with the #1 Liquor owner altogether.

“The City should stop going after this particular business.  You [Mr. Wojahn] and Mr. Catlin keep saying the City should continue because the owner is still willing to negotiate [to sell]” – charged one resident.

“I have not seen anyone on the council move to amend this item be removed” – continued the resident.

During the recent budget worksession, this topic was brought up and the City Manager (Mr. Nagro) said the only way to stop the negotiation would be for the Mayor and Council to do another vote to “unauthorize” it.

Mr. Wojahn’s counterpart in District 1, Councilmember Nagle, who has been a vocal opponent to the #1 Liquor purchase from the beginning,  has recently done just that. She has asked the City to unauthorize the City Manager from pursuing any further negotiations to obtain the property (arms-length or otherwise). The Council will vote on that motion in next Tuesday’s (May 24) regular council session.

In the mean time, the debate on the property deal is intensifying.

Most opponents to the idea of acquiring the property argue that “uglinesss” should never be the reason for purchasing the property.

“.. if you want to get rid of it, why don’t you get rid of town hall or that vacant building that is an eyesore between Burger King and Taco Bell (on Rt. 1).” – said one long time residents.

“If we are looking to make the city look good, there is nothing on US 1 in my opinion from the IKEA corridor on down except the University of Maryland that looks attractive to anyone wanting to relocate to the city.” – continued the resident.

Council member Robert Catlin (Dist 2), who sponsored the 2009 motion disagrees. Catlin thinks location, and not the look, should be a major factor why the City should buy the property.

“(The location of the property) is great because of the large population that will be living or passing through there.  It can be a place for people to buy food from the adjacent food establishments and enjoy eating outside or interact with people (like Dupont Circle). ” – said Mr. Catlin.

In addition to location, Mr. Catlin argues that  the property would make for a good bus superstop location, as it the southernmost point that southbound buses can stop to pick up passengers.

Mr. Catlin also points out that  the current business owner is not the same business owner that was there when University View was built.

“The current liquor store owner is free to lease space elsewhere in College Park. ” – he argued.

In response to argument that the City will be losing precious tax dollars from a legitimate business, Mr Catlin said: “The $1,500 in revenue derived from the store is insignificant in the city’s budget, especially when considering that the redevelopment here generates hundreds of times more revenue than was generated here before redevelopment.”

“What could we buy, only church property?” – asks Mr. Catlin.

Some residents want the City to spend the fund to purchase the property in the Design and Rehabilitation of Duvall Field project in north College Park. The City originally received $300K as part of State’s Program Open Space (POS) fund, however it could not use the money due to a related fund from a Greenbelt south core development project.

Others have different ideas on how the fund should be spent,

“Program Open Space (POS) is neither a highway beautification fund nor a blight reduction tool. A fraction of an acre park on the #1 Liquor site will not meet the city’s conservation or public recreation goals, especially in light of the fact that North Gate Park (another POS project) is about to open just to the south.” – said the ReThinkCollegePark editor David Daddio.

Daddio thinks the North Gate Park parcel would make an excellent location for a bus super stop for the emerging North Gate District.

“Indeed POS funds could be used for the purchase; but let’s not pretend that there is a park deficit in the city.” – said Daddio.

Though it is unclear at this moment how the Council will vote next week, an intense lobbying by the opposing residents may likely to sway the minds of the council members. If there is a tie, Mayor Fellows will cast his vote to break the tie. Mr. Fellows who supported the original 2009 motion is also undecided.

“We have not established what that cost to the City might be.  I do understand the concerns of a significant number of residents, and they are a factor in my consideration. ” – said Mr. Fellows.

In the mean time, opponents to the purchase plan are hoping that the upcoming November election could swing  the Council decision next week. As one resident has put it:

“Anyone who [still] backs [the purchase], it will be noted when it’s election time and will be  noted in distributed documents, websites and listserves.“